"Feeling sick again?" Shane asked as the car thrummed along.

Evanna, startled out of her reverie, turned to look at him. "No, I'm okay."

"Tell me if you are. I can—"

"I'm okay, Shane. Really."

He glanced at her. "You're quiet."

"It's just...I'm not entirely sure what to expect." She referred to her phone yet another time. "We should be close now."

For the past five minutes, they had been driving along a potholed road in the outer fringes of Cape Valinia. Buildings and traffic had dwindled away to ramshackle houses, punctuated by the occasional convenience store or service garage. Unkempt wilderness threatened to smother the entire neighborhood, and gnarly trees formed a barrier that cut off Mardane from the rest of the city.

Evanna stared out of the window as they passed by a yard enclosed with chain-link fence, where a few boys played cricket. Stray dogs, who lounged by the side of the road, eyed them curiously as they drove by. Weeds sprouted out of cracked sidewalk, and a dry wind kicked up a cloud of dust.

Her gaze strayed to Shane.

His face was unreadable as he drove on. She dwelled on her very first encounters with him and the cool, impregnable aura that surrounded him. Except, I'm no longer intimidated by it. A beaming smile lit up her face at the memory of her lunch with him.

Then her mind's eye constructed the image of her venturing down the wooded path near Serin Drive. But I'm only just traversing the outer rim of his world.

"Wait." She straightened up and doubled-checked the map. "It's down this lane here."

They went along the bumpy lane, which seemed to delve right into the wilderness. The car protested, its subdued drone growing more audible.

Then they came upon the house. It very much resembled the picture on the rental website. If I knew last Tuesday that I'd actually be standing in front of it a week later!

It was a derelict two-story house that stood by itself against the backdrop of dry forest. Broken chain-link fence marked the perimeter of the property. Weeds and vines climbed up the walls of the house as if nature itself was impatient to reclaim the land and blot out its sorry existence.

The car purred to a stop in front of a rusted, half-open gate.

"Um, so," Evanna said, unfastening the seatbelt, "I'll just go and see if he's in."

Shane observed her. "What if he is not in?"

She put on her backpack. "Wait for me here?"

"I'm supposed to sit here...while you walk into that in the middle of nowhere?"

"Yeah."

Shaking his head, he pulled off his seatbelt and got out of the car.

Evanna groaned and hopped out herself, though part of her sighed with relief. Don't be a wimp, Ev. It's just an old house.

Heat engulfed her the instant she was out, and she fought the impulse to crawl back into the cool interior of the car. Drawing in a deep breath, she strode towards the house while Shane followed behind.

A sudden movement caught her eye, jolting her to a halt. A small, grey shape darted among the trees.

"What was that?" Evanna exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Monkeys. They're pretty common in Valinia," Shane said, coming to a stop next to her. "They break into houses, steal things..."

"Oh." She peered at the trees in fascination, hoping to catch another glimpse of one.

With a disappointed sniff, she continued walking. She marched up the creaky steps to the front porch and stopped at the door. Shane's heavier footsteps sounded behind her.

Her clenched fist inched up and knocked.

Seconds ticked by. There was no response.

Blowing out a puff of air, she rapped loudly on the old wood.

The rustle of leaves grew more pronounced. Evanna turned the door knob, but as expected, it was locked.

She strode over to a dirty window with an iron grille and peeped inside. She could make out wooden furniture and a threadbare couch lying haphazardly in the living room. He might've gone out to get something, Ev. Like, there's no car in sight either. I mean, he probably owns a car.

A disgruntled noise escaped her as she spun around. "Shane, do you know how to, like, pick this lock?"

His face displayed incredulity. "You want to...break in?"

Evanna crossed her arms and tried to tone down her impatience. "Do you know how to pick the lock or not?"

"I can try, but I wouldn't call myself an expert."

She rolled her eyes.

"Are you...disappointed that I'm not a pro burglar?" he asked, lips twitching.

Ignoring him, she prodded the door with her foot as if that would magically open it.

He sighed. "You really want to get into this house?"

"Yes! I came all this way," she said with an emphatic nod. "I want to, at least, snoop around."

