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Chapter One

~ Clarissa

“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, this is November-niner-zero”

The distressed voice of the pilot trails away, drowned out by the hipping the Cessna frorip the seatbelt straps over ainst the wool cushion ofo down I force cold air into s in between silent pleas for help

Please don’t crash Please

In the seat next toa litany of words in her native Spanish tongue Curses or prayers? I’ht now

Our eyesin fear I conte her down a notch but the aircraft suddenly shakes and jerks sideways Overnight bags, carelessly left unzipped since the beginning of the flight e all had grabbed out electronic distractions, spill their contents They swirl through the air like the glitter inside a snow globe

I squeezemy breath as the aircraft loses altitude

“Brace for impact!” the pilot shouts just a second before metal rips outside the

Teresa wails Ashatters Icy Alaskan wind blows in my face Strands of my hair stick to my cold cheeks as we spin in the air

My stomach churns My heart pounds at a hundred miles an hour

Finally, the plane crashes, the jagged sy bones filling the air around ed in rip the seatbelt straps so hard the friction burns My teeth push against each other so hard ums hurt as my jaw stays clenched

In all theheart and my riddled mind into one final silent plea

MomDadAnyoneIf anyone’s out there, please help me

In the next instant, soainst the side of h I can’t see anything through the red blur The last thing I hear is a faint voice echoing frooes still and silent

I WAKE UP TO THE WHISPER of snow kissing the ground, to the crackle of a fire, to the sound of breathing – my own The scent of fresh coffee, burnt wood and natural pine glide into my nostrils I am alive

I force h as h the snow outside theI turnturned the color of sunset by the glow from the fireplace

Where am I?

As I sit up, the green quilt on top of es under tattered clothes I’ it Maybe it’s adrenaline The pain will come later

Now, I remember I was on a Cessna over Alaska, on my way to do research for my company but the weather orse than expected and the aircraft crashed