Welcome to California.

The blue sign comes into view in the distance, and I sit up straight in my seat and roll down my window. We left the beach house before dawn, and the first rays of sunlight are now lighting up the sign ahead. God, I wish I had my phone... I want a picture of this. How many years of my life have I spent dreaming of leaving Oregon, even just to visit one of our neighboring states?

More signs warn us we can't take fresh produce over the border, and that our car will be inspected. But no one appears to be manning the border today. We drive right past the Welcome sign and don't stop. No other cars stop either.

The Redwoods are close.

The voice whispers in my ear, and I try to ignore the thought. I don't want to get my hopes up. But... maybe I'll get to see them from afar. If we stick to the coast for a while, I'm bound to see some, aren't I? They're here, in Northern California.

I shiver as cool dawn air rushes into my window and the Tesla switches lanes by itself. I'll never get used to this robot car.

Chloe's in the front seat, studying something on a tablet in her lap, and Ethan's doing the same. They were both chilly this morning and very clear that they didn't want to talk or answer any more questions. So it's been a boring drive in the dark for me.

I don't know how they're not nauseous, staring down at screens the whole drive. I would be. I am, actually. My mouth's suddenly dry too, so I grab a water bottle from my backpack. There are a few snacks in there, trail mix and the apparently forbidden-by-California apples Chloe gave me before we left the house.

I grab a handful of trail mix to chomp down. Trail mix should have chocolate in it, shouldn't it? It's impossible to calm yourself with food if there's no chocolate. And that's certainly what I'm trying to do right now. Calm myself. 'Cause I'm a total mess inside, and there's a tornado of anticipation messing me all up. Or maybe it's all the fiber I ate last night at dinner.

I shove another handful of nuts, seeds, and raisins in my mouth. I really embarrassed myself. Ugh.

I can't believe I tried to run away. Then lied about it. And now Ethan and Chloe probably think I'm a crybaby too, because my eyes watered. But the pain was crazy! Their eyes would have watered...

I shovel another handful of disappointment into my mouth. I have a feeling I'm gonna be eating a lot of this chipmunk chow from here on out. I gnaw on the apple for a while instead, but... it's no chocolate. And it's doing nothing to soothe my nerves.

I glance at Chloe and Ethan again, wishing they'd talk to me and distract me or something, but they're still engrossed in their tablets.

Chloe looks exactly like she did when I first saw her in that cave, her light red hair up in a sleek ponytail. She's wearing the silver blouse, navy skirt and coat, and silver shoes that make her look like she belongs in this robot car. I'm not sure how Ethan lucked out with his much less silvery look. He just looks like a banker with a penchant for navy and gray.

A sign appears just ahead.

Crescent City.

We're in Crescent City! I lean forward in my seat eagerly.

Chloe and Ethan are still paying hardly any attention at all. The ocean is to our right, and there are houses and trees to our left.

I squint as another sign appears ahead.

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Ahh!

My pulse is racing, and sweat pops up on my brow as I unbuckle myself and slide over to the other side of the SUV. I buckle in over there and roll the window all the way down.

Can I see them yet? Are those Redwoods to the left of us?

"Lyric, what on Earth are you doing back there?" Chloe turns around, raising her perfectly plucked brow at me.

My face grows hot.

"Uh—I'm just wondering where exactly the school is. When will we get there?"

Chloe looks around like she's just noticing where we are. "Ah. Very soon." She drops her tablet into the bag at her feet, and Ethan does the same.

The sign ahead is giving directions on how to get to the state park, and if we were going to go that way, we'd have to make a left ahead.

I don't even breathe as we approach the stoplight.

Please make a left. Please make a left.

We pull into the left-hand turning lane.

Oh my God. I think I'm gonna see the real Redwoods! But, but, but... are we gonna drive right through? Or will I get to stop and touch one?

"Lyric..." Chloe's studying me intently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I croak out.

Yeah, I'm fangirling over trees. What's it to ya?

I wipe a hand down my damp face nervously as we make the left-hand turn.

My heart's hammering so hard in my chest that I no longer care where we're headed.

The Redwoods appear almost immediately.

I stick my head out the window, energy and awe thrumming through my veins. My jaw has dropped, wide open and welcoming all passing bugs, but I don't even care.

These trees are enormous!

They tower above us, impossibly high, crowding out the light. I've never seen a tree so big in my entire life!

Wow.

My whole body buzzes with the excitement of it, the sheer elation of finally being here.

The cars ahead of us look comically small as they drive past the trees lining the road. This is amazing.

No Walter Mittying could have prepared me for this moment. What words could even do these trees justice? They are... epic. We're passing huge reddish-brown trunks that are the size of at least twenty of the younger Redwoods back in Port Ashford. Their heavy branches extend hundreds of feet into the air, so high I can't even see a whole tree at once.

Dinosaurs roamed among these trees... and they're the proper scale for enormous land beasts. But not for a world populated by humans.

These are old-growth trees. I just know it. They have to be. These are the ancient ones, the thousand-year-old trees I've always wanted to see. They, and their ancestors, have probably been in California for millions of years.

What do they remember?

How many times did I dream of being here? I would have laughed if you told me two days ago that I'd be here so soon.

And on my way to magick college.

I choke back a giggle, and then I can't help myself. I grip the edge of the window and lean out farther, trying to catch the scent of them.

