Alex pulled
the car to the side of the dirt road and turned off the motor. She seemed to be
moving slowly. Probably so as not to spook Rosalie.
To prove how
little she needed soothing, Rosalie unbuckled her seat belt and slid down from
the cab quicker than usual, as though visiting her mysterious desert property
was a task of no particular importance or hassle, like grocery shopping or
going to the post office. Her feet crunched on the ground as she took a few
steps away from the truck, her footsteps loud in the alarming silence of the
desert. She stood straight, back to Alex, and surveyed the land with her hands
on her hips. She owned this land. She was in control.
Yet as she
stared out at it, she felt her confidence and certainty waiver, as though a
breeze was blowing throug
