Excerpt: All Is Calm

Prologue
Helen drove Grace to the airport that morning.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Helen said tentatively.
“Of course it is,” Grace replied. “I haven’t been out there in a while and Mom was really disappointed when I missed Christmas last year. Besides, you know Dad hasn’t been doing well lately. I don’t know how much longer I have with them.”
Helen was quiet. She shook her head slightly and yawned. “I guess so. I just don’t see why you had to go now.”
“Oh come on,” Grace teased. “Just because you never visit your family doesn’t mean I should abandon mine.”
“But, Toronto…” Helen yawned again before continuing. “It’s so gross.”
Grace laughed. “Why do you think I moved out west?”
The two girls laughed together before silence filled the small car again. Helen could see Grace out of the corner of her eye, tugging thoughtfully on one of her reddish-brown curls. As much as she knew that Grace was right, she still felt uneasy.
“Promise you’ll come back?” Helen burst out.
Grace glanced over at her friend. “Do we have to play this game right now?”
“Just promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I can trust you, right?”
“Of course you can, Helen. When have I ever broken a promise?”
Helen nodded, satisfied. She still felt uneasy, but Grace’s promise had reassured her for now, at least. The airport came into view around the corner, heralded by a huge airplane roaring off of the runway.
“So, I’ll be back here to pick you up on Tuesday,” Helen said, her voice catching slightly.
“Yeah, six-o-clock,” Grace replied. “Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t sound so good.”
“I’m just tired,” Helen said, yawning again to prove her point. “I’ll be fine. It’s only a few days.”
“Okay, well take care of yourself,” Grace warned. “I don’t want to come home to find my roommate has wasted away without me to look out for her.”
“Grace! I can take care of myself!”
“I know you can, just making sure you were listening to me.”
Helen pulled up at the drop-off curb outside the terminal. She shifted into park and hopped out, leaving the engine running to keep the car warm. Although winter hadn’t officially begun yet, it felt cold enough for it. She raced around to the trunk and dragged out Grace’s suitcase. Hefting it onto the curb, she smiled at her friend.
“Are you sure you have enough things? Your suitcase is awfully light.”
“I’m only going to be gone for five days,” Grace puffed, her breath turning white and curling around her.
“Right…” Helen replied, looking around. Most places would be quiet so early in the morning, but the airport was bustling with people rushing to catch their flights. “Well, I guess this is goodbye.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Grace said, nudging Helen playfully. “I’ll call you when I get to Mom and Dad’s. I bet you won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“Well I’ll miss you, anyway. Have fun with your folks.”
“Don’t worry about me; I’ve flown between here and Toronto hundreds of times.”
Helen glanced down at her watch. “You better get going or you’ll miss your flight.”
“Yeah,” Grace said. She reached out and grabbed Helen into a tight hug. “I’ll be fine, and don’t fret too much. You’ll only make yourself miserable.”
Helen grinned slyly as she pulled away. “Have a great vacation, okay? Don’t forget your promise!”
“I won’t!” Grace pulled open the big glass door and waved one last time before stepping inside the terminal. Helen scampered around to the driver’s side of the car and hopped in. She watched for a moment until Grace disappeared from view before pulling away from the curb and turning towards home.

That evening Helen found herself curled up in her favorite chair watching TV. Often she found better ways to spend her time, but the apartment was too quiet without Grace. There was a light snowfall outside as well, which made her feel disinclined to do anything useful. At the moment she was half watching the news. Her mind had begun to wander, and she caught herself starting to doze off for the tenth time. She glanced at the clock. It was earlier than she would normally turn in, but she’d gotten an early start and the snowfall was making her sleepy. She started groping around for the remote to turn off the television and head for bed.
“This just in,” the news anchor stated. “Earlier today a plane en route to Toronto via Edmonton was hijacked in what authorities believe was meant to be an attack on the Parliament in Ottawa.” Helen’s attention was grabbed violently and she froze, suddenly awake. Grace had a connection in Edmonton… she thought suddenly. The remote forgotten, Helen strained to hear what would come next. “The current theory is that some of the passengers attempted to wrestle control away from the hijacker. The plane finally came down on the Toronto airport. The RCMP is currently assessing the situation. More details to come later.”
The news anchor went on to talk about some kind of medical scare, but Helen wasn’t listening any more. Grace… Her mind was filled with all kinds of scenarios. She thought of everything that could have happened. Every scenario seemed to end the same way. Thinking back, she never had received that call Grace had promised to make once she was safely with her parents.
“Oh, Grace…” Helen whispered, her face growing hot with tears and her eyes beginning to fill up. “Grace, of all the times you could have broken a promise why did it have to be this one?”