This was the furthest from home I’d ever been before. When we got up this morning, Parker helped me pack my bags into the back of Professor Frostburg’s dusty truck and then Allison drove us out of the mountains and through the desert to the nearest town with a public transit transfer station.

Parker had to go back to the University of Stelline and begin analyzing the data found at the dig site in the state of the art laboratories there. And he asked me to come with him.

Even though I hadn’t let him claim me yet, I’d decided going home with Parker was the best thing for me to do right now. I could get better medical care in Stelline City for the baby and meet the people who’d be my child’s family. So, despite my misgivings in leaving my tiny mountain cabin, I packed my things and last night I said goodbye to my pack. Barrett wasn’t happy about losing his seer but he couldn’t keep me here. So, now I was off to the city.

Parker was kind as he led me onto the train, using his own Blue Card to get my ticket and hefting my bags into an overhead bin so I didn’t have to stretch too much. We were settled into a sleek grey train car with plush seats that reclined far enough for me to nap if I wanted. There were small video screens that popped out of the arms of the chairs and a handsome attendant who swayed up and down the aisles with a cart loaded with drinks, snacks, and meals for passengers. A small dart of jealousy pricked at my middle when the attendant winked at Parker as he poured a coffee, and Parker gave him an appreciative once-over. I told the attendant I didn’t want anything so he’d leave quicker and I wouldn’t have to deal with this feeling in my gut.

When he left, I turned my attention to the window. The landscape was passing in a blur, streaks of orange and red desert that quickly turned into lush green as we neared the coast. The train was moving at what seemed like an impossible speed, but it felt like we were standing still. Parker’s coffee didn’t slosh or even tremble in its cup. It was incredible.

“You want to watch a movie?” Parker reached over me and flipped up the video screen. “There’s a lot to choose from. What kind of movies do you like? You an action guy? Comedy? I know, fantasy.” He smiled and tapped at the screen and suddenly there were elves on horses shooting arrows at a dragon, all backed with dramatic symphonic music.

“No, thank you,” I answered, and slid the screen back into the arm of my chair. “I think I’d like to rest.”

“Okay.” Parker eyed me with concern. “You sure you don’t want something from the refreshment cart? I can get the attendant back.”

“No.” I stopped his hand before he could wave the attendant down. “I’m really just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“All right.” Parker reached beneath the seats and pulled out a blanket, draping it over my lap. “I’ll work, then. You nap. It won’t take long to reach Stell. I’ll wake you up when we get there.” He leaned over and dropped a kiss on my forehead before pulling out his laptop and popping a set of earphones in. I stared out the window as my past slid away behind us.

* * *

The train, a self-driving car, now an elevator whisked us up to Parker’s apartment. I didn’t think my feet had been on the ground more than five minutes today. It was an unusual situation for me. I walked all the time, or did, back in the mountains. I walked every morning, to my parents’ place, to pack meetings, out into the desert to meditate before rituals… Now, I was shuttled everywhere inside a metal tube or box. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this.

“Well, this is my place,” Parker announced as he pressed his key to a thumbpad and opened the door. He waved me in first and followed behind, dropping my bags on the foyer floor. I wandered into Parker’s home, my hands clasped in front of me. I felt a little like I was choking, like I couldn’t breathe properly. Parker’s home was nice, one of the nicest I’d ever been in, but it was so modern, so cold. Everything was metal and glass. The only natural substance I spotted was the leather of his couches. It was a small apartment, decorated with glass shelves displaying photos of Parker at digs and with a group of handsome men who looked just like him, but there were no plants, no air flowing except for the artificially cooled stuff pumped through the vents. It tasted sterile on my tongue. I turned and smiled at Parker.

“It’s very nice,” I said.

“Oh, good.” The relief was clear on his face. “I’m glad you like it. The bedroom is back here.” He picked up my bags and led me down a short hallway. “Mine, ours, is here. And here is an extra room that would probably make a great nursery.” He stepped back and let me push open the door. The room he wanted to put our pup in didn’t even have a window. I turned and went back to the living room.

“Hey, what is it?” Parker put his hand on my shoulder. “You’ve been so quiet since we got here.”

I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and went to the window. I pushed at the bottom, trying to open the glass and let fresh air into the room.

“It doesn’t open as a safety precaution. We’re too high.” Parker came up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist, his hand resting on the bump underneath my t-shirt. “What’s wrong?”

