Nine

It was a three-hour drive, and by the time they got there, Nelly was exhausted. All she wanted was to sleep. She looked out of the window. They were in the middle of nowhere with thick trees on either side of the road.

The gates swung open, and Nate led the way through a long narrow road with the thick forest around it. He rounded another curve, and a gigantic mansion stood in the clearing. A bunch of people had arrived before them, and others were just pulling up.

Nelly got down from the car and went straight to get her bags. Lucy ran just as Harper pulled up, waiting to take the bags she left in her trunk. As for Nelly, she stretched her hands and looked up at the sky. The sun shone down on her, and she closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. She loved coming up here. She loved nature. There was just something about it that was so peaceful.