Page 1 of Return to Us
Chapter 1
Jessica
Ihear thebingfrom the cockpit, the one that we train for. The one that makes my heart fall to the pit of my stomach because I know everything in my life is about to change. Training is great, but reality is a bitch.
There is a problem with the plane.
I lift the receiver and hear the pilot’s voice. “Engine failure. Emergency landing. It’s going to be rough, Jessica. Brace.”
I don’t reply to Elliot. I just slip into survival mode. There’s only one passenger on the plane, and I need to ensure that we’re both safe. Of course, he happens to be a famous celebrity, so I guess if I’m going to die, at least it’ll be with Jacob Arrowood.
“What the hell is going on?” Jacob asks as I approach.
Somehow, I keep my voice calm. “There is an engine failure. We are going to make an emergency landing. I need you to get into a bracing position and try to stay calm.”
I want to laugh because, on the inside, I’m anything but calm. However, if I don’t do what I’ve been trained to do, we will die. There’s a chance that Elliot and Jose can land the plane safely. There’s also a chance they will not, and for that, I have to give him instructions.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
Keeping my eyes on him, I speak clearly and with as much confidence as I can muster. “I need to go to my jump seat, but I’m going to be right here with you. I need you to know how to get out of the plane if something happens to me. This is the door. You need to pull the lever up and then you’re going to push. If I’m incapacitated, I need you to unbuckle me and take me out of this aircraft with you if you’re able to.”
“We’re going to crash?”
“We’re going to make an emergency landing.”
I buckle the first of two seatbelts, and thank God that if I die, I won’t be leaving behind a spouse or kids.
But my heart sinks because if I don’t make it, then my sister will be left to deal with my mother by herself. I hope she finds someone strong who can help shoulder her burdens. I’ve tried to help financially, but I haven’t been back to Willow Creek Valley in years, and now, I probably never will be again.
And then there’s Grayson. Grayson Parkerson is my one regret in life. I loved him so much, and yet, I let him go. Now I’m going to die, and he’ll never know that leaving him is my biggest regret.
All these thoughts jumble in my head as I try to buckle the second connector. My fingers are trembling as I fumble with the latch.
I close my eyes, trying to focus. I have to get strapped in or death is a certainty.
I check over the panels, making sure everything is locked. The door handle slides up and I look at it, visualizing what I’ll do if I need to. My job is to get off this plane, not worry about all the things I haven’t done or the love I lost.
“Jacob?” I say, needing him to focus on what matters. “Do you remember what I said about the door?”
He nods, and I see the fear in his eyes. I pray he doesn’t see mine. “Stay calm and just follow my directions,” I instruct.
Jacob’s gaze stays on me. “What’s your name?”
“Jessica.”
My heart is pounding, and the only thing holding me together is my training. If we panic, we don’t make it out of here. All of us will have to be a team, and that means one of us has to be the voice of reason. I’m shaking, feeling a sense of dread like I’ve never known, but there’s nothing I can do but pray.
Jacob’s voice is much stronger as he speaks again. “Okay, Jessica, it’s great meeting you, and we’re about to go down in a plane crash together, so that means we’ll be lifelong friends if we survive.”
I try to smile, but it feels mangled. “Get in your position, Jacob.”
He nods. “If I don’t make it, I need you to tell Brenna I loved her and I was thinking of her.”
“Don’t think that way.”
“My family. I need them all to know that I love them.”
“Focus, Jacob. Remember, getting off the aircraft is imperative.”
