Sophie sat on the blue, vinyl bus seat and tried to limit how many times she fidgeted. There was only one other person on the bus, but she swore the driver looked at her with contempt every time she pried her thighs from the seat. She had already maxed out the amount of calm she got from rubbing the ridges in her jeans. She was wearing a crop top, so playing with the hem of her shirt was also not an option. She settled for picking at her already-sore cuticles instead. Normally, she’d fidget with her hair, but she’d pulled it back to keep it out of the way while she had packed.

Sophie took a deep breath and tried to focus on the trees. Her focus held for about six seconds. She could feel someone staring at her, but when she turned her head back, the only other passenger, a very skinny, short man, was still sound asleep. The skin on the back of her neck tingled with embarrassment as her cheeks flooded with blush, and she turned her face back to the window.

It’s a strange feeling to be hyperaware of everything around you when you can’t process any of it. Sophie could feel every bump in the road, her sore fingers, the small spot of sweat spreading across her lower back, but she barely registered any of them as her mind reeled from the events of the past 24 hours.

The night before was the worst it had ever been. Daniel had come home particularly late, but he was surprisingly sober. Sophie had learned better than to ask where he’d been. She told him there was lasagna in the microwave if he got hungry and that she was going to bed. Daniel entered the bedroom and scolded her for not caring why he was late or calling to make sure he was okay.

“You’ve asked me not to do that. I was respecting your wishes.”

“I know what I want, Sophia. You don’t get to tell me what I want.”

“That’s not what I meant to do.” I know where this is going, she thought. Sophie pulled her hair back as quickly as she could and removed her glasses. She couldn’t afford another pair, and he’d stopped replacing all of the ones he broke.

“I don’t care what you meant to do. You’ve been a selfish little bitch lately.” The first punch was to the right side of her ribcage, and she immediately crumpled to the floor. In all honesty, it wasn’t that hard of a punch. It barely took her breath away. But he didn’t go as long if she didn’t fight back.

“I’m sorry…” she groaned.

“For what? What the hell are you sorry for?” He kicked her in the shoulder, and she felt it pop. Sophie yelped and laid down.

“I’m sorry… for not calling… and not asking.”

Daniel spit on her. “You’re pathetic. I’m taking a shower. You can sleep on the couch.”

As soon as Daniel left and Sophie heard the shower running, she staggered to the guest bathroom.

Here we go again. Sophie grabbed a hand towel and bit down on it. Then she grabbed her shoulder, braced herself, counted to three, and shoved it back into its socket. The towel muffled her scream, and she was sure Daniel wouldn’t hear it over the shower. She returned to the guest bedroom to check, one last time, that everything was where it should be. She opened the lock box in the back of the largest drawer in the vanity. The plane ticket, the bus ticket, the cash, her driver’s license, and the deed to her new home were all there. She replaced all the contents, carefully, and returned to the living room. Daniel was standing in the corner.

“What were you doing in there?”

“I wanted to brush my teeth without bothering you.” Sophie moved to sit down on the couch.

“You’re such an ignorant slut.” Sophie could feel her heart beat in her throat as he moved to stand behind her. He grabbed her ponytail, and snatched her head to the side so she could see him. “You don’t know what bothers me. You don’t know anything. Because you’re a fucking imbecile.” He let go of her hair, slid his hands under her arms, and pulled her over the back of the couch.

Rag doll time, Sophie thought as she let all her limbs go limp. She hit the floor and didn’t move. That normally worked, but he was insatiable. Daniel kicked over and over until Sophie finally cried out and tears started pouring. He bent down to her, picked her head up by her hair, and slid his tongue in her mouth. She resisted the urge to bite it off.

“Tomorrow, you’re going to be good. I’ll work as late as I fucking want, and when I get home, you’re going to make sure I’m the happiest man on the planet. Sex, then dinner, then more sex. Whether you like it or not. Got it?” Sophie nodded, and he bit her lip before kissing her again. “Out loud.”

“Y-yes. Everything will be perfect.”

