The place is empty except for an old man filling a mug at the coffee station.

The girl at the cashier is on her phone. She’s not much older than me, and pimply with a shot of pink through her hair. I ask if she’s heard of a winter festival and if she knows where it is. No luck. I even try the old man but he just stirs his coffee and gives me a weird look. I feel utterly alone.

I use the bathroom and when I come out Ted buys me a tea. At the counter, I pick up a weird-looking candy bar and ask him what it is. He thinks it’s hysterical I don’t know and insists I try it.

The pink-haired girl manages to ring up the bill while still tapping away on her phone. Serious skill.

I try to pay, but Ted insists.

My phone shows another eight missed calls from my father, and messages from Jaxon asking where I am and to please call. Nothing from Melody.

For a moment I deliberate if I should tell them I’m safe. I don’t want Adam to worry. That wasn’t the point. But just as I begin to write, I imagine the fawn again. He’s lost his mother and she’ll never come back. I put my phone in my bag. I’ll stick to my plan: find Melody, get my passport, return to my life and pretend this stupid trip never happened.

Ted and I sit down at a table, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, and sip our hot drinks. The candy is goopy inside, and tingles of sugar flood my body. Delicious. I wouldn’t mind another.

Ted asks if I want to use his phone to call anyone to let them know where I am. I say no and he raises his eyebrows. I hadn’t noticed how bushy they are until now. Thankfully he doesn’t push the matter and changes the topic, asking where I’m from.