Nina sits down in the rocking chair, and I stand between her and the fireplace.

"Okay," I start, "so how long will it take to get there?"

She frowns, "There? You mean just to the woods? It will be about an hour-long ride."

"Ride?"

Oh, so we'll be riding in a car or something. I just expected to walk to the forest, as I assumed it wouldn't be too far.

"Yep, plus, you'll have to walk in the woods for a while before you meet him."

"That's what my uncle said in his letter," I comment. "What's the man's name?"

"Vaughn Westergaard."

I process the name for a moment.

Vaughn is...interesting enough as it is. And then Westergaard, which reminds me of Skarsgaard, like the guy who plays Pennywise.

Huh. What a total villain name.

"How old is he?" I ask.

She smiles, knowingly, "I'm sure you'll see."

Frowning, I question, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Crap, is he like a really creepy old man?

"Like I said, you'll see."

That's not a very good sign, is it?

Uncertain, I nod slowly, deciding to not think about it anymore. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Well, as you know, he doesn't like very many people. No one truly knows where he lives. Well, your uncle did before he disappeared. He stays in the woods for months on end, rarely comes to the village. A few times, some women from the village," she coughs, and I think I hear the name, 'Luna,' "they tried to bring him some homemade food and gifts. Except, they didn't know where to go. Went in the general direction they were pointed in. He found them, though."

"...And?"

"He shot arrows at them, wasn't interested in them, or what they brought him at all. Just wanted them to go away."

"Is he like that with everyone?"

"Yeah. He only socializes if he wants to."

"Oh...so what are the chances of arrows being shot at me?"

"Well...just make sure to tell him who you are, maybe show him the letter. You do have the letter, right?"

"Of course."

She nods, "Good. Since there is still a chance that he may turn you away, Henry and Matthias will camp out and wait to make sure you've made it."

"But...how will they know if I've made it?"

"The birds."

"Oh, yeah. The birds. What's up with the birds?"

"I have no clue."

"Oh, okay."

I don't really know how to process all of this information. And the lack thereof...

"But, I must warn you, Mikaere."

"About what?"

"Assuming he turns you away...you're going to have to be very careful."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, last year, someone got killed by a couple of wolves in his own backyard. The same day that John disappeared, my...niece went missing also. Everyone thinks wolves are to blame for both."

Wait, her niece and John both disappeared on the same day? And everyone assumes wolves are the culprit? Was a wolf pack even spotted?

Before I can say anything, she continues on. "You can't have pets unless your yard is fenced well. You should be careful walking the street alone, but even more so in the woods. We'll give you an ax or something, but climbing a tree if you come across any is your best bet at survival."

Someone got slaughtered by wolves in his own backyard, and she's sending a teenage girl into the woods with just an ax?

"Noted."

So, the wolves are valiantly vicious. I can't seem to remember just how big they can get. However, I definitely would race to climb to the top of a tree if I came upon one.

"Anything else?" I ask her.

"Don't trust him completely, Mikaere. No one knows really anything about his character. If you don't make it back to the village in one week from tomorrow, I'm going to assume something has happened to you."

So, the locals don't know him or trust him.

That's... a bit disheartening.

I remember what uncle John said in the letter, though. He's a good man.

However, things can change. Et tu, Brute?

So, in conclusion, I will not blindly trust the man more than I have to.

That is if he even hears me out, to begin with.

"Is that all you have to ask me?" Nina questions, and I nod.

"I'll probably think of more later, though."

"That's fine," she replies as she stands up from the rocking chair. "Write them down if you have to. Now, I have customers to attend to. Try to get some rest, and make sure you're downstairs by 8:00. That will give you time to have some breakfast before you have to get ready."

"Okay, thank you."

"Of course," she smiles. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

And with that, she turns and walks back out to the bar.

I start back up the stairs, feeling more exhausted by the minute.

I can't wait to sleep in a bed again; these past few days have felt like years.

Getting to the guest room, I open the door and turn on the light, shutting and locking the door behind me.