“Good. Now go to sleep. You clearly need the beauty rest.” He dropped her head, and she let it hit the floor. Her vision was fuzzy with black dots interfering with the bulk of it, but she tried her hardest to focus on the back of the couch. She counted stitches in the seams until her breathing calmed, and she stayed behind the couch until she heard Daniel snoring in the other room.

The next morning, she pretended to be asleep on the couch as Daniel moved around the house. As soon as she heard the front door slam shut—of course he didn’t lock it for her, why would he want her to be safe?—she got up and gathered her things.

Sophie left her boyfriend’s house as soon as his car was out of sight. That was four hours prior. A delay at the airport had put her half an hour behind schedule, which meant another four and a half hours until he got home and realized she was gone. Maybe five or six if he had to “work” late again, which he said he might. Sophie had known about his affair for a while, but that was the least of her concerns.

As she rode, Sophie noticed how the trees changed. The further she got from the bus station, the bigger the trees got. By that point, they were monsters. They towered over everything and were sturdier than most cars, she thought. The leaves on all the deciduous trees were just starting to change and provided an almost tie-dyed look from all the mixed greens and oranges. The pines stood tall and full as ever.

It wasn’t long before she started wondering how she could be more like a tree when she felt like a dandelion.

Sophie was grateful for her stuck thighs when the bus suddenly slammed on its brakes. As another man boarded, she heard the driver say, “I’m sorry sir. I didn’t think I’d have to stop this far out.”

Sophie held her breath until the man appeared and she heard his voice. She did her best to calm her heart and slow her breathing. It’s not Daniel, it’s not Daniel, it’s not Daniel.

Sophie knew it was impossible, but she was also thoroughly convinced that the other people on the bus with her knew her story. They knew every intimate detail about her relationship with Daniel, and they were judging her for it. She could feel their thoughts. They bombarded her. Every terrible thing she’d thought about herself, from You’re stupid not to have left years ago to You’re an idiot for leaving, no one else will ever love you. All her worst thoughts were in the forefront of these strangers’ minds, and they were being reflected back at her a million times. It felt a bit like the world’s worst fun house.

The driver interrupted her thoughts when he picked up his microphone and announced, “15 minutes to downtown Greensboro, 30 to Siloam.”

* * *

Columbus, Ohio was gorgeous, and Sophie was in love with the city when she and Daniel had first moved there. But the longer they’d stayed, the more tarnished the city was for her. She wasn’t allowed to go to her favorite coffee shop because she’d made the mistake of trying to share it with Daniel who found the barista was “too friendly” with her. Sophie muttered “someone should be,” and it resulted in her first fractured wrist. All her favorite memories and places were now tainted with bruises, bloody lips, and broken bones.

Siloam wasn’t like that. Everything was pure and natural and new, despite all the buildings being ancient. There was nothing here to put her on edge. Nothing to make her curl up into a ball. Nothing to send her immediately into defensive positions. She could just be.

Unsurprisingly, Sophie was the only one who stepped off the bus in Siloam. The last man to board the bus eyed her, a bit too much for her liking, as she exited. She had a backpack on her left side and was rolling her suitcase with her right. The bus had dropped her off downtown in front of the post office, and a young man in a camo baseball cap was there to greet her.

“Are you miss Sophia?” Something about the southern accent gave Sophie an immediate sense of comfort, though she couldn’t decide if it was because of the accent itself or just the fact that it was so incredibly different than Daniel’s.

“You can call me Sophie.” Her smile was a nervous one, but she thought she made it natural.

“Well, miss Sophie, no need to be nervous.” Apparently not. “I’m just here to show you around town, how to get to your house, and see if you got any questions. Sound alright?”

“Yes, that sounds wonderful.”

His smile was crooked, but natural and friendly. “Great. My name is Mason. I live just about ten minutes north of town. This here is the post office, but I figure you got that. I’ll take your bags and show you the rest of town.”

“Seems like we can see it all from here.”

