I said.

She sighed, but it didn't sound like a sigh of resignation. It sounded more like a sigh of longing. As if she'd miss something if she left the cottage. As if there were something in here that she wanted to keep, and leaving would jeopardize it.

"Okay," she said, her voice as soft as the dirt.

I left the cottage first, forging through its rectangular nothingness with enough force to prove to Lily that she didn't have to worry about me being a coward, but after my initial pursuit, she took the lead.

It was clear that she knew how to navigate the forest. It wasn't that she moved quickly, although I believed she could have moved even quicker if I wasn't with her. I...

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