As she finds herself climbing through whatever it is she is climbing through, Daniella does her best to keep her eyes shut.

She feels a chair knocks her from the back and is immediately drawn forward. She is no longer moving... she is just being dragged at high speed like a spooky roller coaster. Again, she keeps her eyes closed. Suddenly, the speed stops.

"Daniella? Daniella? You okay? Daniella? We gotta go... We gotta go now... Daniella? Daniella? Daniella, wake up!" pleads a familiar sounding voice. "Open your eyes."

Daniella does, and finds Destiny staring at her upclose. As she backs away, Daniella can't help but notice that Destiny is wearing a backpack... is that her carry-on?

"Oh thank goodness, come on, we gotta go before the gate agents put on us on blast like last time!" exclaims a gleeful Destiny.

"This is a final boarding call for passenger Daniella and Destiny Spencer booked on flight 77X. Please proceed to gate 3 immediately. The final checks are being completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes time. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for Daniella and Destiny Spencer. Thank you."

"Whoops! Too late! We gotta go! Come on!"

A groggy Daniella gets up, grabs her things, and follows Destiny, who grabs onto her hand and drags her along as they board the plane.

"Wait, why am I following Destiny? What's going on NOW? And WHY is Destiny here?" Daniella thinks to herself. She proceeds to blurt out loud:

"Why am I following you? Hey Destiny... Destiny, answer me! What are you doing here, with me?" 

Once they're on the plane, Daniella pulls her phone out of habit, but Destiny quickly confiscates it and places it into her own backpack.

"Stop checking your phone! Bad things happen when you check your phone! Why haven't you figured that out by now?!"

The intensity of Destiny's voice has now awakened Daniella, who is even more weirded out by her current situation. Destiny realizes that she is completely unable to store her bag. "Uh... help?"  asks Destiny. 

Daniella sighs and helps her.

"So now you're talking?! What exactly is going on Destiny, and weren't you on the other side of the mirror?" asks Daniella as she stores Destiny's backpack into the overhead compartment.

Destiny looks at Daniella and memorizes her face. She bursts out laughing.

"We're traveling together, silly!" exclaims Destiny as she pats Daniella on the side of her arms. Daniella is not amused.

"Why? I need that phone," asks Daniella.

"Oh, I know. I would have broken the phone, but I know how important phones are in this day and age! So I won't!"

Daniella raises her eyebrow at Destiny.

"Wow... well... thank you for not breaking my phone I guess?"

The child winks at her. "You're welcome." Daniella rolls her eyes at her.

"Weren't you supposed to be back at home, MY home, with Danielle?"

"I was and I am."

Daniella gives her a look that can only be described as multiple question marks made manifest.

"I am with you and I am with Danielle simultaneously."

"Oh yeah? What's she doing right now?"

Destiny pauses and appears to think. She snickers. "That is so f**king stupid," remarks Destiny. "I love it."

"Hey! Keep it down! Don't swear! Not on the plane! People are going to look at me disgustingly!"

"Don't worry, they won't," assures Destiny. "Besides, they think you're my sister."

"Sister? ...Okay. That'll work I guess." shrugs Daniella. "What's Danielle doing?"

"She just died her bangs like a shade between lapis and cobalt. She looks so stupid with the length of her bangs. It's like covering her eyes. She looks like an anime cosplay character. It's so stupid and silly but like I also love it." answers Destiny as she continues to chuckle and laugh.

An awkward silence between them ensues as they take off. Once the plane enters taxi, Lexi, along with her perfume, comes by with her tray of treats and confections. She first gives her attention to Destiny.

"What would you like to have, Sweetheart?"

"Could I get that pizza bread that that gentleman has over there?"

"Sure! Is your..." Lexi looks at the list of names. "....Sister... Is your sister okay with that?"

Destiny nudges Daniella, who has been preoccupied with her endless scrolling through the in-flight entertainment. Daniella looks at Destiny and notices Lexi looking at her with a face asking for permission.

"Huh? What?" asks Daniella as she removes her headphones.

"Can I get pizza bread?" Destiny asks her "sister", who nods.

"Can I get one as well?" adds Daniella.

Lexi hands the treats to the two ladies and goes about her way.

As she bites into her pizza bread, Daniella can't help but look over at Destiny as she eats. Her biting and chewing resemble that of an older baby adorably trying to eat. As Daniella watches Destiny take on a few bites, the junior of the feisty duo catches on to her gawking.

"Are you seriously staring at me? Really?" asks an annoyed Destiny.

Daniella shrugs. "You're visually interesting to watch that's all."

Destiny nods. "Huh. Remind me what you do for a living?" she asks before biting onto her bread.

"Not that it's any of your business but if you must know... I. AM. AN. IMAGE. CONSULTANT! Got it? Yes, I am, that's what I do."

Destiny chuckles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asks Daniella.

Destiny smiles. "I'll let you find out for yourself." is her only response as she casually nuzzles onto Daniella's shoulder.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Remember that conversation we had about perception."

"Right." Daniella nods and continues to speak.

"Speaking of perception, visual perception, care to explain that little creepy trick you pull on me in the car? And to make things worse, you left me for dead out on the pavement like roadkill!"

"Yeah, I guess I could have chosen to act differently but you needed to go through that little experience..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? you could have seriously injured me Destiny!"

