21 CH-21: Karen On A Plane

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Special mentions:

•Dragon Cross

•AJ

•Benoît Valtin

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I settled into my seat on the airplane and I glanced over at the old man sitting next to me.

He seemed completely unfazed by the upcoming takeoff, as if he had done this a million times before.

Meanwhile, I couldn't help but feel the nerves coursing through me.

Looking around the cabin, I observed the other passengers, each one with their own unique quirks.

There was the woman in front of me, meticulously organizing her travel pillows as if she was preparing for a full-blown slumber party.

Then there was the man across the aisle, engrossed in a book about conquering fears. I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the irony.

There was an enthusiastic couple with matching 'Vacation Mode' T-shirts.

The businesswoman intensely typing away on her laptop and the kid behind me who seemed to have an unlimited supply of energy.

The thought of being cooped up in this metal tube for hours on end, surrounded by strangers, brought a wave of excitement that rivaled watching paint dry. But hey, at least I got a window seat.

"Why are we going to Paris?" I asked, my head darting towards Black Fox next to me, reading a copy of Time magazine.

He didn't answer immediately, slowly turning the page, his eyes scanning the images before they stopped and he calmly turned toward me.

"The art of becoming a gentleman thief requires time and patience." He reasoned.

"And America didn't provide enough opportunity for that?" I sarcastically replied.

"You have a reputation here, a rising star with a fanbase composed of the wrong crowd, unsavory individuals." He sighed.

"Venom would always be drawn into conflicts involving certain gangs. You've killed people regardless of the circumstances or the nature of your work. You're still directly or indirectly involved with these people, and they will always cause trouble for you. So, consider this a time-out from America."

"You make it sound like you're any different." I countered.

"Well, of course, I am!" He stated, as if it was blatantly obvious. I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head down, giving him a look that said, 'really?'

Fox shrugged and settled back in his seat.

"You'll understand how much of a person I am once we start your training, Ethan." He said nonchalantly, fastening his seatbelt as the flight attendant began going through the safety instructions.

"You know, you never really explained how you found out my real name." I asked, fastening my own seatbelt. "The document had my name registered as Ethan, so how did you know?"

"The New York Times." He answered, elaborating, "I recognized your face from the missing persons' posters."

"Tch." I scoffed, turning back toward the window.

My eyes locked with the New York skyline as the plane slowly accelerated forward.

Thoughts of Peter, May, and Ben plagued my mind. Even though months had passed since I left them, I never truly felt disconnected from them. It felt like a part of me stayed behind, stayed with them.

But now? Now, it's completely different.

I had thought about seeing Peter and May during these months, but I didn't.

Uncle Ben was a different story. I did catch a glimpse of him once from afar. He seemed sad and lost, as if he had lost something. Maybe we both did.

Even before I died, I was an outcast in my family. With the Parkers, I felt a true sense of belonging, even though I wasn't really Eddie.

I took my eyes off the window and leaned back in my seat as the flight slowly ascended into the air. I closed my eyes as I covered them with a sleep mask, trying to relax and get some sleep.

[Hrmhmmm]

Venom growled in my mind.

'What?' I asked mentally.

[The sound.]

Venom said as I noticed the noise of the airplane's engines seeping into the cabin.

[I hate it.]

'Great,' I shrugged, closing my eyes again. But this time, someone else prevented me from falling asleep.

"Ethan."

I removed the sleep mask and glared at Fox, who seemed unfazed by my irritation.

"What?!" I lowkey roared.

"Class 101 of a master thief." Fox started, his eyes focused on a certain woman approaching us.

"What?" I asked with a hint of enthusiasm and interest.

"Deception and patience are the two things that go hand in hand in this profession." He said, pointing with his eyes towards the large ruby ring the woman was wearing.

Fox fell silent as she passed us, not bothering to look at our faces, her attention solely on the camera in her hands.

"Steal that little thing." He smiled. "That will be your first task."

I blinked, finding it strange and looked at him suspiciously, narrowing my eyes.

"If this is a class, shouldn't you teach me how?" I asked.

"This one is more practical." He reasoned.

"If this is practical, shouldn't you show me how it's done?" I questioned again.

"This isn't a school, Ethan. You can't expect me to show you everything. Some things you need to learn on your own." Fox said, crossing his arms. "And if you make a mistake, experience is the best teacher."

"Man, you can really come up with reasons out of your ass." I sighed, my eyes fixed on the woman.

"Hello, my dear viewers. Oh yes, I know." she faked surprise as she spoke to the camera. "'Oh my god, Karen, are you finally leaving America?' You bet your ass! No, I'm going on vacation to Paris in Germany. Follow me on my journey and don't forget to hit that bell icon. I could use all of you."

She finished her rambling and kissed the camera while an airline attendant intervened.

"Ma'am, you can't film here." the attendant said, to which Karen took offense.

"Like hell I can't! This is a free country, and I can do whatever the hell I want." she screamed at the worker before walking away with an irritated expression.

"I'm going to file a complaint as soon as we land, you hear me!" she yelled one last time before returning to her seat.

A couple of thoughts crossed my mind as I observed the situation.

First, she was completely wrong since we had just crossed America's border, meaning she wasn't in a free country anymore. It was international waters.

Second, did her mother know what kind of woman her daughter would become when she named her so perfectly?

And finally...

I turned toward Fox with a smirk on my face.

"This is going to be easy."