Chapter 1

The car exits the highway. The road descends in elevation towards the Atlantic, winding and unkempt, as if it’s a different species than the well-maintained one it extends from. A few houses punctuate the otherwise forest-covered landscape. It’s late April, and life is just starting to return to the coast of southern Maine. The street is scattered with wet leaves and there are traces of remaining snow, if one looks carefully. Grass grows in green patches. A few flower buds come up. Down the road appears to be nothing but wilderness, but the GPS still says the destination is nearly a half hour away. Spring announces itself in the form of trees showing hints of life, a handful of leaves presenting themselves on branches.

“Still no hints?”

Alex sits in the passenger seat. He has barely sat still for the entire drive up from Boston. His girlfriend, Charlotte, has promised him the surprise of a lifetime with his birthday just a few days away.

“Nope!” Charlotte replies giddily. The urge to scream out her secret makes every muscle tense. “Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.” He will, but will it live up to the hype? What if he’s not as impressed as she thinks? What if ... what if ... what if ... All this work to make Alex happy, but what if he doesn’t love it as much as she thinks he will? Weeks ago, she had seen the listing. She booked it instantly. Then she deleted her browser history. Not that he ever uses her computer, but what if he does? It had to be a surprise. What if she’d made too much of it in her mind? Her heart beats rapidly, but her smile hides her anxiety. Show confidence. Don’t let him know about your doubt. He doesn’t need to know.

“I don’t see how. I’ve never been to Maine.” It’s his nature to try to solve a mystery in front of him, and to that end, Charlotte has given him no information, even going so far as to put coordinates and not an address in her phone. There’s a joy she feels watching the chaotic energy of his mind, poring over possibilities, seeking evidence, even in the absence of any. Clues must exist. He takes as a given that all truths are discoverable by examination. Nothing happens in a vacuum, he is certain; everything leaves a trace, asking to be found. To Alex, facts are conscious things that willingly reveal themselves to those who look for them. But for all his weeks of puzzling, neither he nor the others, now in the backseat, even knew what direction Charlotte would be driving until they got in the car this afternoon.

“I have,” Mel says as she adjusts her seatbelt to lean forward. “No idea what’s out here in the middle of nowhere, though.”

The car passes a small house settled in the woods, nestled naturally against a hillside, and then there are no more buildings in sight. The sun, low in the sky, peaks in slivers through the trees, like a spy hiding behind a curtain. They shift from dark to light rapidly as the wind declares its presence. The sound of the highway from above fades.

“Well,” Charlotte says, “I doubt you’ve ever been where we’re going. I doubt any of us have.” The enigma continues to drive Alex’s thoughts in an excited frenzy. His future wife is one of few people who has ever been able to understand his fascination. Two and a half years into their relationship, this is the first time she’s promised a reveal so significant. It must have meaning.

Toby sits quietly. He hadn’t pictured spending the last spring break of college somewhere out in the wilderness. His original plans for Cancun were derailed by a finger injury, and if he hopes to get drafted this summer, he knows he needs a quieter vacation. He hardly considers himself lucky that Mel invited him along to keep her company, but his coach approved it. The other option was to go back home for the week. At least this way, there’ll be some pussy for him.

“What do I know about in Maine...” Alex, the voracious history major, racks his memories. Surely, amongst the countless stories of the past that have fueled his curiosity, at least one must have happened here. His mind, a whirlwind of ancient oddities, struggles to place any of them here. Maine is so nearby to him, and doesn’t hold the same exotic sense of wonder that ancient worlds do, but mystery abounds everywhere if one seeks it.

Mel interrupts his focus. “Hey, as long as there’s space, right? Bet you could bang in these woods and nobody would hear you moan.” She grins at Toby. Much as Mel’s proposition intrigues him, a few days in the woods appeals less to him than it does to the lovers in the front seat. No crowds. No parties. No fun.

“Maine...” Alex repeats to himself as the road goes from paved to dirt and the noise of the highway is completely muffled by nature and distance. Crumbling sounds beneath the wheels fill the car, drowning out the world and mixing with the beat of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.” The GPS disconnects. Charlotte knows where she’s going. Any minute now, Alex will explode with excitement. Or break her heart. One or the other. Her hands are nearly numb as they tighten on the steering wheel, her skinny fingers turning even paler than they already are. He’ll love it. He’ll definitely love it.