Chapter Two

Annie

"Have a safe trip, Annie," my good friend, Judy, says as she closes the trunk of her car.

Judy and I are both third grade teachers at our school. She took me under her wing when I first joined the staff several years ago, and since our classrooms are side-by-side and we share the same lunch period together, it was only natural we became good friends. She's more of a mother figure to me, since my own passed away from cancer when Madi and I were still very young. When Judy suggested bringing me to the airport for my getaway rather than leaving my car in long-term parking, I took her up on her offer.

"Thank you for the ride this morning. I hope you and Buddy have a Merry Christmas." I lean over and give my friend a hug.

"Let me know when you've safely made it there. Oh, and please stay warm. I've been following the weather and it's supposed to be in the single digits by mid-week. The wind chill will feel even colder than that. Quite different from what we're dealing with here." Judy looks down at her open-toed sandals. "It's crazy how unseasonably warm it is compared to up-state Nevada."

"Trust me, it was so hard to pack for this trip, having never experienced such brutal temperatures before. It's going to be interesting, for sure." I grab hold of the handle on my suitcase and heave it up onto the sidewalk. "I'll message you as soon as I land."

"Don't worry about a thing here. I'll stop by your place mid-week and collect the mail for you," she says and takes a step towards the door of her car. "Take lots of pictures, too."

Waving goodbye to my friend, I take in a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this."

I wheel my things thru the sliding doors and proceed to the ticket counter. For once, the line for TSA moves quickly and I'm able to grab a light snack from one of the shops closest to my gate with plenty of time to spare. I pull out my phone to check the time and find a message from Madi.

Madi: I'm on my way. See you soon, sis.

When it's time to board, I scoop my things up and hurry over to the line. Luckily, I was able to secure a window seat, and I slip my Kindle out of my purse before stowing it underneath the seat in front of me. When we're safely in the air and on our way, I open it up to a book one of my fellow teachers recommended I download. After the first couple of pages, the low battery light begins to flash in the upper right-hand corner. In my haste to pack everything last night, I guess I forgot to charge it.

Without disturbing the passenger beside me, I manage to retrieve the charging cable from my purse and plug it into the port at the bottom of the seat in front of me. When we make it to Denver, I'm thankful I don't have to change planes and I continue reading the wonderful Christmas story that's consumed me for the last hour. At the rate I'm going, I'll have it all finished by the time we make it to Reno.

That is, until I look out the window and see the tops of the mountains covered in snow. I press my nose against the window, completely in awe at the breathtaking view below. After a few moments, I realize my mouth is hanging open, similar to that of a kid discovering his or her gifts from Santa on Christmas morning.

Suddenly, the sky shifts from bright and sunny to a dull, dreary gray. It's not surprising that I'm holding my breath as the wheels touch down—I'm completely blown away that planes are able to take off and land in these conditions. Definitely different from the Texas winters I'm accustomed to. If it's as cold outside as it looks, I'm in trouble.

When I finally make it off the plane, I stop by the restroom to freshen up before heading to baggage claim for my things and to meet my sister. I can't believe I'm finally here! I remove my phone from airplane mode and wait for my notifications to load. I'm a little surprised to see none are from her, though. I type a quick message letting her know I'm here, then hurry along with everyone else down the corridor.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to run—excitement, maybe—but I stop long enough to catch my breath and to check on my sister's flight, in case she's experiencing a delay. Scanning the list on the digital screen overhead, a wave of panic washes over me when the arrival time out beside her flight from St. Louis is blank.

I grab my phone out of my bag and immediately press the call button beside her name. The phone rings and rings, then goes to her voicemail. "Hey, Madi. Just checking in to see if you're here yet. I'm headed to the café now. I'll go ahead and grab us a table. Give me a call as soon as you get this message."

I find an empty table in the back corner of the café across from gate 13 and push my luggage to the side, out of the way of the couple servers making their rounds to all the different tables. As soon as someone stops by to take my order, I explain that I'm meeting my sister and ask if it's okay to wait a couple more minutes. In the meantime, I sip on a glass of water and watch the latest weather report on one of the TVs mounted to the wall.

Though I'm not familiar with the area, it doesn't take a genius to realize there's a major winter storm fast approaching. Motorists are being advised to get to their safe places now, since it will be almost impossible to see the roadways come dark. Madi and I are supposed to pick up our rental car soon, then make the hour drive to Tahoe. Neither of us have driven in these conditions before, so I'm expecting it to take us a lot longer than that. According to the directions, the cabin is only a few blocks off the main road and just north of the lake. I'd like to think I'm a fairly good driver—my record is squeaky clean—but even I'm worried what we're up against. Especially since I've yet to hear anything from her. If we don't get on the road soon, we may be in trouble.

I try her cell again but she still doesn't pick up. I feel bad holding the table and place an order for a soda and a plate of nachos the next time the server passes by.

"Have you checked to see if your friend's flight is even coming in?" the young man asks when he comes back with my drink. "They've been cancelling flights since early this morning, and I'd be willing to bet the one you're waiting for is probably on that list."

"I sure hope not." I look down at my phone for what feels like the tenth time. "I'm sure she'll be here any minute."