"Are we there yet?" she asked. "No," I replied. "How long still?" "As long as it takes." "Come on. Tell me." She tugged on my shirt and I threw her a look. She was smiling like a little girl. She was being playful with me. I hope this night doesn't end. "Soon," I said instead. "I'm feeling sleepy, Cameron." She said my name. She must be really getting sleepy and tired because I hadn't heard her say my name for what felt like a long time. "Go ahead and take a nap. I'll wake you up when we get there." I thought that she had fallen asleep, but she mumbled something. Maybe she was dreaming. Her voice was too low, and I couldn't hear her. And then she said it again. "I missed you, too." It seemed the farther we get away from town, the heavy black cloud I'd been holding close to me was dissolving. I hadn't felt this good since I left her. I glanced down at the woman beside me. She was sleeping and snoring lightly. And I realized why all the bad stuff seemed to be pushed away. It wasn't because we were going far from the city, but because she was right beside me. She'd been the reason all along. My heart jerked in my chest as I slowed down on the street of my childhood, just like it always did. It was a very short part of my childhood—Raven and I didn't stay here that long after all, but it was the one that stayed with me like a shadow. It was the one that changed everything. "Are we there yet?" she asked. She'd woken up ten minutes ago and had been sipping the now cold coffee I bought for her at the service station. It was late in the evening but luckily it was still a little bright outside. We were in the rural part of the province, an hour and a half away from the city limits. The road here was narrow and unpaved, but clean and well-maintained. The houses were far apart, ranging from four to fifteen acres. Some of the houses weren't visible from the road, covered by dense trees and vegetation. I spotted a fat dog on the road without a leash and its owner not far behind. He waved at us. I didn't bother waving back. He wouldn't have seen me anyway. But Kara did. "Are we there yet, Cameron?" she asked for the third time. But this time she said my name again. I nodded, gauging the reaction on her face as I stopped in front of tall black iron gates. I pressed a small square remote in my car and they opened smoothly, soundlessly. They were the first thing I installed at the place. I wanted protection for it. A symbol to everyone that someone now owned the place. I pulled up to the long, winding driveway and pressed the remote again to close the gate behind us. I had planted huge pine trees on both sides of the driveway a few years ago, and all around the property. They'd grown tall and thick and not only served as protection but walls from the outside, hiding the place from passersby. There were PRIVATE PROPERTY and NO TRESPASSING signs I'd posted all along the old black iron fence. "Wow. It looks like we're going to visit a vampire," she said excitedly. "Could be werewolves too," I teased. "Really?" she chuckled. "It's so... secluded. What is this place? Who owns it?" "I do." "What?" "I bought this place a few years ago. As soon as I saved enough money for it." "That's seriously amazing. Someday I want to buy one, too. How much did you—omigod is that... wow." She goggled. I wondered what she thought of it. "I don't think I've ever been inside a mansion before. Are we going inside? It's haunted, isn't it? We should definitely go inside. Hurry up!" I chuckled. She looked like an excited little girl about to open her presents. I didn't know what reaction I'd expect from her, but I never thought she'd be delighted to see it. It was a derelict manor. I had only started fixing it. I'd had it since forever, but I'd always put off repairing it. But the day after I left her, I started like a madman. "I'll give you a tour of it later," I said. "I want to show you something first." "You mean there's something more interesting than this?" "Yeah," I said. "I'll show you." "It better be good, Bigfoot." I smiled at her and she smiled back. She was in a good mood, and that put me in a good mood too. I kept driving, following the paved road that led to the back of the mansion. Here the trees flanking the road were taller, thicker, and older, forming a roof so that it covered the evening light, submerging us in semi-darkness. The paved road turned into a narrow gravel path until we passed a clearing. And then like a brilliant surprise, it gave way to a bright large open backfield. There in the middle of it stood a small modern cabin. I had renovated it over the years. It had been the gamekeeper's cottage before and wasn't as bad of a condition as the mansion, but I wanted to put my stamp on it. I ripped everything apart and started with bare bones. Now it was an A-frame structured cabin, with its slender pitched metal roof slanting to the ground on both sides like a tent. The wall-to-wall privacy glass costed a fortune, but it was worth every penny every time I woke up in the morning finding the interior bathed in natural light and the view of the open field spread out before me. "I love it," she said softly, her eyes warmed as she took in the building and the view behind it. Where I wanted to bring her. "It looks so modern but warm. I love the black trim and the stained wood exterior walls. I love the long front deck. Maybe you could put a couple of rocking chairs there. What's behind it?" I parked the vehicle in front of the cottage. The porchlights flicked on, bathing the cabin in warm light. I hadn't answered her question yet when she asked another one. "Is this where you... went off to when you left?" "Yeah," I answered quietly. "It's where I thought of you. A lot." She became pensive. Whatever emotion she was feeling, she wrapped herself around it so completely that it came off her in waves. "But it's not what I brought you here for to see." "Okay," she said. "Show me." She got out of the vehicle before I even unbuckled my seatbelt. I watched as she shivered her way to my side of the car, waiting for me. She wrapped her arms around her, rubbing her sides. The wind blew her hair, covering parts of her face. My heart ached as I watched her. She knocked on my window impatiently. I chuckled, grabbing the blanket I kept in the backseat before I stepped out of the car. She already walked ahead of me. "Kara," I called out to her. She looked behind her shoulder and I could tell she was feeling sad. "Come here," I said. A small frown marred her brow. "Why?" "Please." I hated saying please. But for her I didn't mind. It seemed to placate her somehow. She hesitated at first but she stepped forward once, twice, until she started walking towards me, and stopped an arm's length away. I stepped forward. I saw her shift back, and I could see that her walls were up again. Our truce was over. And she was expecting payback. I wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks," she mumbled, tightening the blanket around her. I nodded. She was always welcome. "Come with me," I said. I was going to show her the maze. And what happened just beyond it that changed the course of my life.