CHAPTER NINE
Winter
Because we're too young to rent a car, and walking back to the inn and calling Nora would make her worry and demand we come home, Alec and I start walking to Ravenwood.
"Well, this is going well," he grumbles from behind me. "Day two, and we've wrecked the car."
"Yeah." I keep my head down as we continue walking. If I stare at the ground, I'll be able to ignore the stares of the people passing by, wondering why two teenagers are covered in mud and walking on foot.
"I wonder how far the next town is," he says.
It's hard to say. We haven't even passed any buildings yet. It's just been endless trees.
Endless trees and wasted time.
"Someone will give us a ride." I hold out my thumb to a passing car.
He sighs. "Winter, maybe we should just go back. Start over."
"No way." I shake my head. I'm not returning to Hawthorn. That would make me feel like a failure, and I'm not going back there without finding at least one of the missing people.