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"Are we there yet?" Mina asked just moments after we all piled in the SUV.

Without hesitating, Heath stopped the car mid-way through backing up, swiveling his head to try and face Mina who was sitting behind him. His neck skewed at an awkward angle, back flexing. "Do you want to walk all the way there, Mina?"

"It would be faster," she smirked while giving the back of Heath's seat a kick.

"Slow and steady wins the race," Heath turned back, hands gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. He blew out a frustrated breath before continuing to pull out of the driveway, starting our journey to find a witch – a particular witch.

"Maybe if you were a Wereturtle," Mina propped up her feet, relishing in pestering Heath. One of Heath's hands slid between the seat to try and remove Mina's feet, but his feeble attempts were unsuccessful. Whenever he came close to clasping one of her shoes, she would just maneuver them elsewhere.

"Ew," Heath reconciled, removing his hand, "you're one of those?"

"One of what?" she kicked the back of his seat again.

"You know, one of those people who fetishize unnatural shapeshifters," Heath responded, now pulling onto the road.

"Wereturtles exist?" I could not pass up on the opportunity to ask. I had never heard of a Wereturtle before, and while it seemed fake, I could not know for certain.

Mina and Heath burst into laughter. Mina covered her mouth before she turned to me with softened eyes to say, "oh, Sage, I personally like to believe they don't exist because natural selection won that fight. But no, there's no such thing as a Wereturtle."

I shrugged my shoulders, a slight blush warming my cheeks. "I've heard of stranger things happening."

"True," Mina nodded her head. "Heath somehow managed to become a Gamma, after all."

"For the last time, Mina, I didn't just manage to become Gamma. I worked hard to earn this position. Right, Theo?" Heath nudged the air around Theo who was preoccupied looking at some papers – a common occurrence. I tried to prop my head forward to see what Theo was looking at, but he sensed my gaze, moving the papers just out of eyesight.

"Hm," Theo responded, his head cast down as he flipped over a page.

"Are we there yet?" Mina asked again, her body sinking into her seat.

"No," Theo responded, his voice laced with annoyance. "Now, will you two please be quiet? I am trying to find out where Vanessa will be exactly."

"You don't know where we're going?" I inquired, taking a look out the window beside me. Trees passed by in a blur as Heath drove faster than I thought he ought to. The face-paced scenery caused my stomach to tumble, so I quickly tore my head away, staring at the headrest in front of me, instead.

"I know the general area," he responded. "Vanessa does not stay in one place for too long."

My heart froze, my body growing rigid as I thought: the way Theo talked about Vanessa made it seem like he knew her. It was impossible, of course. The way Theo described the endangered state witches lived in would make it almost impossible for him to acquaint himself with one, right? However, he was a powerful Alpha. If someone has a connection to a witch, it would be him.

I was overreacting, I tried to tell myself, but I couldn't keep this thought from invading my mind. I concluded I must have had delirious thoughts from the repetitive scenery outside and inside the car. I would try my best to sleep off these pestering thoughts. My shoulders slouched as I nested as comfortably as I could manage into the seat.

I stayed awake for a little while longer, but – as if Theo was attuned to my being – he explained we'd be in the car for hours. We were going to a destitute location that would be hard to get to, making the car ride even longer. So, slowly, over time, my eyes started to flutter shut, and I drifted off to sleep.

Several times, I would wake up to Mina or Heath's voices. Each time I would groggily come to consciousness, I would blink and then be asleep yet again. However, the last time I was woken up, a sharp pain flashed through my neck from the awkward angle I had been sleeping in.

"Are we there yet?" Mina whined out as I rubbed my eyes awake.

My body was becoming uncomfortable from being crammed in the car for so long. The car ride was not the relief Theo had made it out to be, and I was tempted to kick his chair in my frustration.

"Didn't you listen to Theo? We don't know where there is, Mina," Heath exclaimed while I noticed the car was not traveling as fast as before.

"Are we stopping?" I sat up in the seat, wiping my hair out of my face.

"We're making a pit stop," Heath said as he parked the car in a deserted gas station parking lot. No other cars were in the vicinity, just a faded purple sign that read: Follow the Light.