He turned and walked off the porch.

"Where are you going?" Evanna called out, hurrying after him.

He headed towards the backyard, shoes trampling overgrown weeds. She followed behind, though her short legs had to break into a jog to keep up. As he skirted the house, his eyes scanned the walls and windows. Then the backyard greeted them with old tires and a pile of miscellaneous junk.

Evanna ran up to the back door and tried to open it. "It's locked too."

She turned to see Shane crouching next to a horizontal basement window covered with grime. He pulled aside weeds and peered in.

"If we could get that open, I can sneak in," she said, trotting up to him.

Shane gave the window an experimental push. It barely budged, but the pane rattled.

Her eyes widened. "Ooh..."

He cast a glance her way and shook his head. Then he scrutinized the window frame, fingers tracing the edge. One corner appeared loose with a crack that webbed out in fine lines under the coating of grime.

"I can kick this in," he said. "But I'm thinking you don't want to leave behind broken glass."

She nodded. "That'd be a tad too much, yeah."

A minute passed by. Evanna's narrowed eyes bored into the broken corner.

"Shane," she whispered, bending down next to him and reaching out a hand. "Let me try prying it open from that corner."

He took her hand in a heartbeat and moved it away. "And it's going to shred your soft, pampered hands, and we can spend the rest of the day getting them stitched."

He went back to inspecting the window.

She was too surprised to react for a good minute—and then came the all too familiar flush of heat.

Giving her head a quick shake, she fixed the window with a determined stare. She couldn't help glancing at her hands, however, and her lips tweaked into a smile. So he likes my puny, bendy hands? And he sure doesn't hold back from flattering girls. Mushiness level, like, six on the scale? Ten would be "sand is coarse and rough, not like you." She shuddered and stifled a giggle.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." He got up and paused. "Don't do anything crazy, okay?"

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms.

When he jogged off, Evanna turned and gazed at the forest, hoping to catch sight of a monkey. The sun beat down on her, and she started fanning herself. She noticed a footpath that snaked into the undergrowth—as if to beckon her to explore the wilderness. Don't get distracted, Ev.

It wasn't long before Shane was back with a pocket knife. She watched in fascination as he used it to loosen the old window stop and cut through the caulk seal. Then he carefully removed the pane.

They peered into the gloom and discerned a damp, dirty basement that was mostly empty. Dark stains of moisture on the peeling walls had spurred the growth of black mold. A broken bulb dangled from the ceiling.

"So?" Shane said, cocking an eyebrow. "You still want to go in?"

She deliberated—then nodded.

"I'll go in first."

"Oh, no, you don't have to—" Evanna began, but he was already slipping through the opening.

An instant later, he landed on his feet with a muffled thud, followed by a squelching noise. So much for leaving Shane out of this mess.

She inched into the opening sideways, bowing her head under the low window frame, which she grabbed onto with one hand. She wrinkled her nose when a musty odor assaulted her.

"Careful—there's some broken glass in that corner," Shane said.

"Okay." She spied the muddy water on the floor, which had pooled into shallow puddles.

"Evanna?"

"Wait," she said in indignation, one foot dangling over the edge. "You probably jump down houses and cliffs on a daily basis, but I don't, okay?"

He chuckled. "It's high—not that high."

"Uhuh." She leaned down and hesitated. All I normally jump from is the bed, you ogre. This is why I should take up some bloody sport.

"Just drop down—I'll catch you."

"No." She ignored him and focused her eyes on the floor. You do walkovers and stuff, Ev. You can jump from this—

"Trust me."

The words sent a jolt down her spine. She bit her lip as two opposing forces played a tug of war in her head. His unwavering gaze had its usual effect on her heart. Maybe it's time...for a leap of faith.

Something in her gave way—like an expanding chink in a formidable wall.

She relinquished her hold on the window frame and pushed off the edge. As gravity yanked her down, she clamped her eyes shut and let out a shriek—which was cut short when Shane's arms caught her, sagging slightly under the force of her fall.

Her back fired up in protest at the sudden impact. She gasped, eyes opening wide while her frantic hands clutched at his shirt.

