Chapter 13

By the time the plane made its descent in Usnia, Minerva sat by the window, her thoughts adrift. The changing landscape beyond the glass seemed surreal. It was like she hadn't truly grasped that she had left everything behind. But as the clouds cleared and the new country came into focus, her heart began to lighten. Minerva didn't have much luggage with her, so it wasn't hard for her to manage on her own. In no time, she passed through the gate and stepped out into the arrival hall. Minerva pulled out her newly purchased phone and searched for the apartment she had secured in advance. It turned out the place was only about half a mile from the airport. She glanced at the fare estimate on the ride-share app. Deciding it wasn't worth the cost for such a short distance, she opened her GPS, matched the directions, and set off on foot. The journey should have taken her eight minutes, but after 20 minutes of walking, Minerva still hadn't reached her apartment building. A flicker of