It was only a few days after making the call that Kieran found himself journeying across the country to the retreat. The majority of the trip passed without much fanfare. Kieran was accustomed to flying, and the couple of layovers, as he flew to Colorado, didn’t bother him. If anything, he enjoyed the time to himself, locked away from the crowds with his headphones and his book. What with his schoolwork at first and a job, and then his career gobbling up so much of his time, he wasn’t able to sit down and simply read as often as he’d like.

The combination of book and music became even more invaluable once he arrived at his destination. He scoffed at the idea of calling the tiny strip of land and the single hut an airport. The final leg of his flight had been in a small plane, piloted by a man who was thankfully better at flying than he was at holding a conversation. Kieran did manage to get a few complete sentences from the man, all of which had involved telling Kieran he was there to take him where he needed to go. A short plane ride later, and he was being quietly shuffled into a compact but tough-looking truck.

Kieran had never ventured so deep into the wilderness in his life and he looked out at the woods with a sense of wonderment. He’d been a part of the occasional trip to places outside of the city, but none of them had been to anywhere as dense and wild as the forest he was now being driven through. The road the truck navigated was little more than a narrow, overgrown track and the driver had to proceed carefully.

When he’d first stepped off the plane, he’d been struck by the almost overwhelming smell of the place. He’d always been sensitive to smells, which had worked against him at times, particularly when he was stuck in a room with an overpowering odor. The smell of the forest and mountain air was strong, but he found the crisp, clean smell of it refreshing. He was a man who preferred to keep away from loud noises or strong smells as much as he could, but he found he preferred the windows of the truck down as they made their way along the track.

There was something odd about looking out on the expanse of rolling green hills covered with towering trees. Coupled with the deep, earthy smell of the forest, Kieran felt a sliver of tension ease from his chest. As they passed a stretch of open land between the trees, a desire to get out of the truck and run through the tall, wind-blown grass, passed through him. For one clear moment, he could imagine the way it would feel between his fingers, and he could almost feel the soft ground giving way as he ran. He shook himself, silently wondering where that desire had come from.

The smell of water began to mingle with that of the cool air and fertile earth. Kieran breathed, taking in the scent and letting it settle deep in his lungs. He’d never been camping in his life, but as the surrounding environment continued to soothe his nerves through his senses, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been missing out. Kieran enjoyed a good walk through the park, and had always loved the smell of the earth and grass after a healthy dose of rain. Even as a child, some part of him was always soothed by the scent, seeming clean and pure to him.

After another hour, the truck crested a hill and he gazed down into a basin at the foot of the nearby mountains. There he could see the first and apparently only signs of habitation out in the wilds of the forest. Various small buildings sat nestled in the shadow of the woods. One building was noticeably larger, and it sat further back from the cluster of other structures. Through the thick screen of branches and leaves, Kieran could see the sparkle of water, meaning there was a lake nearby.

They approached the larger building after the truck dipped down below the line of the trees once more. It was still smaller than any building Kieran had seen in New York, and was made of timber instead of concrete. He kept his face as neutral as possible when the truck came to a stop, eyeing the rough wood of the exterior, and the equally rough repair job that had been carried out on one of the cheap-looking windows. He’d thought, considering what he was paying to be at the retreat, it would have been in a far better state than what he saw.

As Kieran stepped from the truck, a man and woman emerged from the line of trees. The first thing he noticed was they were almost the exact same height, making the woman unusually tall. When he saw they shared the same sandy hair, and light brown eyes, he realized they were almost certainly siblings. As he waited silently for them to speak, he then realized they were in fact, twins. It was only as they stood before him that he could see the same features mirrored in one another’s faces: the same sharp jawline, the shape of the nose, and the way their brows gave them the appearance of being constantly amused.

Deciding he was done with the strange silent act, Kieran held his hand out to them. “Good afternoon. Are you two my welcoming party?”

The man said nothing, but the woman grinned, taking Kieran’s hand in a firm grip. “That would be us. I’m Artemis, and this is my brother Apollo. We’re the ones who try to keep this place from falling apart as best we can.”

Kieran resisted the urge to look disapprovingly at the nearby building. “I’m sure that’s a full-time job out here.”

