We drove for hours, heading north—farther north than I had ever traveled in my entire life. The town I knew all my life disappeared behind us slowly, like it didn’t want to let me go, but it finally did. Everything I grew up knowing disappeared slowly into the vast forest.
After we passed the last small neighborhood, the world became nothing but trees. Moss coated the trunks in soft green velvet. Ferns spilled across the forest floor in waves. Sunlight flickered through the branches, sliding over us in warm, gold stripes. Between the shifting shadows, everything looked dreamlike… unreal…
I couldn’t look away. My forehead practically stayed glued to the window. It was just so beautiful.
“You see anything good?” Luka asked, amusement curling in his voice.
“No,” I breathed, “but… I’ve nev
