They let her off in Great Rollright. After wandering around the village and grabbing a bite to eat in a cute café with chintz dishes and window boxes full of flowers, Chloe found a place renting bicycles. They had a map that would guide her to the stones.

“If we’re closed when you return, just lock up the bike,” the owner, Ian, said. Then he tried to waggle his brows but only ended up looking like something had startled him. “Don’t linger after dark. Wouldn’t want you to disappear with the stones.”

“Thanks, and ha ha. I’m sure it’s fun to scare the tourists.” It was only a couple of miles to the stone circle. The bike was red with a cute wicker basket on the front and a rack on the back. She’d purchased a couple bottles of water and an apple to bring with her.

Normally Chloe liked to read paperbacks or hardbacks. It was something about the smell of the paper, she guessed. But when she went on vacation, an e-reader was the only way she could bring enough books with her and not worry about lugging around fifty pounds of reading material.

She planned to ride around, spend some time taking pictures of the stones, and then spend the afternoon reading. Tonight she’d stay in town and catch a ride back to the hostel in the morning. Ian said he’d drive her after breakfast. It was the first day in a week it hadn’t rained. The sky was a brilliant blue, a few lazy clouds floating by, and the sun reminded her of home. Closing her eyes, Chloe could almost smell the ocean, hear the waves crashing on the beach, and see Gull Cottage waiting to welcome her home, her grandparents on the porch enjoying a glass of wine before dinner.

Summers in Holden Beach were humid and hot, so sixty-five degrees almost felt a little chilly today. Biking in the sun would warm her up, so Chloe had worn a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that proclaimed, I’m not antisocial, I’d just rather read. A navy-blue hoodie went into her tote bag in case the temperature dropped this afternoon. Rain always made it feel cooler.

It was an effort, but she’d managed to pull her long curls into a ponytail and tie a navy ribbon around the pony holder to match her shirt. No flip-flops today. Chloe had left the beloved sparkly footwear she normally lived in back at the hostel, not knowing if she’d have to hike up to the circle or not. Instead, she’d worn a pair of white sneaker mules. They were comfortable and she could walk around all day. Mules were her favorite. Chloe hated the feeling of a shoe on her heel unless it was a boot. Weird, right? But oh well, that’s who she was. The nice but kind of odd girl.

Tote bag secured on the bike rack, Chloe fished a pair of oversized dark sunglasses out of the tote, put them on, and pedaled out of town, enjoying the day.

The stones sat on a hill with spectacular views in all directions. Chloe parked the bike and twisted the cap off the water bottle, drinking deeply as the breeze brought the scent of freshly cut grass and another smell she’d come to recognize and love. The scent of old stone. It was a peaceful place with a kind of quiet energy. Like walking through Gettysburg or a very old cemetery. You lowered your voice, walked quietly, and were aware of all those who’d come before, the sacrifices they’d made for causes they believed in.

The stones were made of limestone and looked pitted, worn from the ravages of time. With nothing but time, she wandered among the stones, taking pictures with her phone. There was a metal railing around both the King Stone and the Whispering Knights so she couldn’t get too close. Not that she wanted to—there was a feeling when she stood near the railing, telling her to go back, that she didn’t belong in this place. With a nervous laugh, she moved away, looking over the landscape. The land was green, with tiny wildflowers growing amongst the stones.

Chloe had the place to herself as she walked around the King’s Men stones. Birds sang and the sun warmed her skin. The three girls from Japan had said a witch turned a king and his knights to stone. And that the stones would disappear and reappear at odd times.

One of the locals told them there were so many stones, no one could ever count them correctly. The guy had leaned in close to them as he drank his pint. Most of the stories said if you could count the same number of stones three times, your heart’s desire would come true.

His friend crossed himself and said no, that was wrong. The way he’d heard the tale was if you counted three times and got the same number of stones each time you counted, you would die a horrible death that very night.

The Australians laughed and said it was probably to keep people from damaging the stones. Then again, the girls lived with all kinds of poisonous snakes that could kill you in an instant, not to mention crocodiles. And while they said they didn’t believe the stories, they weren’t willing to risk any bad karma. That was how Chloe found herself alone with her thoughts with the entire day stretching out before her, all the time in the world to explore.

Hungry, she unhooked the tote bag from the back bike rack and picked a spot in the middle of the circle. There she spread her lunch out on an old tablecloth someone at the hostel had given her so she wouldn’t get grass stains on her jeans.

Alone with her thoughts, she ate the hefty sandwich she’d bought from a pub in the village, enjoying the tang of the cheese and the crusty bread.

To have seen so many of the places her granda told her about made Chloe feel the history in every stone she touched, every street she walked, and every building she passed. If only she were a “real” Merriweather.

Yes, she was by name, but not by blood. That was why nothing had happened for her all these years. A cloud passed over the sun, and Chloe shook her head.

“Stop it. You’re eighteen and an adult.” Okay, so maybe it was odd that she spoke to herself out loud, but sometimes it helped her think, to work through whatever issue she was struggling with. It wasn’t like there was anyone around to complain.

Lots of kids wanted to be astronauts or ballerinas or princesses or dinosaurs, and they didn’t go around for the next ten years acting all sad because their childhood fantasy didn’t come true. It was time to forget silly childhood dreams and put away her fantasies of time travel. Even though she knew time travel was possible. Her great-aunts had traveled back in time, and Granda had come forward in time. Ever since she could remember, she’d tried various experiments, read everything she could on the matter, all to no avail.

Just because time travel happened for some people didn’t mean it would happen for her. Life wasn’t fair, and it was time to get over it and move on with her life. Figure out what she really wanted.

Chloe tidied up the remains of her lunch and went to pack it away to take back to town and dispose of it there. Looking at the stones, she squared her shoulders and glared. A sharp pain traveled from her stomach to her heart as she made her decision.

“Fine. You win. I’ll quit living in my head and join the real world.” And if she wiped a single tear away, it wasn’t like there was anyone around to notice.

She fastened the strap to keep the tote from blowing away. “Ow.” Chloe snatched her hand back, shaking it back and forth. Bright droplets of blood landed on one of the stones. There must have been a sharp edge on the bike rack.

The textured stone invited her to touch as she walked around the circle, leaving little drops of blood on the stones. The air smelled of green things growing, and a faint scent of roses helped wash away the melancholy that sometimes filled her. Almost as if she had lived in another time and her soul yearned to go back.

A light breeze lifted the corner of the tablecloth. She straightened it out and lay down on her back, the crossbody bag under her head for a pillow. The bag of old coins she’d brought along at the last minute were lumpy, so she adjusted them until the bag was comfortable.

Too bad she didn’t have a glass of Southern iced tea. Tea made everything better. Emotionally drained from the war within, she closed her eyes. The e-reader slid off her stomach and came to rest by her side. As Gram said, she’d just rest her eyes for a few minutes.