Artemis nodded. “It can be interesting. the animal life alone can be a hassle. Then in the winter, we’re fighting Mother Nature herself.”

Kieran pulled his hand away after realizing Apollo wasn’t going to acknowledge the gesture. “So, those are some interesting names you have there.”

Artemis laughed. “We get that a lot, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re named after long-dead gods. Our parents were interesting people.”

“I suppose there are worse gods to be named after,” Kieran said.

“True. Now, do you want to see where you’ll be staying while you’re with us, or do you want to stand around and make idle chit-chat about our names?” Artemis asked.

Kieran motioned past her. “By all means.”

The twins turned as one, and Kieran hurried after them grabbing his large duffle bag to take with him. As they rounded the corner, he was able to see some of the other buildings. They seemed to all be the same shape as the larger building, but at least they looked warm. The weather was comfortable during the day, but he had a suspicion the nights would be chilly.

Artemis pointed over her shoulder at the main building. “That’s where we hold most of the gatherings when we have them, but otherwise it’s where we eat. Only breakfast and dinner are scheduled, but we have stuff set out for anyone to munch on whenever they want lunch or snacks. The other buildings you can see are for people staying here. Everyone has their own space, though some people like to bunk together.”

Kieran raised a brow. “Is that…normal?”

Artemis chuckled. “I’m not saying they’re doing anything together, but that’s none of my business either. We’re a facility strictly for adults, so what people get up to when we aren’t around is their own business. But if you ask me, I think they’re just people who don’t like to be alone and prefer to have someone else around at night. We’ve put you in one of the smaller cabins by yourself, I’ll take you by there later. You can leave your bag here; someone will be along in a minute to take it to your cabin.”

Kieran looked around. “I was under the impression you were nearly at capacity with guests when I called.”

“Yeah, but most everyone else is out doing their own thing. Since it’s warmed up out here during the day, the lake has been popular. You’ll get a chance to meet everyone later. We try to make newcomers feel as welcome as we can,” Artemis told him.

“Being social wasn’t exactly high on my priority list,” Kieran said.

Artemis glanced at him, seeming to appraise him. “That’s fine. There are plenty of people like you here.”

“Like me?” Kieran asked.

Artemis nodded. “Stiff types who don’t really want to be here, but are anyway, for whatever reason. We get all sorts, and we try to do what we can for everyone. We try to make sure everyone meets at least one person they like being around, but hey, some people are just anti-social.”

Kieran blinked. “You believe I’m anti-social?”

“You’re a lawyer, so I’m sure you can put on a good appearance of being social. But personally? I don’t think you are,” Artemis said.

“And you know this…how?” Kieran asked, a little affronted.

Artemis shrugged. “I’m good at reading people. But don’t worry; most guests who come here seem to have a lot of problems connecting with people, for one reason or another. They’re usually surprised when they find they don’t have that sort of problem while they’re here.”

Kieran eyed the rough buildings, trying to not sneer. “And I suppose not everyone out here comes from similar backgrounds?”

Artemis grinned. “Look at you, being astute. But you’re right. Honestly, rich and successful types like you aren’t very common out here. Most of the people we get here are on our dime rather than theirs.”

Kieran looked startled. “Excuse me?”

“And here comes the part where you’re bothered by how much you were charged to come here,” Artemis said, looking unbothered.

“It was…a substantial fee,” Kieran said, miffed.

Artemis chuckled. “Yes, and you can afford it, can’t you? We aim to try and help people here, but we can’t keep things repaired or supplied with charity alone. We do what we can to not charge the people who can’t afford it, but still need our help. When we get the occasional person like you who has the money to burn, we charge them.”

Kieran’s nostrils flared in anger, annoyed his income meant he would be charged while others were not. “So, you use our money to help others then?”

Artemis shrugged. “Your money is what helps us keep afloat. Think of it as helping the less fortunate.”

“It would have been nice to know that beforehand,” Kieran grumbled.

Artemis smirked. “We’re not obligated to disclose our financial decisions to you. It’s a drop in the bucket for you, since you’ll make that money back in no time. If you didn’t need our help, you wouldn’t be out here in the first place.”

“So your business model is to charge those who can afford it, while others get a free ride?” Kieran asked hotly.

