Time Of Death: 12:03 AM

If someone saw me now, they wouldn’t believe I was a bride.

I was on a plane with my three brothers, all of them looking sharp in their best suits, while I was curled up in my seat in jeans and a crop top. My wedding dress had taken over my entire suitcase, leaving my personal belongings crammed into my purse. The only other thing I had brought was my book, but my brothers were making it hard for me to read in peace.

The wedding was supposed to be in Greece, a far cry from the original plan to get married in Spain, where we live. But Niko, my fiancée, has a massive family there, and since I didn’t want my own parents involved anyway, it just made more sense to go to his side of the world. The catch? There was a problem with the airlines, so we had to reschedule from tomorrow to about an hour ago. My brothers were given all of half an hour to pack and get ready. I didn’t even bother. Hence the jeans.

Despite the earlier chaos, the four of us looked great. The airline staff felt bad about the flight change, especially when they found out that it was my wedding, so they upgraded us to first class. Not a bad silver lining. Caleb and Mateo had just finished a movie and were deep into an increasingly bizarre conversation about it. ‘Only twins would understand’, they said when I asked what they were talking about. Lucas was giving me that I’m older, I know what you’re thinking, but I won’t say a word until you ask look—even though I was sure he didn’t know what I was thinking. I was lounging in my chair, staring at my book, waiting for our dear older brother to crack. And he would crack. Guaranteed.

Three minutes passed – short for me, long for Lucas – until he finally broke.

“This is about mamá and papá, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lucas.”

“Stop playing dumb, Lucia. You don’t want them here, and you don’t have to feel guilty about it. They’ve done this to themselves. We all know that.” I rolled my eyes.

“I appreciate the pep talk, but I’m fine.”

Lucas opened his mouth like he was about to respond, but Caleb beat him to it.

“You don’t need to worry about her, Lucas. You should be more focused on how you’re gonna look walking Lucia down the aisle. Big responsibility, being her oldest brother and all. Wouldn’t want you tripping over your own feet, would we?” He grinned, exchanging a devilish glance with Mateo.

“Don’t you even dare,” Lucas muttered, his voice low.

Mateo and I couldn’t help but laugh as Caleb made an exaggerated motion of tripping over air, stumbling in place like he’d forgotten how to walk.

“Careful, little brother,” Lucas teased. “You wouldn’t want to ruin your suit. You know, the one I bought you.” Caleb rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t be so smug. I’ll be making double how much you do after I finish my business degree.”

Mateo grinned, elbowing Caleb. “Yeah sure, but remember, money can’t buy class. Look at your brother.” He jerked his head toward Lucas. “He’s living proof of that.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and Mateo’s grin made it worse. Lucas groaned but even he couldn’t help chuckling.

The display above their seats beeped twice, and the seat belt sign came on. I buckled mine and called out for my knucklehead brothers to sit down.

“Relax Lucia. There’s probably just a bird or something. You’re the youngest here, let Lucas do the worrying” Caleb said with a wink.

“I wasn’t worried. Just stay away from my seat when you trip over.” I said, rolling my eyes. I focused back on my book, until the plane shook more violently, and it fell off my lap. I glanced at my brothers, who had just barely avoided falling off balance.

“Maybe we should sit down,” concluded Mateo, his voice slightly more serious. He pushed himself upright, glancing around with a sudden tension in his eyes.

I was about to tell him it would be fine, when another jolt rattled the plane, stronger this time. Caleb’s smile faltered as the overhead bins creaked.

For a moment, the cabin was plunged into half-darkness.

“Okay, that’s not a bird,” Lucas muttered under his breath, his voice now edged with something I couldn’t place. “Sit down. Now.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. Lucas slid into the seat next to me, and the other two followed suit.

“Everyone good?” I asked, forcing the words out, trying to sound calm, even as my pulse raced. They all nodded, but the shakiness in their voices gave them away.

“Good. Great. We’re fine,” I said, a little too quickly. Lucas squeezed my arm, but the gesture didn’t settle me.

I tried to focus, glance out the window to calm my nerves. The night sky stretched out before us — soft clouds tinted in shades of orange and purple, scattered stars, the faint blinking lights of the city.

That’s all there was.

For a moment, that was all there was.

Then the lights flickered again.

Then the masks dropped.

Then—

Chaos.

Screams erupted, sharp and frantic. Some voices shouted in languages I didn’t understand, prayers blending with panicked cries. Lucas pulled me into him, his grip tight, as another deafening bang split the air. The aisle lights flashed red, the harsh light cutting through the darkness. Mateo yelled something, but I couldn’t make it out over the noise. Caleb—where was Caleb?