"Evanna?" Shane's low voice cut through the ensuing silence—and she was suddenly aware of his tense muscles through the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm okay," she managed to squeak as the pain ebbed away to a persistent ache, and she slackened her grip on him. "Thanks!"

While her manic heart pranced about in her ribcage, he carried her to a patch of dry floor and set her down on her feet.

"You're hurt?" he asked.

Evanna tilted up her face to see his dark, low eyebrows drawn into a frown.

"No, I'm okay," she breathed, taking a step back. "I have this, um, bruise on my back."

"What bruise?"

"Nothing much—bumped into something."

He just watched her.

"It's not a big deal, Shane." She flashed him a smile. "It's not about you—you're good at catching falling bodies and carrying people, obviously."

"You mean, good at carrying you?" he said in a quiet voice. "Well, it's not the first time."

Evanna blinked up at him. What?

He made no attempt to explain himself. She exhaled a whoosh of air and whirled around. This isn't the time to be pondering his enigmatic stuff, Ev...or the fact that you practically hugged him! Holy cowsies.

She made for the staircase with Shane at her heels. Mounting the stairs at a run, she found herself standing in front of a crude door. Her tentative hand turned the handle.

It opened with a grating noise.

A narrow hallway met her eyes, one end opening into the living room, while the other offered a glimpse into the kitchen. Directly in her line of vision was the banister of a staircase. Darkness pervaded the place, emphasized by old wooden paneling.

Evanna edged into the living room. Light seeped in through dirty windows. As she scanned the room, her eyes snagged on the laptop that sat on the couch.

Tingling with anticipation, she made a beeline for it.

She pushed aside the blanket bunched up on the couch. Then she perched herself at the edge and opened the laptop.

"Evanna? What are you doing?"

She twisted her head around and saw Shane standing behind her. Right. He must be totally mind-boggled by all this. Maybe he's freaking out I'm some spy or a psycho stalker or even a petty criminal.

"I know this looks weird," she began and took a deep breath. "I solemnly swear I'm not involved in nefarious activities, okay? I mean this dude no harm at all."

Without waiting for him to respond, Evanna focused her attention on the login screen. She typed out "nird" and hoped it would work. A second later, a generic desktop theme loaded into view. Bingo!

"You know this guy's password?" Shane's voice interrupted her.

"Yeah, I figured it out."

Evanna started browsing through the drives and folders, which were strangely empty and impersonal. Then she opened up the image gallery. Amidst stock images of landscapes, one photo caught her eye.

She goggled at it. "I saw this guy today! At the gas station!"

It was a selfie taken by a smiling brown-haired woman with half-rimmed glasses, while the thin man stood behind her with a morose expression.

"She looks familiar as well," Evanna said, squinting at the woman.

"I've seen her before too."

She looked up at Shane. "You have?"

He stood motionless as he fixed his gaze on the photo. "She was at the seminar on Thursday."

Evanna's eyes widened. A memory floated into her mind's eye—that of her entering the school auditorium and almost colliding with the woman.

"Do you remember her name?" she asked. "Inoue probably announced her name at the start."

"No."

"Can you find her please?" She turned back to the laptop and paused—then looked up at him again when he didn't respond. "What?"

He sighed and shook his head before extracting his phone from his pocket.

Evanna opened more folders and combed through the contents, though her frustration mounted with every second.

"Her name's Dara Roberts." Shane informed her after a while. "She's a physics lecturer at Uni Kom."

"Oh...okay."

"That photo's on her social media."

Evanna switched off the laptop, leaped to her feet and circled around the couch to peer at Shane's phone. "Has she mentioned who he is?"

"His name's Novak."

Why does Adam Rind have a photo of these two people? She just stood, lost in thought. "Shane, I'm gonna head upstairs for a bit. Then we'll go out—I don't want Rind to arrive and find us in here."

His eyebrow shot up. "Rind?"

"Yeah." She darted towards the staircase.

Shane caught up to her easily with his longer strides and deadpanned, "At least, now I know the name of the guy you're stalking."