“We don’t have a business model, because we’re not a business. Our goal here is to help people, but we have to be practical and money keeps us able to do that. Just because someone is struggling doesn’t make them any less deserving. Are you going to tell me that what you paid is really going to make you suffer?” Artemis asked him.

“Well, no, but it’s a matter of principle,” Kieran retorted.

Artemis shook her head. “Principle? No, you’re angry that it wasn’t ‘equal’ when in reality, it’s very fair. You don’t have to like it, but from what we’ve heard, you weren’t happy about coming out here in the first place.”

Kieran bit back his retort, taking a moment to push down his struggling anger. “Fine, then what exactly is it you’ll be doing for me here?”

“The same thing we do for everyone else: we help,” Artemis said simply.

Kieran continued to fight his growing frustration. “That’s incredibly vague and unhelpful.”

“Look, everyone who comes to us is struggling with something. Out here, away from everything else in the world, we try to isolate each person’s respective problem and fix it. We try to instill a sense of community in everyone here, and we try to support one another as best we can,” Artemis said.

Kieran almost rolled his eyes. “And how does that separate you from every other feel-good camp out there?”

Artemis laughed. “Oh, there are plenty of moments that ‘feel good’ out here, but that’s not really what we’re aiming for. See, guys like you, you’re wound up so tight it’s amazing you don’t snap at the slightest provocation. Here, we aim to get through all that, get you to loosen up and figure out what you’re hiding under it all.”

“I’m not hiding anything,” Kieran told her.

“We all hide things, sometimes even from ourselves. The whole point of you being here is to find out what you might be hiding from yourself,” Artemis explained.

Kieran finally did roll his eyes. “Fine, and how do you plan on doing that?”

Artemis shrugged. “Some people achieve it just by being here, separated from the stress of their lives. With others it happens because they’ve finally found a group of people who’ve struggled like they have in life. Some, however, need a little…firmer persuasion.”

“Firmer persuasion,” Kieran repeated warily.

“We’ve got a group who like hiking and mountain climbing, it’s the adrenaline rush that does it for them. There’s a small group of fighters here too, if that’s your thing,” Artemis replied.

Kieran’s brow quirked. “Fighting? You’re going to make us…fight.”

Artemis shook her head. “No, we’re not going to make you fight. And we do have rules about that sort of thing. When you’re around the same people for days on end, dealing with your own internal issues, tempers tend to flare up. We have a place where we allow people to get those personal issues sorted out.”

“By having them punch each other,” Kieran said.

“Sometimes the solution to a problem is very direct. However, we don’t just throw people into a ring and let them throw punches. Think of it as…boxing, with a few less rules,” Artemis said with a shrug.

He’d come to the retreat thinking it was a respected establishment. Kieran could have cheerfully strangled Martin as he was quickly realizing it was nothing like he’d expected. He wasn’t happy he’d been bilked of his money, and for a camp that would happily pit him against another person in a fist fight. He’d been glad to leave the need to prove himself, by beating the hell out of others, behind him when he’d gone to college.

“I’m not going to settle a problem by punching someone in the face. This is ridiculous,” Kieran said tightly.

“And you don’t have to, but some people around here need a more controlled outlet for their aggression. If that’s not your thing, then it’s not your thing,” Artemis said, sounding unconcerned.

“Fine, so you’ve got your adrenaline junkies, fist fighters, and a lake. Anything else you actually do to help people around here?” Kieran asked sarcastically.

“How about this: you find out what we’re all about by experiencing it? I can stand here and tell you every little thing we do and it wouldn’t help you. Hell, having some of it explained to you would probably hurt you in the end. So, why don’t you trust the people who advised you to come out here instead?” Artemis asked.

Kieran scoffed. “I can’t say I’m trusting their opinions too much right now. Not that I did before either.”

Artemis smirked. “You wouldn’t have come here without a good reason.”

“I had a reason,” Kieran said neutrally.

“Good, then stick to that reason and let it be the motivation for trying new things. If you don’t like it, well, you can always leave,” Artemis said.

Kieran snorted. “And I’m sure I can guess what your refund policy is.”

Artemis chuckled, motioning toward the woods. “How about I show you to your cabin, and you can sit in there and glower at everything until dinner?”