Justin got off his car to get some food and drinks for the journey after he parked it at a service area. When he came back, he threw the large shopping bag on Regina’s lap, who was dozing off in the passenger seat. She was startled awake due to the sudden pressure she felt on her lap.
“Huh? Have we arrived?” she asked while rubbing her drowsy eyes, looking all confused.
He had already started the car engine again by the time she was able to collect her thoughts. He merely replied indifferently, “Not yet, but I got you some food.”
Hearing that, she glanced down at the shopping bag and immediately refused, “What is this sh*t? I don’t want it.”
“Whatever. Just so you know, Somerset Mountain is more than 1,000 kilometers away from Riverdale, so we will be driving along the highway until it gets dark.” He tried pointing out how far 1,000 kilometers was in practical terms because she seemed to have no idea. Instead of feeling appreciative that he was being considerate, Regina’s annoyance grew; she threw the shopping bag to the back seat and wrapped her arms around her body as she cradled herself in the passenger seat. Who do you think you are, making me eat sh*tty food? She turned her head away and looked at the scenery outside the window.
Regina had a perfect plan—she would get rid of Justin when they arrived at Somerset Mountain, and if necessary, she would kill him. Otherwise, she could also knock him unconscious and kidnap him abroad, regardless of whether Rachel liked it or not. Her sister would get used to it eventually. Even though Regina was ruthless, she was still ignorant of worldly affairs.
Just as Justin predicted, it was already nighttime when they arrived at Somerset Mountain, and it was so dark that it gave a sensation of oppression.
Regina kept waking up after falling asleep, especially after the car entered the mountain area as there was no way for her to fall asleep due to the bad road conditions. Hence, she tried to chase the boredom away by talking to Justin from time to time and looking at the scenery outside the window.
“This place is so big! How are you planning to search for my sister?” Regina asked as she felt like he was driving around the mountain like a headless fly. Little did she know that there was a compass in his heart guiding him exactly to where Rachel would be.
Justin was just about to reply when he heard her stomach rumble. Immediately, Regina covered her stomach with her hands, as if that would stop the growling sound from transmitting. She turned to look at him feeling embarrassed, only to see him acting indifferently. Well, he might not have heard that, the princess thought. Giving in to the hunger, she eventually “condescended”; she opened a bag of bread that she disliked, ate it with relish, and drank mineral water. Whatever royal habits she had, they were completely disregarded when it came to satisfying her normal physiological needs.
The car finally stopped. As Justin was pulling the brakes, Regina expressed relief while holding the bread in one hand and mineral water in the other. “Gosh, we have finally arrived.” She had a sore back just from sitting in the car the whole day.
He looked up and glanced at the word “Motel” through the windshield. “We’re staying here for the night.”
“Here?” She followed him out of the car suspiciously. After checking the hotel environment herself, surprisingly she made no commotion.
“Suck it up. It’s just for one night.” Justin handed her the room card. “I’m staying next door. Call me if there is anything.” While she had been an annoying brat for the whole journey, Justin still had to take care of her. She was young, and more importantly, she was Rachel’s sister. That being said, he never expected the phrase ‘suck it up’ to come from his own mouth—he used to be the first to make a commotion for not living luxuriously enough.
“When can we see my sister?”
“Probably tomorrow morning. It’s too late now. She should be staying nearby as well.”
“You ain’t lying at me, are you?” Regina looked alarmed when she heard his reply, as she felt that this might be his delay tactic. “If you dare to leave me alone, I will tell my sister.”
“No, I won’t.” It was rare for Justin, but he still assured her patiently and watched her go back to her room before he went back to his.
Although the motel was quite old, it was still considered clean and did not give off an odd smell. It had been a long journey. Justin merely took off his coat, lay in bed, and closed his eyes to rest. For a person who was usually obsessed with cleanliness all year round, he did not feel like cleaning himself up.
This was the only town at the foot of Somerset Mountain that could be reached directly by bus. Rachel did not drive here; she took a plane and a high-speed train, and both transportation methods required her to make transfers a few times to reach this town. It was also not easy to maneuver alone in the mountain area. After the fire that happened 27 years ago, the authorities relocated all residents to preserve the forest area, and the mountain had since been cordoned off. But no one would know the mountain better than Justin.
It was late at night.
Justin was not able to fall asleep, probably due to the uncomfortable mattress or the warm temperature in the room. He tossed and turned, and finally decided to switch on the light beside his bed and stayed awake the whole night. He was not aware that Rachel had checked into the motel across the street in the middle of the night.
“Thank you. I can do it myself.” Rachel thanked the proprietress who was eager to help her with her luggage. The proprietress was a woman in her forties. She had a friendly look and spoke with a local accent. “You’re welcome! You should be able to find everything in the room, but if you need anything else, feel free to look for me downstairs whenever.”
“Actually, I want to ask you something.”
“Sure.”
“Which path do you usually take to enter the mountain?”
“It would be the main entrance of the scenic spot. The ticket is only 40, which is very cheap. You can also take the shuttle buses; this mountain is quite big, so if you tourists don’t want to hike all the way up, you can take the bus. It is more relaxing.”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, how do the locals usually enter the mountain?”
The proprietress looked a bit staggered when Rachel asked that. She sized Rachel up and answered, “The locals don’t need to pay for a ticket to enter, but most of them will still enter using the main entrance of the scenic spot.”
“I see…”
“Hmm… It seems like you aren’t here as a tourist?”
“You’re right; I’m not a tourist. Many years ago, I lived on this mountain with my family when I was a child.”
Hearing this, the proprietress was startled. “Really?”
“Twenty-seven years ago, to be exact. I was born on this mountain. At that time, it was not yet a scenic spot but a wild forest area, and there were villages here.”
“I know this best. Our family used to live here too.” When the proprietress heard that Rachel was born and bred here, at once, she was a lot more cordial and her previous vigilance disappeared.
“So, are you here to pay homage to your elders?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, do you know the exact location? This place is huge.”
“I have a bit of a recollection, but I’m not so sure.” While Rachel remembered what it looked like 27 years ago, things were drastically different especially after the big fire. It was almost impossible to find her old address. But still, she came here because of her paranoia.
The proprietress then suggested, “How about this? I’ll guide you into the mountain tomorrow morning.”
“Really? In that case, I really can’t thank you enough!”
“You’re welcome. We’re considered fellow villagers, aren’t we? ”
After the proprietress left, Rachel closed the door and sat down on the side of the bed. The curtains were drawn, and the windows were half-open for ventilation. Through the glass windows, she could see the three-story buildings across the street, which were mostly motels and hostels. Behind those small buildings lay Somerset Mountain. Rachel could not help but think what would happen to her had Jefferey not been able to search for them. Perhaps she would be like the proprietress, owning a small business and living a peaceful life here.
