They mocked the woman in seat 22C—until two fighter jets aligned with her window, and a pilot spoke her name in a way that made the entire plane forget how to breathe.

She glanced at the screen, then at Olivia, then back down again. News alerts were already forming from fragments. Reports of an unusual escort. Speculation about a returning pilot long presumed dead. Amateur footage from the cabin. A blurry still from Kayla’s dropped stream before it cut out.

Kayla stared at her own phone as if it had betrayed her.continue reading …