It's a little past ten in the evening when I land in Connecticut. Upon stepping into the terminal, I immediately throw on my pitch black sunglasses and tuck my hair into my hood, which earns me some strange glances. But nobody stops and asks for a photo or crowds around me, which is my exact goal. I need to find Jules' house and I can't have anything slowing me down.
After an airport cab drops me off in Adamsville, it occurs to me that I still don't know where she lives. My decision to come here had been a bit rash to say the least. I had tried getting her address from Effy but of course, received a door in my face again.
I just want to get as close to finding her as possible. I would figure out the rest along the way.
I can see what Jules meant when she told me about her hometown. Adamsville is indeed small and sleepy. Actually, it sort of feels like I've stepped into a different time period. Every car I've passed has not been from this decade, buildings are scarce and the ones I do see are made of decaying brick, like the kind you'd see in those black and white films. Still, this town has a sort of charm to it.
I aimlessly wander along the snow-covered road until I see a lone shop with its lights still on. Inside the cramped space, a middle-aged woman behind the counter peers up at me from beneath her thick glasses.
"Hi, sweetie, I was just about to close up. How can I help ya?" she asks.
"I was wondering if you know where I can find a, erm... Coke can fort?" I tentatively say.
"You mean Davey's Fort? That's on the other side of town," she answers. "Take Timber Road all the way over the bridge and make a left on New Haven Lane. It'll be the middle house inside the court."
"Thank you," I say, and before turning around, I add, "Do you happen to sell any maps?"
She studies me with curious eyes.
"Your accent... where're you from?" she asks.
"England," I answer.
She laughs. "This is New England, dear."
"No, I mean, the country of England."
She stares at me blankly.
"United Kingdom. Great Britain. Kate Middleton?"
"Oh!" Instantly, her face lights up as if she's just heard the most exciting news of her life. "And you came all this way to see old Davey's Fort?"
"Yeah," I say, chuckling. It's not a complete lie. I was curious about this fort when Jules first told me about it.
"Hm! How about that?" she says, and grins to herself. "And everyone tells me Adamsville never gets any tourists."
She opens a drawer under the counter and fishes out a spiral of keys. "Come with me, sweetie, I'll take ya."
"It's alright, you really don't have to," I say.
"Nonsense!" she objects, swatting her hand in the air. "Us small-town folk treat everyone like family. Now let's go."
She bundles up in her coat and locks the shop behind her. We then board a rusting sky blue truck sitting behind the small building and take off down the road. Several times I try to make small talk but the loud, rumbling engine keeps it limited. I suppose it's not too bad because it gives me a chance to be alone with my thoughts.
When I peer out my side window, I see nothing but black, not even a sign of light aside from the faint headlights piercing through the fog ahead. The last street lamp I saw was outside the woman's shop, which would explain the tremendous amount of stars visible in the sky. My mind drifts as I stare at the galaxies above, and that leads me to remember about the Andromeda Galaxy. What an appropriate name for a girl who shines with the light of a trillion stars.
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Fanfiction"Hold on a second," Harry says, suddenly coming to a halt. I stop with him and glance down. Somehow his hand has found its way into mine. "What? What's wrong?" I ask, shivering. "How disgustingly cliche would it be if we kissed in the rain right now...
