– Can you hear me?

I stared silently into my neighbour's beautiful face and felt the most genuine terror.

– Do you need help? – His smooth, charming voice sent a chill through my bones. He was speaking to me in Czech.

– No, thank you… I'm better now," I whispered, finding the strength to open my mouth.

– But you look scared," my vampire neighbour insisted in a soft tone.

– I'm just afraid to fly," I whispered the first thing that came into my head.

Emotion and fear overcame my mind: I couldn't move or look away from my dangerous neighbour. A slight shiver swept over me. My fingers dug forcefully into the armrests.

"What am I going to do? Jesus! What to do!" – I thought feverishly, my thoughts interrupting each other as if on purpose. – Cedric… I could call him! No, then the vampire would hear what I was talking to him about… But I could write… Yes! I'll write to him!"

– Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Imagine or remember something good," the vampire told me in the same pleasant voice.

"Why is he being so polite to me? After all, he knows about and Cedric! Knows about me possessing the secret of vampires! But perhaps he hasn't heard anything? The plane was so far away from the airport building!" – flashed through my mind, and a spark of hope flickered in my soul. But I couldn't risk it: with naughty trembling hands I pulled out my rucksack from under the front seat and nervously searched for my phone, feeling the gaze of the blue immortal eyes on me. Finally, the phone was found, and I took it with both hands so the vampire wouldn't notice them shaking, and began to type a message to Cedric, sincerely hoping for his advice and support.

"He'll know what to do… I shouldn't be so worried," I tried to reassure myself, pressing my finger on the touch screen of my phone.

– What are you doing? – Suddenly I heard an indignant female voice right above my ear, and I even flinched in surprise.

When I looked up, I saw a stewardess standing next to me.

– I want to send a message to my parents. They asked me to write to them as soon as… – I started to justify myself, though I knew very well that it was strictly forbidden to call and write on the regular network during the flight.

– Please put your phone on 'in-flight' mode and keep it on until you arrive in Rio. It's airline policy," the flight attendant ordered me in a slightly irritated tone.

– Now, one minute! I'm almost done! – I exclaimed in frustration and continued typing the message.

– Please, give me the phone and I'll put it in the right mode myself! – The stewardess said insistently and held out her palm to me.

Panic gripped me and I pressed the phone to my chest.

– Understand, I'm not joking! Your phone can cause interference with the instruments! – said the stewardess in a serious tone.

I looked around and found that the neighbours closest to my seat were looking at me with displeased and even contemptuous glances. I felt terribly embarrassed, but, hell, I couldn't give up! I had to write to Cedric and wait for his reply!

A feeling of hopelessness swept over me, but I obediently put my phone in the right mode.

– I can use it later, right? – I asked quietly, losing hope for a happy ending to my flight.

– Yes, of course, but only when we arrive at the Brazilian airport," the stewardess answered me sternly and stepped away from me.

Tears came to my eyes – I was on the verge of hysterics. Putting my phone in my backpack, I squeezed the armrests again and leaned back in my seat. My mind whirled feverishly, and I strained my ingenuity and my mind to find a way out of the situation.

My pulse pounded in my temples, hitting them like a hammer. I was well aware that I needed to control myself, but the fear was stronger than me.

Suddenly, my vampire neighbour placed his icy white palm on mine. I flinched in surprise and fear and glanced up at him automatically – he was smiling a soft welcoming smile.

– I'm sorry I scared you," the vampire said in an apologetic tone. – I just wanted to see how you were feeling.

I tried to fight the shaking rabbit, because I realised that if I didn't answer the vampire, if I kept shaking and acting like a victim, it wouldn't help me and would only make him suspicious.

– It's all the excitement… I'm just terrified of flying… I get this way every time," I said curtly, praying my voice wasn't shaking.

– Do you have any pills to take away the anxiety? – the vampire asked.

– Yes, I always carry them with me… But I forgot them at home… In my red bag… I was in a hurry to catch a plane and forgot," I whispered.

The vampire smiled understandingly, opened a large newspaper and began to read it. His face disappeared behind the paper, which brought me a welcome relief.

Now that I was out of his gaze, I regained my ability to think straight: I closed my eyes, clenched my mouth tightly, regained control of my breathing, and began to think about what I should do.

"Calm down, Viper, calm down! You know a vampire can't compromise himself and kill you on the plane, because there are too many witnesses. So you can fly safely to Brazil, and there will be plenty of people at the airport, and he won't be able to touch you. Then– Then what? Then it gets dark and… Stop! When I get to the airport in Rio, the first thing I do is call Cedric! He'll tell me what to do and I'll follow his instructions exactly. But what happens tonight? It will be very easy for that bloodsucker to get into my hotel room, and the altitude will be no obstacle for him! Maybe I'm panicking for nothing. Maybe he's not going to kill me at all. – I thought. – I need to pretend to be asleep, and the vampire will leave the plane without remembering my presence, and I, as soon as I get out of this air prison, will fly back to the Czech Republic… Yes! It's simple!" – That thought calmed me down a bit, but when I opened my eyes, I was back in the scary reality: me and the vampire sitting next to me.

– Glad to see you're feeling better," I suddenly heard the vampire's voice. He put down his paper and looked up at me with a smile.

– Yeah, I'm much better. – I tried to force a smile out of myself.

– Why are you afraid of me? – He asked.

That question caught me off guard.

– Why would you think that? – I answered calmly.

– No matter how hard you try to hide it, you're not very good at it.

I remained silent and turned my face away from the porthole.

– Don't be afraid, I don't bite," I heard the vampire's voice again.

– You're ridiculous! – I whispered faintly.

My neighbour laughed softly and rustled his newspaper again.

The aeroplane was smoothly splitting the airspace, taking me into the unknown.

This verbal struggle with the vampire tired my already depressed mind: I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but soon realised that I was involuntarily listening to the noise of the plane, trying to hear what my scary neighbour was doing now. But there was not a sound coming from his seat.

"But, isn't he reading the newspaper? Why is he sitting so quietly? This silence frightens me!" – I thought feverishly, opened my eyes abruptly and turned round to the vampire, but was surprised to see that his chair was empty.

He was gone. Disappeared.

I leaned back and covered my face with my palms, feeling joy and relief. It was as if a huge stone had fallen from my soul. And, before anyone saw, I decided to take advantage of the situation and text Cedric. I quickly opened my backpack on my lap and looked for my phone. But to my growing despair, I suddenly realised it was gone. I could have sworn I'd put it in my backpack!