CARMEN
The moment I rolled into the town of Jasper, something shifted.
It was subtle at first.
The air was the first thing I noticed.
It felt lighter. Cleaner. Each breath reached my lungs instead of getting stuck. I hadn’t realized how heavy the world had felt until that weight vanished.
I slowed the bike to a crawl, letting the engine hum low beneath me as I took it all in.
“This place—” I murmured softly.
It felt like stepping into a memory I didn’t have. I felt like I belonged here.
Like this was always meant to be home.
Home.
That was the word that slipped in, uninvited and confusing as hell. Because this looked nothing like anywhere I had ever lived, nowhere my parents had dragged me during their endless educational vacations. They had loved their trips—Europe, Asia, beache