She rolled her eyes and climbed the stairs, which creaked under their weight.

"Evanna."

"What?"

"You didn't know about the raids at all?"

She almost missed a step. Why's he bringing that up all of a sudden! "Um, I didn't think it'd happen on that day."

"Or have any idea that your phone might be checked?"

"I was careless." She shrugged with an air of nonchalance. "It didn't occur to me."

"The same way it didn't occur to you that you might get into trouble? For going on this trip with me?"

"It did!" She ran up the last few steps. "I...wasn't thinking about it just then. Till you mentioned it. Stop asking me so many questions!"

They emerged on an upstairs landing. It was cloaked in darkness, and a partially open door showed a sliver of a bathroom. Another door stood ajar, leading to a bedroom.

She padded over to the bedroom doorway and waited for her eyes to adjust. The room was in a state of total disrepair with boarded up windows. Heavy wooden furniture loomed overbearingly in the small space. She found the light switch by the door, but flicking it was of no avail—the dust-coated fixture on the ceiling remained dark. No way Rind's using this room—unless the light gave out recently.

Evanna dug a hand into the pocket of her jeans and extracted her phone. She stood rooted to the spot and shone the flashlight, which cast an eerie white glow. Insides knotting with apprehension, she took a good minute to examine the place.

"Are you afraid of the dark?"

She started and spun around to face Shane. "No, I'm not!"

He just watched her, his face an inscrutable mask. She emitted an agitated noise and took a hesitant step in. Goosebumps broke out on her arms, and she wiped her sweaty palm on her jeans.

"Do you want me to go in first?" his low voice inquired.

"No, I'm good." She sucked in a tremulous breath, which caused an overpowering tang of mustiness to hit her nose. "Just—wait for me downstairs, please."

There was a brief silence. He just took a few steps back and leaned against the banister.

Evanna sighed and inched further into the room. She spotted papers on the bedside table. More of his writing? Well, he has to keep himself occupied now that he's cooped up here.

She approached the table and brandished her phone at it.

As the light swept jerkily over the surface, the whiteness of the papers jumped out at her. It turned out to be a rental agreement, and Rind seemed to have moved in just a week ago. She wondered how he managed to sign the contract with a fake name. Well, this isn't exactly prime property, Ev.

It occurred to her that she was no closer to solving the mystery, and a cloud of frustration descended on her. Shane materialized at the doorway, steady footsteps breaking the silence. And he's started asking me questions too—not that he'd ever guess the insane stuff that's happened to me.

Evanna turned to go, relieved at the prospect of leaving. You have to leave things the way you found them, Ev.

Stowing away the phone, she wheeled around and grabbed the paper—just when her eyes detected a dark shape against its whiteness.

For a nanosecond, she was paralyzed with shock. The furry, arachnoid silhouette jolted alarm bells of recognition like neutrons hitting fissile isotopes.

Then the nightmarish form darted over her hand, propelled by many appendages that moved at lightning speed—which fired off an inner chain reaction as abyssal clusters of her amygdala erupted, sending her system into hyperdrive. She recoiled convulsively while a gut-wrenching force pummeled its way from her core and exploded out in a shockwave—in tandem with the banshee scream that ripped through her larynx.

That phantom force flung the table away from her, and it crashed against the wall, splintering with the force of the collision.

Her panic-racked brain took time to comprehend that she was screaming nonstop, the shrill sound ricocheting in the space like a delayed blast effect.

She sprinted out, brushing past Shane, who stood frozen by the doorway.

"Evanna!" he yelled, and his hand made for her wrist.

"Leave me alone!" she shrieked as she bounded down the stairs, almost tripping on the last few steps.

Then she pelted down the hallway to the kitchen, where her frenzied eyes landed on the back door. Adrenaline surged with every thunderous beat of her heart, and pain pounded her head, marking the onset of a monstrous headache.

Shane was close on her heels. "Evanna, stop—"

"I need to be alone!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "Go back home!"

The urgent words halted him in his tracks. The next second, she barreled out into the backyard.

