Twenty-Three
It smelled of sand and perfume. Fresh like mint yet stuffy like warm air underneath the earth. Björn closed his eyes while descending into the underground city. All he could see was Kaari’s ghost chasing him. When he had used this elevator to go back to ground level many years ago, he had sworn to never return. Now, he returned not only, but once again brought someone precious to this pit of hell.
The sight of the huge city mesmerized Annie, because it looked like a sonogram—unreal and unnatural. Everybody reacted this way when they first saw it. It hadn’t lost the effect on Björn either after all those years. He clearly remembered the sense of anticipation when he had first entered this place with Kaari. This is it. The place we belong. He shuddered, realizing how people co
