Paradise on Fire

Addy is on a flight, sketching the interior of the plane and all the paths to the exits. She is at the back of the plane and considers how she will escape. Her seatmate, Jay, asks what she is doing. She is annoyed by the intrusion. He is a Black boy from Brooklyn, New York. The girl in the aisle seat asks if it is a maze, and Addy says no but shows her one of the mazes she’s drawn. Neither Jay nor the girl can solve the maze, but Addy easily solves it.

The girl introduces herself as Nessa from Jersey City. Addy is surprised by her friendliness: “I blink, saying nothing. I’m not used to kids reaching out to be friends with me” (6). The kids are part of a charity of “Black city kids going west” (11). They will learn about the wilderness. Addy asks one of the two college-aged leaders if they are responsible for the kids if the plane goes down, and Jamie seems uncomfortable but agrees. Jay tells her that people don’t usually survive a plane crash, but Addy tells him that she will and pretends to sleep.