Seraphina's Awakening

Chapter Fourteen: The Unexpected Date

She couldn't tell you how long she stood there in the middle of the road, or how long until she realized she was mumbling, "It was me. It was me."

Her phone chimes from inside the car, bringing her back to reality. Slipping inside, she unlocks the screen to read: I'll be at this location tonight. Feel free to come by whenever for that necklace.

An address is written beneath that. Sera debates going after all the strange things that have happened. Maybe she should go home and rest. She's obviously hit her head.

Instead, she climbs back into the car and straps her seat belt on before deciding against heading home. The truth is, she needs a distraction. Some freaky encounter with the deer isn't going to ruin her life. Especially not with a mysterious stranger that seemed to appear from out of her dreams.

So instead she replies: On my way.

Sera clicks the address underlined on her phone. The GPS blares to life computing directions already. "In three miles take Exit Thirteen."

With one last deep breath, Sera shifts the car into gear and glances in her rearview mirror before merging back onto the highway.

The anxiety in her quickly transforms into nervous excitement as the journey toward Nate continues. As if there weren't enough questions swirling around in her mind, Sera now has even more questions about the mysterious Nate. Despite it all, Sera can't help but find it all just a bit gosh darn exciting. Her foot presses harder on the gas, eager to settle the butterflies inside of her.

"Take Exit Thirteen." The GPS shrills again. Her hands twitch and she turns the wheel to take the exit. A few houses pass by her window, but she continues keeping her eyes on the road ahead. She continues for another couple miles before things start getting dark. There's no more street lamps lining the way, houses are farther and farther apart, and then she can no longer make them out. Trees. Lines and lines of trees are all she can see as the road winds.

"Turn left ahead." Sera almost misses the turn because it is so dark and overgrown with foliage. Not to mention the lack of a road sign makes it a little hard to distinguish. Her white sedan jostles her back and forth, and she pulls off the asphalt road and onto a dirt one.

"Continue two miles, the destination is on your left."

"What the –" Sera continues her trek through the dirt road. "Where the hell is this guy meeting me?"

A few times she debates turning around. After the creepy encounter with the blond in the club, she finds herself a little hesitant to meet this guy so far from home. Her hand reaches for her missing pendant before returning to the steering wheel. "I need to do this, everything is going to be fine," she attempts to convince herself. The road winds even farther before the GPS blares back to life causing Sera to jump.

"You have arrived at your destination."

"But nothing's—" Before she can finish her sentence, the trees part and a field opens up before her. A picturesque log cabin sits quaintly on the center of the clearing. The house illuminates from within. A high-pitched roof with triangular glass panels, make it clear that no one is expecting any privacy. Her car bumps under her again when she hits the gravel, causing her to close her mouth when she pulls up beside a black car parked right out front.

Sera slips out of the car and then tugs on the edges of her blouse. Only now is she suddenly self-conscious of her work clothes. Closing the car door, she climbs the three steps of the porch eyeing the wooden Adirondack chairs on either side. Automatically, her hand finds its way to her chest again only to find it bare. With renewed motivation for being at a stranger's house in the woods after dark, she reaches out to press the doorbell. The chime echoes through the whole house.