• Something, somewhere, went terribly wrong.
    100, 0000 ft up in the air, Zala Harried lost control of the vehicle.


    She screamed as the ship plummeted. Not a known word escaped her mouth, just a screeching squeal of fear that would make any listener sit up and pay attention.
    “PULL UP! PULL UP!” bellowed David over the roar of the engine, but Zala didn’t hear. He reached over her and grabbed at the stick, missed and got elbowed in the face by one of Zala’s flailing arms. He cringed back holding his bottom lip, Zala shrieked even louder at the sight of blood.
    “STOP!” roared David. The sky simulation faded around them and the Auto rocked to a halt. After a few minutes Zala calmed, she glanced over at David and blushed at the site of his bloody mouth.
    “You ok?” She asked.
    “Yeah” he replied.
    “Sorry” Zala’s voice was hardly above a whisper.
    “It’s ok, it’ll stop in a minute, and if not Sara'll fix it” David’s voice was muffled by his hand. He didn’t notice, but Zala’s face froze over at the mention of her friend.
    “You don’t always have to go to her” she muttered fiddling with a thread hanging from her sleeve.
    “What?” asked David, his head was resting on the back seat and his face was tilted upwards. Zala was glad David wasn’t looking at her as she blushed.
    “Oh! Um…I said ”I just can’t get the hang of this” ” she said, gesturing to the inside of the auto.
    “You will” David looked at her out of the side of his eye. He opened the door and got out. As she got out Zala cast a quick look at David. She didn’t understand why she had felt so angry when he mentioned Sara.
    “You wanna get somethin' to eat an’ try again?” asked David, stretching.
    Something inside Zala jumped.
    “Sure” she replied, insanely hoping she sounded breezy.
    All the way through the meal Zala couldn’t help staring at David. Why did she suddenly want to touch him? Why did she feel the need to run her fingers through his hair? Why did she want to feel his arms around her? David was two years older than Zala, they had gone to school together, but had lost contact after school. Five years later Zala was the legal age to drive so she had started lessons, and guess who was teaching her? They’d grown up together; he was like an older brother. So why was she suddenly feeling these, definitely non-sisterly, feelings for him? Why did she feel so jealous when he talked about another girl? Why did she feel she had to hit Alicia Burton for “admiring” the man before her?
    She started as David touched her arm.
    “Zala? You listening?”
    “What?” Her arm tingled when he had touched her. She mentally shook herself; better not think about that...
    David laughed, Zala smiled to herself. His lips formed a nice shape when he did that - Stop it! She scorned herself.
    “I said “ Do – you – want – to – go – back – to – the – lesson - now?”“ He repeated, exaggeratingly slowly and clearly.
    “ha ha(!)” Zala rolled her eyes. That made David grin again, Zala fought the temptation to stare at his mouth, and instead she stood up and said
    “Come on then”

    David drove her home. She liked it in David’s auto, she felt safe, warm. She told her self that the fact that David’s auto was small so they had to sit close together, had nothing to do with it, she didn’t even believe that.
    “Er…” said Zala as they sailed past her apartment building. “Where are we going?”
    But David just grinned at her and said nothing. Ideas exploded in Zala’s mind. Where are we going? Is he taking me to the lake? Is he going “somewhere quiet”? What if he’s taking me to meet “someone very special”? This last though made her stomach quiver.
    15 minutes later Zala got bored having no answer to these questions.
    “Where are we going?” She asked again.
    “You’ll see” was all David would say.
    Eventually Zala fell asleep.

    She woke with David shaking her arm. Could have woken me more romantically she thought before she could stop her self. She looked around, it was still dark, but a light blue haze was appearing on the horizon.
    “Here” said David, reaching behind him. He brought out a flask, pored some into a cup, and handed it to her. She took a mouthful, thinking it was coffee. She choked and spluttered half of it all over David.
    “Oi! watch it!” He yelled, he attempted to flinch around in his seat, but achieved only to flop backwards against the auto door.
    Zala’s eyes widened, she put the cup down quickly, as if scolded.
    “Is that – where did you? - I’m not old enough for one thing! Besides, we need to get home” She protested meekly, a half-smile trying to creep onto her lips.
    David just grinned, rolled his eyes and shoved the cup of Black G back into her hands. Zala accepted the cup, and sipped in reverently.
    “Where are we?” She asked after a while. David didn’t say anything; he opened the auto door and got out.
    “Hey!” yelled Zala, but David was already standing outside her door, he opened it and said
    “Shove up”
    Zala undid her belt and scooted over.
    “Right” said David, getting in and closing the door again, “you know you said you would never get used to the simulator?”
    “Yeah” said Zala carefully.
    “Well, I thought, maybe it would help to drive a real one” David looked her full in the face and grinned. Zala frowned.
    “Wh…?” Zala was confused.
    “You honestly don’t know what I’m getting at?” When she shook her head he laughed. Something occurred to her then, Zala looked around the car, she was in the drivers’ seat… and David was in the passenger seat, like in the simulation. Her head snapped to the left and she stared at David, her eyes glittering with excitement.
    “You mean… I can drive your auto?!” She asked incredulous.
    For an answer David reached over and started the engine. Zala turned forwards and gripped the steering stick. She let out the grav-lock, pressed lightly on the push paddle, tilted the stick forward. She heard the engine rumble into life, and felt the automatic rise beneath her feet.

