Chapter 3: Home sweet Haven

The warm air was actually bliss for Annie and she sat down outside Rena's house, taking deep breaths in through her nose. She was really going to miss New Zealand, especially having spent three weeks getting acquainted with it all again. The food, the air. The beautiful lakes. The people.

All her friends had banded around her when she was discharged. Giving mostly food-based gifts to 'get her strength back up' and spending time taking her out to the beach and new restaurants she hadn't visited.

All the time, Rena had been her shadow. In fact, it was her house she'd been staying in, recuperating. If she needed to be driven, Rena would take her. She had no qualms about stocking her kitchen with Annie's favourite food or taking her for check-ups. Annie supposed it was the 'mum mode' kicking in, after her own kids had grown-up and left.

Hell, Annie was sure Rena tucked her in at night when she'd fallen asleep. She didn't mind though. Rena had always been her friend and more of a mother figure than her own biological 'spawner.'

She heard the door hinges squeak behind her and a moment later, Rena came to sit down on the steps beside her.

"Saying goodbye to the best view in the world?" Rena held out a bottle of water which Annie took and chuckled, "I can always take a picture for you and send it, so you don't forget?"

"Oh, I'm never going to forget this," she looked around at the landscape, a hillside high up with the view of the lake below, "any of this. I'll appreciate the picture, but I already know I'll be back. This is…well, it's damn near close to home."

"Home is where the heart is?"

"Yeah. I think my heart could be happy here. I know my mind is. And my body. I'm going to miss this place. The daily swims, the great food…the amazing friends," she looked at Rena pointedly and her friend looped her arm around her, pulling her close.

"I'm going to miss you like crazy," she hugged her tightly, and Annie knew this moment would stay with her forever. It was not as painful for her as it should have been, but she was honest with Rena when she told her she'd come back.

"I'm already missing you, you're my family."

"Oh, don't start," Rena laughed and wiped at the corner of her eyes as tears spilled over, "my kids are grown-up, and all gone on with their lives. What am I going to do without you? Who am I going to drink with on Tuesdays and play stupid board games with?"

"Oh, well, I might have an answer to that," she moved back with a saucy grin, "Kingi wouldn't mind a board game with you? Actually, he'd like-"

"Stop it," a warning finger came up but there was no hardness in her eyes, "Annie, I know exactly what that boy wants and it's not board games."

"He's 27, hardly a boy!" She waggled her brows suggestively, "And I'm sure he'd love a board game! Strip monopoly?"

The tears fled as Rena's laughter took over and Annie soon joined her.

They laughed for a few minutes, swapping jokes and anecdotes about what Kingi would like to get up to, but eventually, Annie looked at her watch and shrugged.

"Time to start the long trek back."

She reached down for her 'backpackers' pack and stood up.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to the airport?" Rena helped her with the straps, making sure the bag was on and safe, "It's an hour out of my way and-"

"AND I'm fine, really. I've got to do this on my own and it's two buses. Besides, YOU'VE got to get down to the pub for your shift. I would love to spend more time with you but honestly, we know we'll both be snotty wet messes if you take me to the airport. And I don't really fancy doing my make-up again."

"This is true, you take absolutely forever doing your eyeliner."

"Listen, it's really hard to do a decent cat-eye, I told you this before I went into the coma."

Rena's hands came up in surrender and she nodded.

"You win. For your next birthday, I'm buying you that stencil."

"Woohoo," Annie huffed and held open her arms, "one last hug?"

"The biggest."

Both women held one another as tightly as they could, what with Annie's massive backpack in the way. When they let go, Annie turned and made her way towards the open path that would lead downhill, to the long road.

"Annie."

She turned back one last time and Rena blew her a kiss.

"Kia Ora, babes."

"Kia Ora," Annie returned the gesture with her own and turned back, finally allowing her own tears to spill now Rena couldn't see her face.

When she was on the path, she let out a sob and when she on the road, she let herself be as vocal as she wanted, hang her make-up.

A warm breeze blew and helped dry her tears and the day called to her, urging her onward.

"I've got this," she took deep breaths as she marched on, her confidence growing the more she went. But of course, once the hill levelled out and she was on the quiet road that led to town, her frustration kicked in. The walk she could handle. The bus wouldn't be so bad. But the airport. The waiting. Buying a ticket. Security…all those lines of people.

THAT was her idea of hell.

"I wish I could just skip all the fuss and nonsense and be home already."

The same strange sensation fell over Annie once she spoke those words. The same that befell her in the hospital.

She stumbled, afraid that she might have another seizure, but instead of falling, she merely continued walking. And one step later…she was no longer on the same road as before. The image of the New Zealand she knew shimmered before her and transformed into a completely different place.

Even the smell was different!

She looked behind her, not seeing the thick country road, with mountains and hills. Instead, all she could see was one small road and trees. Lots of tress. In fact, it took her a while before she remembered where she'd seen those trees before.

"What the fuck?!" She looked toward a sign and sure enough, the lettering confirmed it for her, "I'm in Maine?!"

Specifically, the sign told her that Haven was only two miles away.

She was absolutely baffled. The power of transportation as well?! It had felt like she had walked through a wind tunnel and came out the other side into a much colder climate.

"Ok, so that's…four troubles…goody. Well…at least I saved on a plane ticket," she held onto the straps of her pack and began to walk, vouching instead to look at things positively. She'd find someone and hopefully get some answers.

But first things first…she needed her jacket on.

"Jesus Christ, hang on," she made sure to keep to the side of the road and hurriedly took off her back. She rummaged around and quickly found her thick jacket, pulling it on and buttoning it all the way up.

"Fuck, I forgot how much colder Haven is," she also found her hat and pulled it on.

She righted her pack, throwing it back on and sped-walk her way throw town, trying to get her body temperature back up.

"The quicker you're there, the quicker you'll get answers. And hopefully, fight off the chance of frostbite."