Chapter 806: Oh...
Lily looked out of the helicopter window and felt her breath catch in her throat... The view was stunning, both overwhelmingly beautiful and dangerously intimidating at the same time. She gulped, her fingers gripping the armrests tightly as the helicopter jerked suddenly, more violently than before. The captain’s calm voice crackled in her ear through the headset, "Don’t worry, Miss Lily. We’ll be dropping you off shortly. This is our last trip to and from here for the season. The wind’s pretty fierce up here, that’s why this little beast is shaking so much..."
Even though Lily knew that the captain was trying to reassure her, it didn’t help. Not one bit. Why? Because the helicopter was shaking far too violently for her liking. It felt like the wind itself was trying to tear the machine apart mid-air. She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to keep looking at the breathtaking landscape below, in case something literally ended up taking her breath away for good! Gosh! All that snow below, although it looked soft and powdery from up here, wasn’t fooling her. She knew that if they fell from this height, they wouldn’t land gently. No, they’d hit that snowy ground and end up as pale and lifeless as a ghost...
After what felt like an eternity of violent jerking and stomach-lurching drops, the turbulence finally seemed to settle, becoming less chaotic. The captain’s voice broke through her thoughts again, echoing clearly in her ear, "We’re about to touch down, Miss Lily. Almost there."
Lily exhaled a long, shaky breath, her heart still racing as the helicopter finally made contact with the ground. That sense of overwhelming relief washed over her, like a wave that had been held back for far too long. But with that relief came a creeping sense of nervousness. The real challenge was just beginning. As the rotors started to slow and the world outside stilled, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would truly be able to survive alone in this vast, untamed wilderness.
But she shook her head and reminded herself that she would be inside the house and on land at that. And for now, she had no responsibilities so she could simply treat this as a fully sponsored staycation.
Lily stepped out of the helicopter, feeling the cold air bite at her cheeks the moment her feet touched the snow-covered ground. The deafening whirl of the rotors was a sharp contrast to the stillness that had been visible from above. As she looked around, the blanket of snow that stretched out as far as her eyes could see, her heart still hammered in her chest. Where was this guest house exactly?
Before she could fully gather her thoughts, an older woman appeared from what she assumed was the path leading toward the guest house. The moment she saw Lily, she pushed ahead, walking with a purpose that left no room for pleasantries.