    She did drive better in a real auto. She didn’t get as panicky when things went wrong, and it felt real, it was real. She knew that all the buttons and paddles actually did something. She could feel David’s eyes on her; she glanced his way and cursed herself for grinning so stupidly. But she couldn’t help it, she was driving! She was driving! She was driving! She was driving!
    She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as David leaned towards her, she turned round, eyes wide with surprise.
    “Watch!” Zala turned to look out the front window again. her breath caught in her throat. She swerved to the right to avoid a lamp but had gone too far! She was heading for the forest! She was going to collide, she was frozen stiff, move! She willed her arms to shift but they stayed immobile on the steering stick, the only thing she could see what a wall of green. She was oblivious to David’s voice, yelling in her ear. She felt his body land on top of her as launch himself across the interior of the auto an snatch the stick, they veered off to the right. Branches beat the auto door, screeched at missing their catch. She felt her face heat up. He hadn’t been leaning towards her to kiss her; he had leaned forward to warn her about the corner. And what had she done? She had just stared at him, eyes wide, expecting something else. All she could think about was the weight of his body as he had gone for the stick...
    David took control of the vehicle, Zala didn’t protest. She said nothing as he steered the auto down to the ground, remained silent as he parked near some trees. He got out, and she slid silently into the passenger seat. She didn’t look up as he got in, she focused on the floor as he when he started the engine, she didn’t look at him at all; she sat there, with her hands in her lap. So she didn’t notice that he wasn’t taking her home.

    She looked up when she felt the auto pull to a stop, she looked around. She looked at David, and opened her mouth to ask where they were this time, but stopped. David reached out and lifted her hand from her lap, he didn’t look at her.
    Zala’s mind was reeling. Where are we? He’s holding my hand! But he’s not looking at me… Cautiously, Zala lifted David’s arm, wriggled under it, it felt wonderful. He glanced down at her, and quickly looked out the window again, his arm tensed. Zala entwined her fingers in his, her heart racing.
    This is what she wanted; she wanted David to hold her. She wanted David to stroke her face - David’s other hand was gripping the side of his seat, Zala took it placed it against her cheek; it was so cold.
    She wanted to run her fingers through his hair - she reached up and curled a piece of stray hair around her finger.
    She wanted him to pull her close and kiss her… She looked up at him. He looked away, glanced down at her, looked away again. Adrenaline pumped through her; that was what made her do it. She swivelled in her seat so she was facing him. She looked at David's face, side on; looking away from her. She reached over and pulled his head around to face her, she leant forward, their lips met, Zala closed her eyes. OK, so his not riding up to me on a gleaming stallion and sweeping me off my feet, but he’s not pulling away... His arms unfolded themselves and enclosed her. She leant into the curve of his body, feeling his warmth, protected, safe. His arms squeezed her, he stroked her face, her arms, her back, she clutched at his body, trying to pull herself closer to him, he did the same. They sat there, arms entwining each other. Zala felt tears on her face, his or hers it didn’t matter, she didn’t know why - but it didn’t matter. This is where she wanted to be. It all happened in a second... but a second is all it takes.


    (alternate ending)
    (As Zala kissed him, she felt David tense. He pushed her away, got out the car. Confused, Zala followed him, it was dark outside, she couldn't see him.
    "David?" she asked the darkness, he didn't reply.
    "David!" she turned her head, she could her... someone crying - David crying.
    "David?!" she followed the sound and found David, he was sitting at the bottom of a tree, crying.
    "David! Whats wrong?" she looked down at him, "David?"
    David said something inaudible
    "what?"
    "I said..." David licked his lips "I said..." he looked up at her with an expresion that seemed to freeze her heart "I said... I'm sorry..."
    Zala sat down beside him. David took her hand, but didn't looked at her. "When we met again, last month... I liked you all the way through school, but back then... well, two years was big. So I didn't do anything about it, an when I left school... I..." then he looked at her, full in the face.
    "I'm... I'm engaged..."
    Zala felt her heart stop, that word - that single word, echoed around her head - engaged... engaged... I'm engaged... She let go of Davids hand
    "Zala? Zala I'm sorry! I wish..." I wish
    She couldn't believe it... just a second ago she had everything she wanted. But then again... a second - a second is all it takes...

    (alternate ending 2)
    (Nether of them saw it coming, the big auto-truck. It had been running late, it was supposed to have been delivering groceries. It was dark, the driver was tired, he took his eyes off the road for a second – just a second… but that’s all it takes.)