Zara
"Are you sure they'll accept me?" I asked for the thirtieth time since I'd passed the "Welcome to Pine Plains" sign.
Since I'd passed that sign, I hadn't seen a single building, house, or glimmer of life. It seemed like only endless forest, juniper, and pine groves rising higher and higher up the mountain slopes.
The scent of resin and earth permeated the air, mingling with the rich woodsy aroma that filtered through the crack in the window as we drove along the highway. The views were incredible; jagged, earthen walls surrounded us as we passed through and around the mountains.
We'd been driving for hours, but the finality of it all only dawned on me when I saw the sign, reminding me that we were getting closer and closer to the capital of the Sterling Empire.