"Yet here we both are talking about it Daniella! and you are perfectly fine or have you already forgotten what the doctor said?"

"That's not the point! What you did was gangster!"

"And what I did, was also what needed to be done! You could not make up your mind about Luca or Luke. and you still haven't made a choice... Oh I know, would you like me to do it for you?"

"Absolutely NOT! Stay out of it!"

A silence between them lasts for a few seconds.

"Destiny?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Yes."

"How long has it been?"

"It?"

"The Happenings."

"Oh. Those. Time isn't really my thing. By that, I mean that it's not a concept I grew up with. time cannot be measured and it cannot be quantified. Tine is not palpable. Time as you perceive it is nothing more than a human invention. For me, the concept of time is in the realm of quantum jump and intertwining with multiple probabilities in infinite directions. Time is whatever you define it to be."

"Okay! why can't you make anything simple? But like if you had to add a value to it?" insists Daniella.

Destiny shrugs. "A long time... A while at least?"

"At least?! What the f**k does that mean?"

"What it means. I told you... time goes in any and every direction..."

Daniella groans. "For all I know , Thanksgiving could have come and gone thanks to you! My family probably thinks that I disappeared and abandoned them. They are probably heartbroken, crying for me right now! I doubt I'll ever see them again."

"You know, the average person would complain about Christmas," interjects Destiny.

"Don't get me wrong about Christmas, I love Christmas, but Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday. It's my family favorite holiday! But you wouldn't know anything about family, too busy ruining people's life"

Destiny smiles and lets out a faint laugh.

"What is so funny about what I'm saying? Are you really that heartless? What's in it for you anyway? What do you care about who I choose to be with?

Daniella Spencer is caught up in her own ranting and self-pity that she once again misses a Happening right before her eyes. In the blink of an eye, the captain's voice comes onto the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you."

As the announcement ends, Destiny reaches for Daniella and sneezes. Before Daniella could react to her action, she is interrupted by another announcement. For the first time in her adventures, she takes the time to listen to the full announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now landed. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. Cellular phones may only be used once the Fasten Seat Belt sign has been turned off. Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you may have brought on board with you and please use caution when opening the overhead bins, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight. If you require deplaning assistance, please remain in your seat until all other passengers have deplaned. One of our crew members will then be pleased to assist you. On behalf of this airline and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you onboard again in the near future. Have a nice rest of your day!"

An extremely excited Destiny unfastens her seatbelts and bolts out towards the exit of the plane. To Daniella's surprise, some of the passengers were already out of the plane.

"How?! How did I miss five hours! I didn't even fall asleep this time yet I managed to fall through another Happening!!" silently exclaims Daniella as she grabs her carry-on and purse, along with Destiny's backpack, and chases after Destiny, who is quite a few steps ahead of her. By the time she is nearly able to catch up with the child, they are already inside the terminal.

"Destiny! Wait for me! Wait, where are you going?"

"Go spend time with your family." answers Destiny.

"What are you talking about? My family isn't here. I usually see my family during Thanksgiving, if you were paying attention, you would have remembered what I said literally before the captain announced our landing... Wait a minute... What did you do again?! Destiny?"

"Come with me!" Destiny reaches her hand out to her.

"I'm always with you!"

"No but like physically come with me." insists Daniella. Destiny literally drags Daniella out of the cabin past all of the passengers into the main part of the airport. Daniella was left dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before her eyes.

"What's happening here? When are we?"

"They're all here to be with you. Just like you wanted."

"Who are all here, Destiny?"

"Your entire family. Your parents, and their parents, and their parents, and their parents, and so forth. The whole airport is full of all of your family to celebrate your favorite holiday."

"Wait... is this....?"

"-You need your space, but I'll see you soon! Enjoy! Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! Happy Thanksgiving!"

Daniella nods. Despite the aggravation and chaos that Destiny has brought into her life recently, sheds a tear for this strange, wonderful, and awesome exit. She wipes it off before her makeup is totally ruined.

"Come here you little punk," Daniella says as she brings Destiny into a tight hug.

Once they let go, Destiny disintegrates into a sparkle of dust before Daniella's very eyes and fades away. It feels like a picture-perfect cinematic moment, but she has a feeling that it's Destiny's dramatic way of peacing out. Daniella brings her attention to the festivities at hand. She instantly recognizes her parents as they mingle amongst various family members.

"Mom?! Dad?!" she calls out.

Her parents turn around and affectionately hug Daniella. It's a hug of both love and relief. "Hi Sweetheart!" asks her parents. "We've missed you so much! Where have you been?"

Although the line sounds like a cliche family reunion at the end of the year, Daniella chuckles. "Finding myself and traveling throughout The Universe, I suppose."

She is confident that the response does not even click in their heads, as they just laugh it off as though she was a toddler trying to count from one to three. They playfully pat her and tidy up her messy hair.

"It feels like them, but it's not. They are even more chipper than usual! I'll take it anyway! Best. Thanksgiving. Ever!"

"Well! Time to feast!" They exclaim as they drag her to the divine Thanksgiving banquet at what is usually the buffet area at the airport lounge.

Throughout the rest of that evening, it was the first time in a "while" that Daniella is finally able to relax and forget about the "loops", "realities", and "Happenings" that had been troubling her. It is almost as though those troubles never existed... at least for now.

To be continued... 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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