Rover.

Ottawa... I honestly thought the weather would reflect the way I'm feeling. Lost, worried, that only scratches the surface. I would break down and cry if I weren't in a public setting.

My phone has about sixty missed calls and hundreds of unread texts. My mom, my aunt, Isla and, of course, Avery. By the looks of it, they think I've run off because my mom finally told me the truth about my aunt. I know they're worried, I wish it didn't have to be this way, but I need to find Noah before all of this can go back to normal.

As if I had summoned it, my phone starts to ring and I decide to pick it up.

"Hello?" I say.

"Where the hell are you?!" Avery yells from the other side.

"I can't tell you," I say and I'm about to go on.

She cuts me off, "You can and you will! Where are you?"

"No," I repeat my answer, "I'm not going to tell you. I just need to take some time for myself."

"The last time you did that you ended up in a fucking coma!" she shouts.

"Avery," I try to get her to calm down, "I'm fine! I'm okay. Just tell my mom I'll be back in a few days."

"Rover," she chastises me, "we'll send the cops out to find you if you don't tell us where you are!"

"Yeah," I roll my eyes even though she can't see me, "good luck."

I hang up without giving it a second thought. I'm done and nothing she says will stop me.

I have no idea where to start looking for Noah, she could be anywhere and all I know is that she lives in this city. It's much bigger than I thought it would be. Its population isn't as full as other better-known cities in the country, yet despite this, I still feel like I'm being swallowed whole in a place that can only be described as if it goes on for eternity.

I'm standing on the curb of the airport when a taxi pulls up.

"Need to get somewhere?" the driver rolls down his window.

I snap myself back to reality, "Yeah, that would be great, thanks."

I put my suitcase in his trunk and sit myself down in the back seat.

"Where to?" the man asks.

"Uh..." I need to come up with an answer quickly, "downtown."

"Downtown?" he questions me. "Nowhere in specific? No address?"

"Just downtown," is what I reply.

"What about a hotel? Can I at least drop you off there?" he pushes further.

"Yeah, that's fine," I just really wanted to go literally anywhere.

He punches in an address before turning back to look at me, "Buckle up."

We start to drive, but all I can do is stare at the trees and the river along the parkway. They distract me, but only from turning in on myself and crying at how overwhelming all of this is.

"So what are you doing in Ottawa?" the driver looks at me through his rearview mirror.

I give him somewhat of a smile, just to be friendly, "Business. My record label-"

"I thought you looked familiar," he interjects himself. "You're Rover Baxton, right?"

"Yep, that's me," I nod.

"How are you doing?" he says. "I heard you were having a rough few months."

"Better," I tell him. 

"Aren't you supposed to be on tour?" 

I try to be polite as I answer all his questions, "Yeah, I'm just taking a short break right now. I want to make sure I can give everyone the best show possible once I start up again, you know?"

I see him nod at me with a small smile, "I get it. I was a teacher for quite a while, but I decided that I didn't need to do more than what people expected me to do. It feels good to not be trapped in one spot."

"I hope I can do that one day," I say.

I wish I knew why I was telling this to a complete stranger, but who else would even stop to listen?

"Don't give up," he finally replies. "You'll know where you need to be when the time comes."

"Hopefully it's before I'm dead," I tell him sarcastically.

"No, really," he tries not to laugh. "I've been through some hard stuff as a kid too. Life isn't fair, but there's so much we don't understand. Don't be afraid of what the universes offer you."

"Universes?" I ask.

"That's what I believe," he says. "People call me crazy, but I just know that this can't be it."

I look down at my hands as I move my thumbs around each other, "You seem to be able to read my mind."

"You're the first person to ever agree with me," he tells me.

I look back up to him and I just know that something is different about him, he's not like anyone else I've talked to since I've woken up.

Honestly, I say, "I'm looking for someone. I've been searching for her online, but I can't find anything. I just know that she lives somewhere in this city."

"Do you think something bad has happened to her?" he asks.

"Uh..." I'm not sure I want to think about what that question is insinuating. "I hope not."

"Do you want me to take you to a police station, maybe they can help?" he goes on.

"No!" I reply, surprised at even my own reaction. "I'm sure she's okay, she's got family here too. I'll probably start there."

A family name that I don't know. Except... I must, unless it was just another one of her fake names. The first dream, the one where I barely had control of myself. Her father called her Captain Reid. If this is the only last name I have, it's better than nothing.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck," the taxi driver smiles.

I hadn't even realized we were stopped in front of a hotel in the middle of the heart of the city.

"Oh," I bring myself back, "what do I owe you?"

"$46.75," he answers me.

I hand him my credit card, which he takes my information, and I leave him a tip.

"Here," he reaches back to me with a small card. "My number is on it, call me if you get stuck somewhere."

"Thanks-" I don't know his name.

"Errald," he says.