The view out the airplane window was nothing but white as large, fluffy snowflakes pelted the outside of the plane. Andrea Sparks tried to stay calm, but flying in a small jet was something she hadn’t quite gotten used to yet. As an actress, she’d had more opportunities than most people to fly on private jets like this one, but it still made her a little nervous.
In the back of the Bombardier Challenger 350, a few rows behind her, a couple of business men were chatting about a big deal they were putting together. They were the only other people on the flight. Listening to them laugh and act like there was no problem flying through so much snow was upsetting. She wanted to go shake them and tell them to shut up since they were not taking the situation seriously.
“It’s too bad I can’t afford my own jet. Yet,” Andrea thought to herself. She had been doing really well in her career lately, far better than she would’ve ever imagined, growing up in a small town in Wisconsin. Her single mom did the best she could raising Andrea and her sister with only the help of her grandparents, but when Andrea had the chance to move to California and take a roll in a major film at the age of seventeen, she’d jumped on the opportunity. Now, six years later, she was really making a name for herself. In a few more years, she might be able to fly wherever she wanted any time in her own airplane and not have to put up with silly businessmen in the back.
Just when Andrea was considering telling them to pipe down and pay attention, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out to see her mom had sent her a text using the plane's WiFi. "Have you landed yet? Grandpa isn't doing well. If he doesn't get this operation soon, he might die! Where are you, Andrea?"
Andrea felt her heart leap into her throat. She started to send a text back to her mom to let her know what was going on but then an alarm sounded in the front of the plane. The ride suddenly got very rocky. Andrea bounced up and down in her seat, hard, trying to keep her head from hitting the window. The businessmen said a few swear words, but other than that, they were quiet as the pilots fought to gain control of the aircraft.
Suddenly, the nose of the plane pitched down dramatically. Andrea held her breath and closed her eyes, thinking of how sad her mom and her little sister would be if anything happened to her. She was on her way to see them for the holidays, but also to help with Grandpa Jack who was in the hospital. He needed that surgery so badly, and Andrea was the only one who could convince him. If she never made it home, would Grandpa Jack die?
As images from her life shown before her eyes, Andrea realized that the plane had leveled off, and the shaking had stopped. She opened one eye slowly and looked around to see everything looked back to normal. By the time she cracked open the other eye, the stewardess was standing in the front of the plane, a few feet away from her.
“Pardon me,” she said, her voice a little shaky. “I’m afraid we’ve hit some weather that is a little worse than expected. We will be touching down in Chicago for the pilots to decide what to do next.”
Andrea didn’t know what to think about that. She needed to get home as fast as she could to help Grandpa. The idea of not going directly to Milwaukee was upsetting, but at the same time, she was glad they would be landing in a few minutes where it would be safe. After that bumpy ride, part of her never wanted to fly again!
In a few minutes, the businessmen were back to chatting, and Andrea was flexing her fingers. They were hurting from digging her nails into the armrests. Buying her own jet was sounding like a better idea every minute.
The plane was descending. Replying to her mother would have to wait because of the airplane rules about using electronics. She checked that her seatbelt was buckled and tried to relax, running a hand through her long red hair. She reminded herself that she would be home soon, with her mom, sister, and step-dad. She would find a way to make sure Grandpa Jack got his surgery. She had to.
The pilots had been flying planes for a long time. Surely they would get the plane down safely. Again, she was holding her breath, watching puffs of white hit the window as the plane touched down on the runway with a bump. Everything seemed fine until the pilots applied the brakes. Andrea found herself flying forward in her seat, straining against her seatbelt, as the plane slid on an icy runway. She squeezed her eyes shut again, praying that the pilots could steer the plane safely—praying that they weren’t all about to die!