The cramped cabin of David’s De Havilland Beaver sea plane buzzed with the high-pitched energy of two women who clearly had no concept of personal space or volume control. High above the endless stretch of the Pacific Ocean, en route to Tahiti, Cassie and Carly—better known to their legion of YouTube fans as the “Sassy Sisters”—were in full performance mode, their vlog camera propped precariously on a seat as they bickered and giggled for their audience.
“Oh em gee, fam, we are literally soaring over paradise right now!” Cassie squealed, her platinum blonde hair bouncing as she gestured wildly at the window, where the ocean glittered like a sheet of sapphires below. “We’re on our way to Tahiti for our charity benefit drive—clean water for all, baby! Hit that donate button!”
Carly, her equally blonde and equally bubbly counterpart, leaned into frame, pouting her glossed lips. “Yeah, and if we survive this rickety tin can of a plane, it’ll be a straight-up miracle. I mean, look at this thing! It’s like flying in a soup can with wings!”
The plane hit a small pocket of turbulence, just a minor dip, and Cassie shrieked, clutching the armrest with manicured talons. “Frick! Frick! Did you feel that? We’re gonna die up here!”
Carly flailed dramatically, her arms windmilling as she squealed, “Fetch, that was, like, so extra! I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes—and it was all selfies!”
Cassie shot her sister a mock glare, her voice dripping with playful venom. “Oh, shut up, you scaredy-cat bimbo. You’re acting like we’re in a freaking disaster movie.”
“Me? Scared?” Carly scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a flourish. “Sweetie, your brain is blonder than your hair if you think I’m the one freaking out. You’re practically clawing holes in the seat!”
Up in the cockpit, David, the rugged pilot who looked like he’d been carved from granite and dusted with salt-and-pepper stubble, kept his eyes fixed on the horizon. His broad shoulders were tense under his worn leather jacket, and every so often, his jaw ticked in silent exasperation. He’d agreed to ferry these two social media divas to Tahiti for a hefty fee, but he hadn’t signed up for their non-stop circus act. Still, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes as their banter echoed through the tiny cabin.
“Girls,” he grunted without turning around, his voice low and rough like gravel under tires. “Can you keep it down back there? Some of us are trying to keep this bird in the air.”
Cassie’s head whipped toward him, her eyes lighting up with mischief. She grabbed the camera and shoved it toward the cockpit, nearly toppling over Carly in the process. “Oh, come on, Mr. Pilot Man! Smile for the fans! Tell ‘em how you’re our big, strong hero keeping us safe up here!”
David didn’t budge, his hands steady on the controls. “I’m flying a plane, not auditioning for your reality show. Sit down before you break something.”
Carly leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand with an exaggerated flutter of her lashes. “Ooh, he’s all grumpy and mysterious. I like it. So, David, are you single, or just playing hard to get with us?”
His silence was deafening, but the faintest smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth before he smothered it. “Focus on your vlog, princess. I’m not here to entertain you.”
Cassie nudged Carly with a wicked grin. “Told you he’s a tough nut to crack. Bet you ten bucks he’s got a secret soft side under all that brooding.”
“Bet you twenty he’s just allergic to fun,” Carly shot back, sticking out her tongue.
Before David could retort, the plane shuddered violently, a deep, bone-rattling jolt that sent both sisters screaming in unison. “Frick!” Cassie yelped, grabbing Carly’s arm. “What the hell was that?!”
“Fetch, we’re totally crashing!” Carly wailed, her voice hitting a pitch that could shatter glass. “I didn’t even get to post my last bikini pic!”
Outside, the sky had darkened ominously, thick black clouds rolling in with alarming speed. Lightning cracked across the horizon, illuminating the cabin in stark, eerie flashes. David’s hands tightened on the yoke, his calm exterior cracking as the instruments started to flicker. A deafening boom shook the plane as a bolt of lightning struck somewhere too close for comfort, and the acrid smell of fried electronics filled the air.
“Radio’s down. Transponder’s toast,” David muttered to himself, his voice clipped and urgent. The engine sputtered, a sickening cough that made his gut twist. He raised his voice over the sisters’ escalating panic. “Both of you, shut up and brace yourselves. Now!”
Cassie and Carly clung to each other, their earlier bravado replaced by raw terror. “Frick, frick, frick!” Cassie chanted, her face buried in Carly’s shoulder. “I knew we should’ve taken a cruise!”
“Fetch, I’m too hot to die!” Carly sobbed, her arms wrapped around Cassie like a vice. “Tell my followers I loved them!”
David ignored their theatrics, his focus razor-sharp as he fought to keep the plane steady against the howling wind and rain lashing the windshield. Sweat beaded on his brow, but his voice remained steady, cutting through their hysteria like a knife. “I said brace, not blubber. Heads down, arms over your necks. We’re not dying today—not on my watch.”
Cassie peeked up at him, her voice trembling but defiant. “You better not be lying, flyboy, ‘cause I’ve got a million subscribers waiting for my next haul video!”
Carly sniffled, adding, “Yeah, and I’m not letting some storm ruin my influencer career. Fix this, David!”
He didn’t respond, his attention locked on the chaos outside. The engine sputtered again, a death rattle that made his heart pound, but through the sheets of rain, a sliver of hope appeared—a jagged outline of land, a deserted tropical island, rising from the ocean like a mirage. It was hundreds of miles off course, nowhere near their planned route, but it was their only shot.
“Hang on,” David barked, his tone leaving no room for argument. “We’re going down, but I’m aiming for just offshore. Water landing. Brace hard.”
Cassie’s eyes widened, her grip on Carly tightening. “Frick, did he just say water landing? Like, in the freaking ocean?!”
Carly’s scream was almost drowned out by the roar of the storm. “Fetch, I can’t swim in designer heels!”
David’s jaw clenched as he wrestled with the controls, the plane dipping lower, the waves below rising to meet them with terrifying speed. “You two want to live? Then shut it and hold on. I’ve got this.”
The sisters’ terrified whimpers mingled with the howl of the wind as the sea plane hurtled toward the unknown, the island’s shoreline looming closer with every heart-stopping second. Whether they’d make it in one piece—or at all—was anyone’s guess.
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