And, being the paranoid girl that I am, check the bathroom and bed area to make sure that I'm alone. Then, I look in my bag, double-checking that everything is in place.

Thankfully, everything seems fine.

I take off my boots, placing the money back into my bag. Then, grabbing my phone, I walk over to the bed.

I peel back the top sheet and blankets, sliding in.

Wow, I've missed this.

I quickly turn on my phone and notice the time, seeing that it's only 8 pm.

Happily, I set the alarm for 7:30 am.

If I fall asleep now, I could get over 11 hours of sleep.

Fantastic!

Smiling tiredly, I set my phone down on the bedside table, snuggling deeper into the pillows and soft blankets, almost as if I want to be absorbed by the mattress itself.

Best night ever.

I wake up to a soft acoustic song playing and immediately scramble to turn it off.

Even though it's a calming song, because it's my alarm, it never fails to give me a heart attack.

I feel groggy and tired, even though I managed to get over 11 hours of sleep. I stand up from the bed, rubbing my eyes to wake myself up as I walk to the bathroom.

About 20 minutes later, I've rushed to get all dressed, the bed is made, my hair is brushed, I've seen that my skin is thankfully looking better, and everything in my bag is in order.

Lacing up my boots, I swing my duffle bag strap onto my right shoulder, gathering up my coat, hat, and choppers into my left hand. I don't need to put them on just yet; I'll do that after breakfast.

My favorite meal of the day.

Swinging open the bedroom door, I step out into the hall and close the door behind me.

Then, I begin to make my way downstairs, walking into the bar area.

"Good morning," Nina greets, and Henry nods to me.

"Morning."

They're both sitting at a table eating omelets, "Join us. Are eggs okay?"

Draping my coat on the back of the chair, I set down my hat and gloves on top of my bag. Then, I sit down by the couple in front of me. "Yeah, that sounds great."

Henry finishes his meal and gets up, walking back to what I'm assuming is the kitchen.

"So, how did you sleep?" Nina asks me.

"Wonderfully," I answer.

She nods, "Good. You'll need the energy."

"Do you think I'll have to walk for very long?"

She thinks about it for a bit, "Maybe. I would definitely be prepared to, though."

"Got it," I respond, and Henry comes out a few moments later, setting down a plate in front of me.

This omelet looks absolutely delicious right now. "Thank you!"

He nods, taking Nina's now empty plate and disappearing into the kitchen again. He returns almost immediately after.

I eat in silence, quickly scarfing down my food.

Nina and Henry have been more hospitable than I could have ever asked for. I really feel like I owe them some money, at least.

"How much do I owe you?" I ask.

"For the last time, we don't want your money," she sighs.

"Okay, well, thank you. Really."

When I'm done, Nina asks if I got enough to eat and if I need more, to which I tell her, "No, I'm full. Thank you."

Then, she brings my plate to the kitchen, and Henry follows, giving me time to really think about what today entails.

I mean, after so many years, this is finally it. I might be meeting my uncle's friend today if he wants to talk to me.

I also could totally be attacked and killed by some wild animals on my walk in the woods.

So, that's cool.

But, my mind is mainly filled with what Vaughn will do.

I scoff quietly. Vaughn.

Honestly, it is a total bad guy name. I wonder what his parents are named.

When Nina returns, Henry is with her.

"You're not wearing that, are you?" He asks me.

I glance down at my clean long-sleeved black sweatshirt paired with the same jeans I've been wearing. The sweater was the thickest and warmest one I had.

"Why not?"

"It's much too cold, especially for the ride. This is one of the coldest Novembers that we've had in years. So much so that the ice has gotten much thicker."

Too cold for the ride? But, don't their vehicles have heaters?

I find that to be an incredibly good question, so I voice my concerns only to be met with confused looks.

"Our trucks have heaters...but we're not riding in them out to the woods. The ice may be thick, but it's not thick enough to drive vehicles on it just yet."

"What? Then what will we be riding? Snowmobiles?"

"No," he answers. "We'll be traveling by dog sled."

My mouth opens in a sort of weird, shocked smile. "Dog sleds? Yes!"