Mason let out a low, throaty chuckle. “Yes ma’am, you can, but it’s hard to meet people from here. Unless you want me shoutin’ across town.”

Sophie felt the blood rush to her face. “We better get a move on then, Mason.” She handed him her suitcase but held on firmly to her backpack. They started walking, and Mason pointed out what each place was, who owned it, who worked there the most, and what she should go there for.

“I feel like I should be taking notes.”

Mason let out a full belly laugh. “There’s not enough land here to warrant that. Most people blink as they’re driving through here and miss the whole damn town. Pardon my French, miss. You’ll get the hang of it all soon enough.”

“Is there somewhere I can get a good cup of coffee?”

“Of course, ma’am. You can stop in there, at Diesel Dunkin. Miss Jasmine, we call her Jazzy, owns the place and is there most hours of the day. A few of the local kids work there part time, too, but it’s mostly Jazzy, ‘specially during school. You need a kick?”

“Yes, please, that would be great.”

Sophie looked at the road for a space to cross. “There’s no cross walk.”

Another chuckle and a friendly smile. “No ma’am, we can just walk across.” He offered her his elbow.

Sophie linked her arm through his. “No tickets for jaywalking?”

“They can’t ticket you for not walking in the cross walk if there is no cross walk. Plus, we’re not a big enough town to have our own police. If there’s an emergency, dispatch will either send county or some of the officers from Greensboro.” After they were crossed, Mason spun her to face the side they just came from. “Down that road, there’s a Dollar General and a fire station, and if you keep going, there’s a gas station off the highway, but not much else that direction.” Mason turned back to the coffee shop. “Let’s get you some caffeine and talk to Jazzy. I have to warn you, Jazzy is kind of bossy, but she’s the most gorgeous woman in town. No offense, ma’am.”

Sophie smiled, genuinely, for the first time since she arrived. “None taken. Do you think you have a shot?”

“I sure as hell hope so.” He opened the door for her, and they stepped inside.

Diesel Dunkin was tiny. They had one table with two cafe-style chairs on either side of it, and two loungers in another corner. The only other things in the room were the bar and a woman behind the register.

“Good afternoon, Jazzy. This is Sophie, our newest neighbor.”

“Hi there!” Mason was right, Jazzy was breathtaking in a way Sophie couldn’t quite describe. Sophie was 5’2”, so she guessed Jazzy must be 5’5” or so. When you’re short, the heights above you tend to blend together. Jazzy had a thick build, and she carried it so well it was intimidating. Her black curls were currently pulled back into two buns on either side of her head, and she was wearing purple, metal frame glasses that perfectly set off the deep green of her eyes. Her shirt was a lilac color that popped nicely against her sepia skin and matched her glasses.

Jazzy continued talking to Sophie from behind the register. “Welcome in! I’m a little ashamed to admit that you’re my first customer of the day.”

Mason reached across the counter and flicked one of her buns. “You’re always slow on Fridays, Jazz. And the Deep Roots Festival just started. Almost half the town is gone.”

Jazzy let out a deep sigh and ranted about Siloam being seriously lacking in two areas: fair food and good music. As she and Mason went back and forth about what was “good,” Sophie watched Jazz moving around the coffee shop. She seemed to be making something, but Sophie didn’t know what since she hadn’t ordered yet. Sophie continued watching and was startled when Jazzy handed her and Mason cups of coffee.

Before Sophie could ask, Jazz offered an explanation. “I’m pretty good at this. Mason gets a large dark roast with two cream, no sugar, though I don’t count that as a win since he’s my husband. You look like a macchiato kind of girl, and it’s fall, so I gave you a cinnamon apple spice macchiato with an extra shot of espresso.”

Sophie took the drink with a smile. “This was my regular drink back in Ohio, Fall or not.” After taking a sip, Sophie followed up with “And this is the best one by far. How much?”

As Sophie was reaching into her bag, Jazzy reassured her that she didn’t need to pay. “Consider it a welcome gift, although I will definitely be by later this week with a basket of muffins. I don’t want to bombard you on your first day in town.”