I'm immediately high off the sweet-citrusy-fir-needle aroma, and I can't keep the grin off my face. It smells just like the Redwood forest at home after it rains, only the smell is even stronger here.

As we speed by the trees, they begin to thin out a bit, replaced by cabin-like homes. Behind the houses, I glimpse a river winding lazily through the forest.

Ah! I can not believe I'm really here!

"Lyric?" Chloe asks.

I'm forced to sit back in my seat, but I can't keep the stupid smile off my face. And why would I want to? I just want to get out of this car and hug a tree.

Chloe's looking at me quizzically. Guess I'm being weird.

So what? We're all weird, then. She and Ethan don't get to have a monopoly on being weird.

"These Redwood trees are amazing," I gush.

"Ah, yes." She looks disinterested. "We were surprised to see those Redwoods up at Port Ashford... It's unusual to see them so far north."

"Yeah, but they were just babies." I say. "These are old-growth, aren't they?"

Chloe nods. "Yes. These are old-growth." She waves toward the window dismissively, which kind of offends me.

"So... is the school anywhere near these?"

Please please please say it is.

Chloe turns back around in her seat. "You'll see soon enough."

I let out a breath and stick my head out the window again, not caring if I'm acting like a dog. I'm buzzing, buzzing, buzzing with the energy of these trees. Or with the magick of them? I try to feel them somehow from my seat in the car, but... it's impossible. I need to touch one.

My elation sticks with me for the next ten minutes as we drive down the windy forest road. We pass the sign for Jedediah Redwoods State Park, which sends another wave of excitement through me, but we don't stop. Instead, we keep going until we reach an old metal bridge. It's one-way only, and we have to wait a few minutes until it's our turn to cross.

I lean out my window and catch sight of a wild turquoise river winding far below us.

Wow!

I can't stop smiling, and I'm wringing my hands in my lap so much they've turned sweaty. I wipe them down my jeans and take a deep breath.

Gross, Lyric. Calm down.

But I can't!

As we continue down the road, the woods to either side of us grow more and more dense, until we rarely see a house.

But I'm also noticing that the Redwoods on either side of the road are starting to look smaller. Then suddenly, there seem to be none left at all, and they've been replaced by other kinds of fir trees.

My smile fades to nothing, and disappointment churns in my stomach.

We must be getting too far from the coast.

A tiny store appears on our left, some kind of gas-station-slash-farm-store-slash-grocery-slash-bar-slash-laundromat-slash-post-office. Whew. These people are even more efficient with their buildings than we were in Port Ashford.

Beside the gas pumps, there's an enormous slab of wood on display with a sign and a giant rusted saw beside it. It's a Redwood.

My stomach turns. Being as obsessed with trees as I am, I've done a fair amount of googling. I know that, once upon a time, there were over two hundred million acres of old-growth Redwood trees. Damn loggers chopped them all down over a hundred years ago.

How could they? How could they see what they are and do anything other than respect them and treat them with the reverence they so clearly deserve? A little flash of anger makes my cheeks go hot as we pass the murdered tree.

Now all that's left is less than five percent of the original old-growth, a fact which makes me feel, well, in this moment?

Grief.

I'm not sure what else to call the sick black pit in my stomach at the sight of that dead piece of Redwood tree that they're so proudly displaying.

The sudden change from the majestic towering ancient trees to these sad little fir tree children here... It sucks. I wish I had gotten a chance to get out and touch one of the Redwoods before we passed them by.

My eyes are burning as I sit back in my seat and try to focus on where we're going. The Tesla slows down, and Ethan surprises me by taking the wheel and turning right, onto a near-hidden dirt road.

The narrow road curves steeply downhill, and the car starts to jerk back and forth as we descend. The path's covered in big rocks and potholes.

Chloe tsks. "They need to fix this road."

"Preachin' to the choir." Ethan grunts as we hit another pothole.

We come to a stop at the bottom of the hill, and Ethan and Chloe hop out without a word to me.

I lean forward to look through the windshield, and my palms are suddenly sweaty again. This looks very...

Sketch.

We're surrounded by dense forest on this sketchy dirt road, and right in front of us is a rusted gate with barbed wire on top. A huge "No Trespassing" sign is bolted to the front of it, and it's chained shut.

My heart starts pounding harder, and my mouth goes dry as I try to see where the tall, rusted fencing leads. It disappears into the forest on either side of the gate.

Dread burns a hole in my gut, and I get that wanna-run-away feeling again.

This is so not legit. Whatsoever.

This is the opening scene to a horror movie where the girl gets kidnapped and tortured to death deep in the woods.

Or sold into slavery.

Like on a weed farm somewhere.

Don't they grow lots of weed in Humboldt county?

It's legal in Oregon and California, of course, but what if...

What if?

Gah! My brain needs to stop already.

"Ev-ery-thing is gon-na be oh-kaaaaay," I sing to myself.

Chloe and Ethan are waving their wands at the gate now.

They twirl them in an intricate pattern while moving their free hands. I squint, trying to see what they're doing. Did the air just... shimmer?

A high-pitched sound hits my ears, then fades. Chloe "bound" my magick yesterday, but apparently I can still perceive it.

I sink back in my seat as they return to the car. The gate's still locked up tight.

The second they're both in their seats, Ethan hits the gas, hard, both hands on the steering wheel. We careen forward, heading straight for the gate.

An alert goes off in the Tesla.

"No!" I throw my hands over my face as we crash into the gate.