"We'll leave for Matthias' place soon so you can get acquainted with the dogs beforehand. But you need warmer clothes. Nina, she'll have to go to Luna's," Henry says in his quieter, calm voice.

Nina snaps instantly, "No, she won't. Mikaere can wear some of Rachel's."

When she says that, they make eye contact and stay silent, sharing a look that exceeds solemn.

Rachel?

I'm curious, but I stay quiet.

Nina breaks away from Henry's gaze and stands up from the table, telling me, "Come along, we need to get you dressed properly."

Grabbing my belongings, I follow her without a word back through the door to the staircase. When we reach the top, she turns to the right, going to the farthest door down the side of the hall.

Opening it, I notice that it's a girl's room. Pink rug on the floor, fluffy purple blankets, pictures of a young native girl, who looks to be about 8, with two braids decorating the walls, a white vanity table.

On the vanity table, there's a fancy-looking carved jewelry box, along with a snow globe.

I smile lightly, thinking of the snow globes John used to send to me as presents.

This particular one actually looks a lot like the one he got me when I turned ten. It has a thick, dark wooden bottom, and on the inside, there's a little cabin, a couple of trees, a couple of benches, a rock, and a snowman.

I wonder if the lights in the cabin turn on as mine did.

Nina smiles fondly as she notices me staring at it. "I haven't touched that thing since she lived here, I doubt it even works anymore."

And then she's silently walking to a wooden chest that's at the end of the bed, opening it delicately. She rummages through it carefully, pulling out some black, one-piece long underwear, some thick-looking wool socks, and a fleece, red and black plaid shirt.

All of it surprisingly looks like it will fit me, for being in a little girl's clothes dresser.

Handing the clothes to me, she then walks to the closet that's across the room from the bed and starts rummaging through it. "I bought that for when my niece got older and wanted to start her dog sledding training. They've never been worn."

I feel terrible about it, but I think my best bet is to just say the usual. "I'm sorry."

She stays silent as she pulls out a large pair of black snow pants.

"I don't have to wear any of this, I'm not averse to going to buy some. Honestly."

"No, no," she says, handing me the snow pants. "Don't be silly. You can wear these."

Nodding softly, almost as if to reassure herself, she walks out of the room and to the guest one where I stayed. I follow after her, and she says to me, "Get dressed. Then, when you're ready, Henry will walk with you to Matthias' place."

"Okay, sounds good. Thank you."

She nods, quickly walking to her niece's room and closing the door, then going down the stairs again.

Turning, I go into the guest room to change.

When I'm all done, I come back out and head down the stairs.

I'm wearing the long underwear under my jeans and the fleece shirt with the black sweatshirt over it. I put the snow pants and coat on along with that. Then, the wool socks and boots, the hat, and the choppers.

I feel suffocated, trapped, and the clothes feel tight.

If I had to run away from wolves or anything, I'd be dead within .02 seconds, because I'm 100% sure I can't move very fast in all of this.

However, it is a very cozy outfit, I must admit.

When I walk into the bar, Henry is waiting for me by the door with a duffle bag of his own, and I notice that Thor's at the counter chowing down on some eggs.

"Oh hi, Thor," I say, recognizing the man with the eyepatch.

His one eye moves to stare at me blankly.

"Hi...you," he says with his mouth full.

I nod, "You forgot my name, didn't you?"

He swallows, "Yeah, I have no idea who you are."

I nod again, "I thought so. Bye."

"Bye."

When I look at Henry, I ask him, "Where's Nina?"

"She needed some alone time. She says she wishes you the best, and do not hesitate to ask for her help if you need it."

I nod, feeling a bit disappointed I won't get to say goodbye. However, I'll probably see her again soon. And, it's understandable that she would need some time after going into her niece's room.

"Well...tell her I say thank you?" I ask him.

He nods, "Now let's get to Matthias' place. The sun is now rising."

He starts towards the door, and I glance at the clock behind me before following him.

9:10 am.

Well, this should be an adventure, shouldn't it?