Chapter 6

Joss stood on the dock, waiting for the pilot to load her suitcase into the cargo hold of the seaplane. She’d never been on such a small aircraft before and was feeling anxious. She swallowed down her nerves and looked around, curious about the other passengers. She was early, as usual. Her flight from the States had arrived many hours earlier but rather than take any chances, she hopped in a taxi and instructed her driver to take her right to the transfer station.

There was only one other person waiting, a nice looking man with glasses, not much older than she was. He was handsome, in a Clark Kent sort of way, kind of ordinary, but also sweet looking. His skin was flawless and well groomed and he sported a healthy head of hair, dark and neatly coifed. Although he didn’t seem to notice her, she ran a hand through her tangled hair anyway, certain she was a hot mess after more than eighteen travel hours. She pulled an elastic off her wrist and quickly tied her hair back, hoping to resolve the problem without too much fuss.

The plane she was taking was an island hopper, a Cessna Grand Caravan, just a little commuter. She was told it was a full flight, every seat accounted for. The pilot advised her that they would be making several stops, beginning at the furthest destination and then working their way back. She would be the last drop. The flight plan seemed backward to her, but who was she to complain. She knew nothing about aviation and wasn’t about to argue with him. He was a little ornery.

She couldn’t blame him really. The threat of bad weather had made everyone a little tense, but especially the small transfer companies. It seemed everyone had altered their travel plans over the past few days. People who were at the end of their vacations wanted to leave early, and those just beginning were desperate to make it to their destinations before everything was grounded. She was lucky she reserved something ahead of time. She was like that. Joss never left anything to chance. She was a Capricorn. Being prepared and planning ahead came as naturally to her as breathing. It was part of what made her excellent at her job.

Joss stared up at the sky, hoping the weather wouldn’t put a damper on Hannah’s wedding plans. It was starting to drizzle and the wind was picking up, but it was more a relief than a concern. It was frigging hot and Joss rather enjoyed how the soft, cool mist felt against her sticky skin. She hoped it would refresh her and wash away the travel grime.

“You can board the plane, Miss,” the pilot grumbled with a thick Aussie accent. “No point in getting soaked.”

Joss nodded at him and climbed the few steps, thinking it best not to challenge him. Although quite handsome, he was a little rough around the edges and didn’t appear to be in any mood to debate. She chose a seat in the very back, pulling her carry-on bag onto her lap, so as not to dampen the seat beside her, and waited. She’d been followed onto the plane by ‘Clark Kent’. He nodded at her, acknowledging her presence, and sat a few rows ahead. She wondered for a moment why he was traveling alone, mildly curious about his story but too shy to strike up a conversation.

She looked back out the window and noticed a few others gathering on the dock, handing their boarding passes to the pilot, and storing their luggage. The rain was coming down harder and Joss was suddenly grateful she had boarded before the skies really opened up, and the soaking commenced. The air conditioning on the plane was chilly, a stark contrast to the humidity outside. It would have been an unbearable flight if she had been soaked to the bone. She pulled a light wrap out of her bag and cocooned herself in it, grateful for the instant comfort.

One by one, the passengers began filing in. It wouldn’t be long before the cabin was full. Joss found it curious that all of the passengers so far, appeared to be traveling solo, and all of them were handsome men. What were the crazy odds? she thought. Hannah would get a chuckle out of that. No doubt she’d ask Joss why she didn’t just pick one and join the mile high club. Unlike her, Hannah had no filters. Joss loved that about her.

There were four seats left to fill and Joss wondered how much longer they were going to wait. They were supposed to take off promptly at 6:00, she was told, and it was getting close to that time. She saw a cab pull up, a young man jumping out. He appeared to be barking orders to his driver, who quickly complied, retrieving a suitcase out of the trunk. He ran toward the plane, and stopped in front of the pilot, handing him a soggy boarding pass. His charming smile and boyish good looks didn’t seem to be enough to thwart a stern look from the pilot. Joss giggled quietly at the exchange.

He climbed aboard, and shimmied his way down the narrow aisle, kindly nodding at the others as he made his way to the seat across from Joss. The other passengers seemed suddenly excitable, turning their heads to watch him walk past, as though they knew him. He looked familiar to Joss too, although she couldn’t quite place him. Someone famous maybe? She didn’t spend a lot of time watching television or browsing the internet, but she was sure she’d seen him before, somewhere. He was a nice looking guy, cute. He had a youthful face, although a closer inspection proved otherwise. He was probably close to Joss’ age. Maybe a little younger. He nodded at her before taking a seat, removing his baseball cap to run his fingers through his hair.

“Hi,” he said, holding out his hand, “I’m Ryan.” Joss returned his smile, shaking his damp hand.

“Joss,” she offered discreetly, not wanting to disturb the other passengers.