“That’s really sweet, but you don’t have to—”

“Nonsense. Better get used to living in the south, sugar. We’ll rot your teeth.”

Sophie nodded and smiled a full genuine smile that made her cheeks hurt. “Thanks, Jazzy.”

“You’re welcome, darlin'. Get her home, Mason, before you forget where it is.”

Mason chuckled, kissed his wife, and then said, “Yes, ma’am.”

Mason assured Sophie that the walk to her house was a short one, no more than half of a mile. On the way, they passed three houses and a small, fenced area with about a dozen goats. One of the houses had a truck for sale in the front yard.

“Who lives there?”

“That’s the Garrett house. Ron and Diane live there with their kids and their grandkids. Diane don’t drive much anymore, so I guess they’re selling her truck.”

“Is it a good truck?”

“Oh, Lord yeah. It’s a ‘99 S10, and I believe they just rebuilt the transmission and did an engine swap a couple of years ago.”

“That’s a Chevrolet, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. It was a manual, but I believe they replaced it with an automatic transmission ten or so years ago, when Diane’s arthritis started flaring up real bad.”

“It could use a fresh coat of paint.”

“Couldn’t we all,” Mason replied with a grin.

* * *

Once it was in view, Sophie found herself becoming more and more enamored with her house with each step she took. All the muscles in her legs were begging her to let them go, sprint towards her new home. Mustering all the self-control she had, she kept pace with Mason and continued the small talk.

Sophie’s new home was small, without question, but it had all the room she needed. It was a two bedroom, two bath, red brick home. It had shutters that used to be white, but they had become green with algae and moss. A narrow staircase led up to the front porch and had two foot long flower beds on either side of it. All these things had obviously been neglected, but Sophie didn’t mind putting in the work. Her yard was a bit small as well, but it was large enough to hold two full-grown trees. One was short and wide with branches that seemed to be never ending. The other was much taller, but the branches seemed to be just as wide. Both trees had orange leaves, but the short tree’s leaves were a bright orange. The taller tree’s leaves were more of a muted, ochre color.

“You still with me?” Mason asked with a grin.

Sophie realized she hadn’t heard a word Mason was saying, and they were now standing in between the trees in front of her porch steps.

“I’m so sorry. I was admiring the trees and wondering what they were.”

“No worries, ma’am. I was just saying that if you need anything, we put a phone book on your kitchen counter. Everyone in the town is in there. There’s a notepad next to it that Jazzy wrote on for you. She put people’s names and what they may be able to help you with, in case you’re unsure.

“Regarding the trees, the one on the left, the short one there, is a peach tree, and the other is a laurel oak.” Mason looks around briefly before continuing. “I hate to say that the previous owners didn’t keep the land up. The Jones family held this land for a hundred or so years, but the last couple of them… their son died real young, and they didn’t have any more kids after him, so their land went to the town when they died. A couple from New Jersey, real weirdos, bought it and lived here for… gosh, I don’t even think it was a whole year. But in that time, they managed to kill every plant and blade of grass that used to be here. Everything except them trees, anyway. They left town a couple of years ago. They rented the house to tourists and whatnot for a little while, but eventually realized that we don’t get that many tourists, so they finally sold it.”

Sophie was reeling from all the town lore Mason had thrown at her in the past hour. “How long have you lived here, Mason?”

“All my life. I went on vacation to Tennessee with my family when I was nineteen, and that’s where I met Jazzy. She came down for a visit three months later, but she never left.” His voice had a smile in it that Sophie thought only happened in movies or the best romance novels. “Her parents came down about six months after she did to bring all of her stuff, and then they ended buying a house down here, too. They waited until their third visit to commit, though.”

Sophie laughed. “Well, at least I’m not alone. I’m already in love with this place.”

Mason handed Sophie the keys and left her to settle into her new home.

Once inside, Sophie could see that no one cared about the inside of the house either. In the living room, a futon sat on the right side of the wall across from an entertainment center that, Sophie guessed, used to hold a TV. Beer cans, liquor bottles, and disposable vapes littered the floor.