Her course took her straight to the wall of gnarled trees, their branches fanning out over bushy undergrowth. She veered to the footpath that wormed in and crashed through low-lying bushes. Twigs scratched her exposed arms and snagged at her clothes and hair.

She lost track of time, and it was a while before the panic wore off. She couldn't decide what was freakier—facing her worst fear or the unknown aberration within.

As if the whole episode wasn't bad enough, she had a witness, and this time, there was no denying what happened. He'd have bolted by now. If this crazy, weird trip wasn't bad enough, that logic-defying insanity you sprung at him in plain sight is probably the final nail in the coffin. Not to mention that phobic hysteria.

Thoughts and emotions clashed in a fierce battle for dominance in the backdrop of her headache. A second wave of panic rolled over her when she realized that she had strayed from the footpath. Her wide eyes zipped over the homogenous greenery that enclosed her.

She hyperventilated. A long minute elapsed.

Her hand clasped her phone, and relief flooded in. Evanna swiped it open and pulled up the map—only to discover that her location was last updated ten minutes ago. There was no signal.

She groaned and zoomed in on the map.

The forest reserve she was in was not vast. She reasoned she could try finding her way back. Drained and tremulous, she leaned against a tree. Her panting sounded loud in the stillness.

The traumatic memory threatened to surface, and fear bubbled up. A shaking hand reached up to wipe the perspiration on her brow. If you didn't freak out, this wouldn't have happened.

She blinked away the moisture in her eyes. She loathed her weakness now more than ever. Spiders are harmless. They won't hurt you. They won't. Why can't you grasp that simple fact?

Evanna massaged her temples. Her thoughts homed in on Shane, and her heart flipped. What if he's there. Her initial relief was overthrown by the dread that consumed her. I can't...face him.

Clenching her fist, she punched the tree, which just made her hand sting. She took a shuddering breath and stared at her phone again.

That was when she noticed the road that skirted the forest on one side. It led to the city. Maybe hitchhike my way to civilization, and then figure out what to do.

Evanna embarked on a laborious trek in her chosen direction, twigs and leaves crunching with each footfall. The heat heightened her physical discomfort, and her clammy hands swatted away the occasional gnat that came buzzing by. Her headache hammered away inside her skull as if it were a smithy, making her ball her fists in her effort to focus on the task at hand.

A series of high-pitched vocalizations rent the air, grating on her frayed nerves. She snapped her head up in time to witness a grey blur up in the canopy.

Her heart soared from the dumps when she came upon a footpath. I'm retracing my footsteps then? Back to the house?

She quickened her pace, but it soon came to her notice that it was a different path.

It grew slightly wider the further along she went. Where the heck does this lead? I must be heading deeper in! Then again, a path must go somewhere. But what if it leads me to some hunter's cabin or a wizened hag's hut...or worse, a psycho killer's hideout or a full-on forest cult!

A minute later, Evanna pushed aside foliage that obscured the way—and goggled.

It was like she stumbled upon a hidden location in a video game.

Nested in the clearing ahead, a gabled cottage sat atop a rocky outcrop. Footpaths and stone steps branched out to smaller cabins. The structures were made of old, grey wood with vines trailing up the sides. Lanterns hung down from the eaves. The place exuded a rustic charm, harmonizing with nature with its simplicity. It was a sanctum surrounded by the wild, where time seemed to move at a meditative crawl while the rest of the world rushed by in whirling chaos.

Lounging on the roofs, on the rocks and the nearby trees were grey monkeys.

It was a monkey's screech that bonked her to reality. A dozen inquisitive monkeys watched her. She drifted closer, and her ears perked up at a pleasant gurgling sound that might have emanated from springs. Her gaze darted over the area to find the source—and met two pairs of stunned eyes.

They belonged to two monks in saffron robes. One seemed to be in his early twenties, while the other was a child around Manel's age, his hands cradling a small basket of wild flowers. The little monk's eyes were so wide, they resembled saucers—as if he just witnessed an apparition materialize out of the forest.

Evanna tried to muster up a greeting and took a step towards them in the process.

That motion jolted the little monk out of his paralysis—and he started shrieking louder than the monkey.