I turned in his arms, resting my head on his broad chest. “It’s so strange here. I feel like I’m strangling. The only tree I’ve seen since we got into the city is the potted one down in the lobby.”

“Okay, you’re a little homesick.” Parker hugged me closer to him, kissing the top of my head. “If you’re missing trees and sky, I can help. In the morning, I’ll take you to someplace that’s got a bit more nature. Somewhere you can put your toes in the grass. How’s that sound?”

Horrible.

“Sounds good,” I replied.

“How about you get a shower, knock off the trail dust. I’ll order us some food.” When I didn’t object, Parker led me to a huge shower encased in glass. I felt like I was in a fishbowl. But I stayed and let the warm water run over me. I touched the marble walls, looking for a spark of something natural, something real, and hoped I hadn’t made a huge mistake.

* * *

I was up before Parker and sat on the floor in front of his windows that didn’t open. I was waiting for the sun to appear so I could close my eyes and drift into a morning meditation. My body was telling me it was far past the time I would normally greet the sun. I peeked out the window and sighed. With all these high-rise buildings around me, I probably wouldn’t see the sun until it was well past noon. I gave up and went to find Parker’s ridiculously sized closet where my bags were hiding.

I was dressed and in the kitchen when Parker emerged, his hair wet from a shower, dressed in a suit and tie. I wasn’t accustomed to seeing him like this. Jeans, boots, and flannel were his normal clothes back home. I turned my back and started rummaging through the cabinets for a pan.

“Never mind that.” Parker reached above me and closed the cabinet door before pressing a kiss to the back of my neck. “We’ll stop for breakfast on the way to the park.”

“Okay.” I shrugged. I wasn’t really hungry anyhow.

And downstairs we went, to climb into another car that whisked us down the street to a café. Parker gave me a strange look when I ordered all the fruit I could find on the menu.

“What’s going on? You’ve been very distant since we got back to Stell.” Parker, in his suit and tie, sipped coffee from a fancy cup and picked at a pastry that was shaped like a half-moon.

I slipped a piece of strawberry into my mouth and spit it back out. It was sour and mealy. I realized it wasn’t a wild-grown berry, it was a factory-farmed berry.

“It’s so different here,” I finally said. “I can’t… feel anything. All these buildings and this metal and concrete… it’s sapping my energies. It’s sapped the energy of every shifter who lives here. Everyone is so disconnected with who they are. And the food is awful.” I pushed my plate of fruit away.

I saw Parker’s jaw tick, heard his teeth grind a bit, and I realized I’d made him angry. I turned and looked out the window of the café, watching people hurry by, talking into phones but not to each other.

“You need to eat, keep up your strength. Let’s get to the park. Maybe some grass will make you feel better.” He quickly swiped his Blue Card over a reader in the edge of the table and led me outside, back into the car.

It didn’t take long and we were pulling into a parking space somewhere closer to the edge of the city.

I did see trees and grass and even the sun, now. Smiling at Parker, I jumped out of the car and headed for the grassy field.

Only it wasn’t right.

“What is this place?” I asked Parker when he walked up behind me.

“The Ruins. Just some old building foundations, bricks, left from long ago. But it’s a nice field, right? Lots of families come here, bring their pups to run and play, picnic. There are lots of parks in Stell. I think you’ll like them. But this is the biggest and most open.” Parker smiled at me and I could tell he thought he’d done something right.

“Can we go now?”

“We just got here! What’s wrong with you, Shiloh? I don’t know what to do for you.” Parker was agitated and annoyed with me.

“It’s so… there are… the energy here isn’t good. I wonder what ghosts haunt this place that people let their children play in.” My voice cracked as I thought about it.

“Ghosts? You’re being ridiculous. It’s a park. There’s no bad energy in a park, Shiloh.”

“I know what I feel,” I said simply. I turned and headed back to the parking area.

I heard Parker hurrying up behind me. “It’s just a park, Shiloh.” His hand grabbed mine. “Whatever you’re feeling, it’s all in your head. Or it’s hormones or something.”

Stopping, I turned to him. “I know you don’t believe yet. I know you say you do but I know it’s still hard for you to accept someone like me. It’s okay, really. But trust me, you will. Now, can we go?”

Parker stared down at me, his jaw working. He wanted to tell me I was ridiculous, stupid even, but he was holding his words back so he wouldn’t hurt me. Finally, he said, “Okay, we’ll go.”

And he led me back to the car.