Straight through the living room was the kitchen which housed a fridge, stove, and not much else, although Sophie was thankful for that. Throwing out food that had been left in an empty house for years was not something she was looking forward to doing. The trashcan in the kitchen was cracked and broken, but Sophie found a half full box of trash bags under the counter. She opened a bag and began picking up the trash from the living room. Once it was clear, she moved down the hall to the left of the living room. One bedroom was empty and looked as if it hadn’t been lived in for years. She went through it to the bathroom, which was also free of anything except a thick layer of dust.

Sophie retraced her steps through the living room down the hallway to the right. At the end of the hallway was a door that led to the laundry room; on the right was the other bedroom. A full size mattress on the floor and a cardboard box were the bedroom’s only contents. Sophie flipped the mattress and sprayed it down with a mostly empty can of Lysol she found in the adjoining bathroom. The cardboard box, she was pleasantly surprised to find, only held a few candles and a box of RID. Although her scalp immediately started itching, Sophie knew that lice couldn’t live for years in an empty house and did her best to put the thoughts out of her head.

Sophie returned to the living room to unpack. Her suitcase contained her favorite clothes, although she couldn’t fit more than just half a dozen outfits and two pairs of shoes in it. In the pockets of the suitcase, she put her toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and a handful of menstrual discs. She put most of clothes into the drawers of the entertainment center and left her pajamas on top of it. She decided to claim the bedroom to the left and put her bathroom items in there. In her backpack, she had a mattress protector, a fitted sheet, a throw blanket, and her phone and charger. Sophie drug the mattress from the other bedroom to hers, sprayed the other side with what was left of the Lysol, and made her bed.

Sophie sat on her bed and pulled out her phone. No missed calls, and no texts, though that wasn’t surprising. The only person who had the number to this phone was her real estate agent, and the number was registered under Sophie Turner. Sophia Blake was a name she would never use again.

When Sophie finally made the decision to leave, one of the first things she did was change her last name to her mother’s maiden name and her first name to her nickname. Any investigator with a brain would think to search for “Sophie Blake,” but they’d have to do extra digging to figure out her new last name. Jake had never heard her mother’s maiden name, and neither of her parents could tell him (unless he used a ouija board). Legally changing her name had just been a matter of paying the filing fee for the form.

As Sophie sat and did sudoku puzzles on her phone, she felt the exhaustion settle in. She’d barely slept the night before, and anyone can tell how much travel will wear a person out. She could justify an early evening bedtime, but this early in the afternoon just seemed wrong. Sophie desperately wanted to sleep, but she decided to check out the yard instead.

The trees were magnificent, and Sophie couldn’t wait until she could watch them bloom in the spring. Both were sturdy and strong, and best she could tell, they seemed to be about the same age. The rest of the yard was sad. It was easy to tell where there had previously been many plants the owners were proud of. The flower beds on either side of the porch still had remnants of mulch and were encircled with beautiful brick walls. Best she could tell, flowers used to line the driveway and walking path as well. Sophie wandered through the yard pulling weeds everywhere she planned to plant new foliage. The grass was overgrown in spots and the yard was barren in others. With winter coming, she didn’t want to focus on the grass just yet.

A couple of hours later, Sophie was thoroughly exhausted, but there was more work to be done. While pulling weeds, she decided a trip to town for groceries and saplings would be the best use of her time tomorrow. She pulled out her phone and started searching for quick, simple recipes that didn’t require a lot of kitchen equipment. After finding and saving a few, she added all the necessary ingredients she’d need for that week’s dinners to her shopping list. Sophie despised digital grocery lists, so she also added notepads and pens to the list. When dusk started to roll in, Sophie checked all the locks on the doors and windows. Three times. Then, she changed into her pajamas, put her clothes for the next day on top of the entertainment center, brushed her teeth, and made her way to her new bedroom. She was asleep seconds after her eyes closed.