Hearing their introductions, a man in front of Ryan turned his head in her direction and nodded. It was a warm gesture, the kind that says, ‘we’re all in this together, we might as well be friendly’. She smiled back at him cautiously, not wanting to be impolite. He was an older fellow, and very handsome. Dapper was actually a better word for him. He was wearing a white buttoned-down shirt, rolled up to the elbows, exposing a very expensive watch. No wedding ring.

“Getting nasty out there,” Ryan observed, loud enough to keep her engaged in the conversation.

“Yeah,” Joss agreed. It was twilight, but the angry skies definitely made it appear darker than it was.

She looked up, just as the pilot entered the aircraft.

“Okay folks, buckle your seat belts, we’re taking off. My name is Captain Grant Holmes. As you’re well aware by now, we’ve got some dodgy weather coming, but I’m confident we’ll beat the worst of it. Those poor, late saps are gonna be stranded on the mainland, I’m afraid. We’ve got to depart, and we’re the last flight out. No worries, mates, I’m gonna get y’all to your destinations safe and sound. You’ll be sipping a Mai Tai before you know it. No smoking on my aircraft. If you want a cig, step outside, will ya? It might be a little windy, but it’ll be ok if ya hold on real tight,” he winked puckishly.

The other passengers giggled appreciatively at the joke, in spite of the fact that he’d probably used the same line on every flight. Joss looked around the cabin, trying to stay relaxed. The fact that no one else seemed anxious definitely set her more at ease. She shifted her bag in her lap and buckled her seat belt, pulling it tightly around her waist. She heard Ryan chuckle and looked over at him nervously, hoping for some encouraging words.

“Here we go,” he snickered, giving her a playful wink. She grinned nervously, drawing a good-natured chuckle from him. “You look terrified, Joss. You want to hold my hand?” he teased.

“Don’t think I won’t,” she retorted playfully, doing her best to steady her voice. Appreciating the playfulness, Joss snuck a curious peak at him, briefly catching his eye. She caught his warm smile before turning away again, still wondering who he was.

The flight started off routinely, albeit a tad bumpy. It was worsening outside, but Joss had confidence in Captain Grant. He seemed to know what he was doing, having probably flown the route hundreds of times before. Surely he was used to all kinds of weather, she reasoned, doing her best to keep cool.

She was doing a good job of it too, until about sixty minutes into the flight, when they flew directly into an electrical storm. Suddenly the lights started blinking and Joss heard alarms chirping from the cockpit, followed by hushed whispers from the passengers up front. The little seaplane started pitching and lurching as the captain, in a controlled panic, began flipping switches. Joss’ stomach lurched, more from fear than air sickness.

She looked over at Ryan, who was no longer smiling. In fact, he was white as a ghost. He caught her eye and shrugged, as though trying to maintain his own composure.

“Folks, sorry to be tossing you about,” Captain Grant apologized over the loud speaker. “We’ve flown into an unstable pocket. My navigation equipment seems a little cranky. Hold tight and keep your seat belts fastened. I’m going to dodge around it.”

Joss swallowed hard, pulling her bag closer to her chest. She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to her father, pleading to him to keep her safe. The captain started barking coordinates into the radio, several times it seemed, before tossing the mic and grabbing the yoke with both hands. She could see only the back of his head, but nothing about his body language appeared confident.

“Fuck,” the older man across from her blurted. He was holding the seat in front of him, his knuckles white from fear. His reaction, completely reasonable given the circumstances, only served to panic her further.

The plane veered sharply, and Joss let out a tight scream, along with several of the other passengers.

“Jesus Christ,” the captain blurted, desperately trying to right the aircraft, “hold on.”

She assumed he was talking to the plane rather than his frightened passengers, but she grabbed the seat in front of her nevertheless. The aircraft finally straightened up, but continued to jerk them about. She wondered if it would ever end. The storm seemed to be picking up power and Joss feared the worst. She decided right then and there that as soon as the plane landed she was getting off, regardless of the location. She would swim to her resort if she had to. She just wanted to be off the damn plane. She’d never been so frightened in her entire life, and she had done some daring things!

It seemed to Joss like they’d been fighting the weather for at least an hour since the captain last spoke to them, since any of them had spoken. The groaning and rattling of the aircraft was grating on all of their nerves. The other passengers were clearly distressed as well. She was desperate for it to be over. Captain Grant picked up the radio again.

“Mayday, mayday, any station. This is Island Hopper GH-0483. We’ve lost navigation and are flying on one prop,” he croaked, his voice tight with fear. He offered the last known coordinates and waited for acknowledgement, but was only met with lonely static, as though all communication was lost. Joss held her breath, praying for safety, refusing to give up hope. Please, please, someone answer, she quietly begged.

Suddenly everything went silent, as though the little plane had no choice but to surrender, and that was decidedly more terrifying.

“We need to make an emergency landing,” the captain shouted out, “put yer heads down and hold on tight!”