Heath turned his head to face me. "We're in Mystaria. It's not like any town you're used to."

"Stay by my side," Theo interjected. Theo placed his papers in the compartment in front of his seat. "It's not safe for a human here."

Nervous, I got out of the car and followed closely behind Theo. Heath went in front of us and Mina was to my side. We made a stop to survey the area and grab some snacks and drinks. Theo said we were close to finding a sign of Vanessa's presence. He did not know what that sign would be, but he said he would not be able to miss it when he did.

Inside of the gas station was wondrous. It was filled with all sorts of snacks and drinks, vibrant colors at every turn. There were food and drinks I could never imagine — food and drinks Memphis never even talked of. A gray-looking man sat at the counter, chewing a piece of gum, a bubble popping every so often. He was the only other... being in this area. His bowling shirt was a tad darker than his skin tone, and it had his name hastily sewn on along with a star.

Mina, not bothering to look around, grabbed my hand and dragged me to an odd-looking machine. Mina's grin was a mile wide. "You have to try this, Sage."

Mina filled a cup up with an icy-looking beverage. It was brightly colored red, and she explained it was a cherry ICEE. I popped a matching straw into the drink and took a sip. My tastebuds exploded, and I went to take another sip.

"Slow down," Mina cautioned, putting a hand on my forearm. "You might get a —"

"—Brain freeze," I finished the sentence for her, as I took the drink off of my lips to help meditate the cold thumping that was radiating throughout my brain.

As I was trying to get the brain freeze under control, I did not notice we were no longer the only ones in the gas station anymore. Someone jumped over the To-Go Kitchen counter, sauntering over to where Mina and I were.

"A human," a crusty voice coughed out. I turned my head to see a lanky man striding over to me. "How peculiar."

The man licked his lips — his yellow-stained lips glimmering in the dim light. His tongue glided over his sharp incisors, and I took a step back while Mina stepped forward. He was dressed similarly to the man behind the counter — wearing a shirt with his name and a star.

Where was Theo?

The man sniffed the air. His purple eyes glazed over. "Can I have a bite?"

"Back off, dickhead," Mina extended her hand, rearing to fight.

The strange man tilted his head with a laugh before he lunged for Mina. I jumped back, my hand grasped tightly on the drink in my hand. I looked around frantically for Theo or Heath, but I could not see them anywhere.

"Theo?" I called out, almost stumbling over my feet, still not used to the shoes I was forced to wear.

My back hit a rack of food, leaving me nowhere to run. I didn't know if I should have faith in Mina to protect me or not, but I did not have to linger on that thought for long. Heath came panting in my direction, dragging me with him as we sprinted towards the door.

The stranger, sensing commotion our way, gave Mina one last glance before focusing his sights back on me. He was able to run at superhuman speeds, jumping in front of Heath and me before we were able to reach the door.

"Going somewhere?" the man snickered, wagging his pointer finger disapprovingly. "I don't think so."

"We'll see about that." Heath punched the man square in the face. I stumbled back. My head whipped around, looking for Theo. He was still nowhere to be found.

"Theo," my voice cracked as I yelled Theo's name. Mina was still collecting herself back where the man had suddenly left her.

Despite calling out to Theo, he did not come. I did not know where he was. Instead of looking for him, my eyes landed on the exit, and I started to sprint in that direction. Only, I did not make it far before the man pulled me back by the ruff of my shirt.

I screamed, trying to thrash at the man. My attempts were harmless against him, but my scream must have triggered something inside Theo. Out from the back of the gas station, Theo – eyes turned black – came lunging towards the man.

"Get her out of here," Theo growled, his nails protruding through his fingertips.

Without a second thought, Heath latched onto my arm and pulled me towards the doors we came in from. We managed to get into the car as fast as possible. Heath started up the engine with a labored pant. He pulled the car in front of the entrance, and honked the horn. Mina came running out, blood thick on her fingertips.

Where was Theo?

On cue, Theo sprinted out the door, a few specks of blood coating his jacket. Mina and Theo both hopped into the car as the car was moving.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, completely confused.

Mina panted out. "It was a sign."

"A sign?"

Theo turned his head, his eyes turning dark. "A sign from Vanessa. She's been here."