Several curious heads had turned her way as she pedaled swiftly past them, leaving the little cottages and the hedgerows far behind her. But now it was just her and the woods again, and she was glad to be free of their prying eyes.

Never in her life had Rey seen so many trees. They stretched endlessly in every direction—maples, beeches, and aspens. Oaks, birches, and ashes. Their leaves were brilliantly red, orange, and golden, glistening in the sunlight that filtered through the labyrinth of limbs overhead. And as they fell, fluttering down around her, they scattered along the ground. The drier, older ones crunched beneath her tires, and she gripped the handlebars with white-knuckled hands.

This was her last lead, and she could only pray that the trail didn't end here. It couldn't. It wouldn't.

The path made a sudden shift to the right, and Rey turned with it. When she rounded the bend, she found the way blocked by a tall, dark figure. And there was no time to stop.

With a shrill, startled cry, she swerved left. Rey lost control of the bike, and it crashed onto its side. Her leg was pinned beneath it, her body skidding and scraping across the dirt. Somehow, she ended up flat on her stomach, limbs splayed. Groaning, Rey blinked and slowly lifted her head.

Her left leg ached and throbbed, and her skin felt like it was on fire. Still dazed, she reached back and tried to push the bike off of her. It was no use, and Rey heaved a frustrated sigh. But then the bike seemed to rise of its own accord, and her leg was freed.

"You should watch where you're going," said a deep, male voice.

Her eyes instantly narrowed, and she managed to prop herself up on her elbows, a twinge of pain in her ribs causing her to grimace. "I should—?"

Twisting onto her side, Rey glared up at the man who had caused her to wreck in the first place. He loomed over her like a shadow, one gloved hand holding her bike steady while the other extended down to her in an offer of assistance. His long face was impassive, and somehow, that made her even angrier.

Gritting her teeth, Rey ignored his gesture and pushed herself up onto her knees. As she did, her leg flared with pain, and she bit back a yelp. "Maybe you shouldn't stand in the middle of the road."

"I was walking home," he answered calmly. "Perhaps you failed to notice, but this path is open to the public."

Finally, she managed to climb to her feet, and a quick glance down informed her that both her sweater and her ripped jeans were caked with dirt. Dark strands hung loose around her face, having fallen from the messy bun her hair had been in since the night before. With as much pride and dignity as she could muster, Rey huffed and began dusting off her clothes.

"You're not from the village," he observed.

"Well-spotted," she muttered.

"What are you doing out here?"

Her eyes flashed to his. "None of your business."

"Hmph." His brown eyes glinted with amusement. "There's only one reason why anyone comes to Craiton. You're looking for Obsidian."

Rey's lips parted in surprise. If he already knew, then why did he bother to ask? Her gaze shifted to his long black coat and turtleneck, his dark pants and polished shoes. Swallowing, she cautiously met his eyes again.

"Do you work for them?"

A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "Maybe."

Rey sighed in frustration and crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, do you—or not? I was told that a man called Hux is usually in charge there, and I need to speak to him."

All traces of humor vanished from the stranger's eyes, and he scowled. "Hux won't meet with you unless you have an appointment, and the reason for it has to be approved by him."

"This is important!" she insisted. "There must be someone I can talk to. Who's in charge of scheduling his appointments?"

The man grimaced and glanced away, almost as if he were ashamed. "I am."

Hope swelled inside her, and she took a desperate step toward him, fighting to ignore the flash of pain that shot up her leg. "Please, will you tell him that I must meet with him?"

"Why?" he asked simply.

Rey hesitated, her breath hitching. Her heart started to pound. "I—I'm looking for two people. And I think they came to work for Obsidian several years ago."

He exhaled, shoving one hand into his coat pocket. "What are their names?"

"Bowman. Alex and Cathy Bowman."

The sound of her own parents' names emerging from her lips struck her as strange, and she wondered just how long it had been since she had last spoken them aloud.

The stranger nodded, his response showing no signs of recognition. "I'll mention it to Hux," he said, "but I can't make any guarantees."

"Please," she persisted. "Can't I just pay him a visit? If he has an office—it'll only take a minute—"

"Hux isn't there," he interrupted. "He went to a neighboring town for a conference meeting and won't be back until tomorrow."

Rey deflated, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "Oh."

A lengthy pause passed between them, during which she stared down at her dirt-smeared boots and nervously rubbed her arm.

"Can you ride?" he asked finally.

Wordlessly, she shook her head.

"Well, we should get going then."

Rey glanced up, her eyes darting to his as he turned and started to walk away with her bike. "Wait. I can take it."

He let go when she reached over and gripped the handlebars with both hands. The truth was that she needed something sturdy to lean on for support, and having the bike helped. Rey limped along beside him, the bike rolling between them as they made their way back to the village.

"I'll need a way to contact you once I have the information you're looking for," he said after another awkward stretch of silence. "A phone number or—"

"I don't have a phone."

His head sharply swiveled in her direction, but she refused to look at him, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

"Well, where are you staying then?"

"I—I don't know yet," she answered again, becoming flustered. "I'll figure something out."

He sighed. "You're not making this very easy for me."

Rey grimaced, trying to keep most of the pressure off of her left leg as she turned to look up at him. "You work at the mansion, right? So I can just come to you."

He buried both gloved hands in his coat pockets and gazed at the fiery canopy above them, saying nothing in reply. She decided to accept that as silent agreement.

"So," he asked after a moment, "do you have a name? Or is that a secret too?"

Meeting his eyes, she saw no threat within them. Instead, there was a flicker of humor. "I'm Rey," she replied, managing a small smile. "And you are?"

"Ben," he said, the corners of his mouth curving upwards ever so slightly.

Feeling a strange flutter inside her chest, she returned her gaze to the path in front of her. "Sorry I almost ran you over."

He shrugged. "I think you took the worst of it. When you can, you should let the village doctor look at your leg."

"It's fine," Rey responded dismissively, knowing that she had no money to pay for an examination anyway. "Just a little bruised is all."

"If you say so."

He didn't sound convinced, and she gritted her teeth as she fought to ignore the pain. Just a bit farther, she told herself. They were almost there.

Finally, they turned onto the narrow lane that led out of the woods. And as they came to the first cottage, located at the farthest fringes of the village, Rey spotted Rose and Paige farther up the street.

"Hey!" Rose called with an enthusiastic wave of her arm.

She tried to muster a smile as the two sisters came running toward her. Trudging a few steps further, she sighed wearily and then stopped.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked worriedly, her grin vanishing when she realized that something was wrong.

Paige was silent, however, and she was staring past Rey. Her gaze was distant and troubled.

"What happened?" Rose asked again.

Rey shook her head. "I crashed my bike. I'm fine though—really."

"Are you kidding? You're a mess! Come back with us to our place, and we'll help you get all cleaned up!"

"All—all right," she agreed.

As they started to lead her away, Rey hesitated and looked back, realizing that she had forgotten to say goodbye to Ben. But when she turned around, he was already gone.