Then we dropped.

Not like turbulence.

Not like a rollercoaster.

Like falling.

Like the sky just… gave out.

And the Earth rushed to meet us.

I woke up to silence. Not peace. Just maddening, deafening silence.

I pushed myself up as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. I could just barely make out the wreckage of the plane. It was everywhere. I stood up, my legs protesting the movement. I looked around, properly this time, and the destruction was horrifying. I felt my heart slow down for a second. This couldn’t be real. There were bodies. Bodies scattered around the clearing that the crash had made. Dead bodies.

My breath hitched, and my vision swam, clouded by the frantic beating of my heart. I thought I was going to pass out, but one thing made me focus again. Where were my brothers?

I scrambled through the wreckage, my hands shaking as I dug through debris, checking every body. I pushed aside a twisted seat, barely able to feel my hands. My fingers barely registered the cold metal, numb from panic. I pushed aside the twisted seat. And then I saw it.

That suit. That tie. That face—

No.

I knew that face. I wish I didn’t.

My knees gave out. I placed a shaky hand on his chest.

“L-Lucas?” I whispered.

“Lucas, w-wake up!” My voice trembled.

“Lucas, please. WAKE UP. LISTEN TO ME. YOU NEED TO WAKE UP NOW. I NEED YOUR HELP. I NEED YOU. COME BACK, PLEASE.”

Nothing.

He didn’t move, he didn’t wake up.

And I sat there waiting for him, crying into his battered suit.

They found me hours later.

A rhythmic beat in the sky disrupted the eerie silence that had fallen over me. People in uniform surrounded the area. Someone was yelling. Voices. Too many. Too late.

Someone asked me to stand up. I didn’t want to. I didn’t remember how. They gently pulled me off the ground and sat me down in the helicopter. Someone gave me a blanket and some water. It didn’t help, but I accepted it. This didn’t feel like a rescue. They couldn’t help anyone here. No one but me. And I felt more dead than alive.

No other survivors. That’s what the rescue officer had told me.

None of my brothers. Not Caleb, or Mateo, or – or Lucas.

I asked them why I survived. Why it wasn’t me instead of them.

They told me I was lucky. But I didn’t feel lucky. I felt like a mistake.

A muffled voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Lucia?”

“Yeah? Yeah, I’m listening.”

“I was just saying that you don’t have to do this. No one is forcing you.” Said Niko.

Niko had pulled me through the last three months. Ever since the incident, he’d been my only support. My injuries, the funerals, seeing my parents, me waking up every night at exactly 12:03 AM. He’d held me through it all. But I had to do this interview, and I had to do it alone.

“I appreciate that Niko, but I have to do this. I owe it to all of them. The world should know what happened.”

He nodded, wrapping me in a hug before he stepped back. I took in a shaky breath and walked into the room.

“Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Lucia. Care to take a seat?”

I sat down across from the interviewer, not sure exactly what to expect. I eyed the cameras, slightly nervous.

“Don’t worry about the cameras – just talk to me.”

She started by asking me the technical details of the crash. I didn’t know everything, but I told her what I could. What time the plane crashed? I wasn’t sure. What time my brothers died? 12:03 AM. That’s when I lost everything.

“You were headed to your wedding, is that right? Why weren’t your parents on the flight with you?”

“I chose not to involve my parents” I said carefully.

“Oh? If you don’t mind me asking, how is your relationship with your parents?”

I hesitated not sure whether to answer.

“Carla and Antonio never really saw me as my own person. They had this picture of what my life should look like, and none of it included me.” I took a breath.

“But when I met Niko, with his chaotic, loving family, I found the connection I’d been missing for so long. Well, that was until three months ago. Me and Niko are still getting married, but we’ve decided to put it on hold for now.”

“That’s understandable. How did it feel, being thrown into that kind of responsibility and trauma at just 23 years old?” She asked.

“I was just starting to get the hang of being an adult,” I said, my voice a little unsteady. “Twenty-three, you know? Thought I had time to figure things out.”

“Last question, Lucia – don’t worry, you’re doing great. What do you remember from after the crash?”

I could feel the weight of the question before she even asked it. I’d known it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. Glimpses of the flight, the crash, and everything leading up to it – everything that followed - flashed through my mind. I knew what I had to say.

“It was quiet chaos. My whole life had fallen apart without a sound. It wasn’t peaceful, it was… empty.” I paused, weighing my response.

“No one tells you how quiet it is. When a plane falls. When life still goes on, but they don’t. When the clock stops at 12:03 AM.”