“Is there anyone on board with flight experience who can help us?”
The words fell into the cabin like a stone into still water.
For a second nobody moved.
Passengers exchanged uncertain glances, each person waiting for someone else—anyone older, wiser, more qualified—to stand up and step forward. A businessman in the first row looked toward the back of the plane. A woman holding a toddler pressed her child closer against her shoulder. Somewhere behind them, a man whispered a prayer under his breath.
The seconds stretched painfully long.
Laura’s heart hammered so loudly she could hear it in her ears.
Then, from the middle section of the cabin, a hand slowly rose.
Not confident.
Not dramatic.
Just small.
A teenage boy stood awkwardly between the seats, pushing back the hood of an oversized sweatshirt that nearly swallowed his frame.
