"So you said you're only here for the weekend?" she asked Diane. "Are you in college right now?"

"Yep," Diane replied. "You came at just the right time. I was planning to head back right after dinner."

"Where are you studying?"

"Vanderbilt," Diane said. "I haven't finished my Associate's degree yet, but I want to go into special ed."

"Wow!" Tali said, impressed. "Isn't Vanderbilt really exclusive?"

"Yeah." Diane blushed. "I was valedictorian at my high school."

Tali shook her head. "I always knew you were really smart, but... wow."

Ben was growing increasingly impatient. Having finished his sandwich, he refilled his water, gulped it down, and refilled it again. He folded his napkin over and over until he could no longer fold it, then tossed it on his plate. Out came the lighter from his pocket; he flipped it open, lit it, and closed it once, twice, three times before snapping it shut and shoving it back into his pocket.

Ben stood abruptly, picking up his plate. "That was delicious," he said with a hint of irritation. "Natalie, how about showing me around now?"

Tali sighed. She had been hoping to avoid it for a little bit longer. "Sure," she said, standing up. "Let me just take care of my dishes."

As she rinsed off her plate, Ethan stood as well. "I'd be more than happy to show you around the property."

"No, it's all right," Tali said a little too quickly.

Ethan's eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure?"

"Sorry," Ben said, coming up behind Tali and slipping his arm around her waist. "But we'd rather be alone."

Once again, Tali had to resist the urge to slap him. 

"It's okay, Ethan," Diane intervened. "If they want to be alone, let them be alone."

Ethan stared at Tali for several long moments, making her want to squirm. Finally, he let out a sigh. "Fine. Just don't get lost."

Ben started a bit. "Is the property really that big?"

"It's over thirty acres," Ethan said. "And most of it is forest. So yes, it's easy to get lost."

"We'll stick to the paths," Tali promised. She didn't mention that she was including the unbeaten path to the bridge she had memorized when she was eight. She just hoped it hadn't changed too much in the past eighteen years.

Tali took Ben out the back door, following a path that led away from the bridge, just in case Ethan was watching. She hated being deceitful and sneaking around like this, but there was no telling what Ben would do if Ethan tried to stop him. The last thing she wanted was someone getting hurt. Surely there was no harm showing Ben a random bridge in the middle of a forest.

Once the house was out of sight, Tali abruptly changed course, heading in the direction of the bridge.

"Is the bridge this way?" Ben asked, his voice catching a little. He cleared his throat. "Is this the right way?"

"Yes." Tali didn't say anything else for fear of saying something stupid and setting him off.

"It's strange," Ben said. "I've always imagined being this close. And now that I'm going to see it, it's almost like I can't breathe."

After a few minutes, Tali started to panic. Was she really going in the right direction? What if she was overshooting it? Would she even recognize the way to go with the forest floor blanketed in fallen leaves? It felt like a completely different forest. Even the shadows seemed all wrong due to the half-bare tree branches.

Her feet crunched through the leaves and dead undergrowth, her breath coming out in small cloudy puffs. Ben crashed along behind her, his clumsy steps creating a dissonance in the serene forest. Several times he cursed, and for the first time since that summer day long ago, Tali felt like the forest was judging her many wrongs.

And then Tali heard the familiar giggle of the stream, like an old friend calling out to greet her. She breathed a sigh of relief and quickened her pace, forgetting that Ben was behind her. She pushed through some shrubs and there it was, stalwart and true. Immediately Tali felt the calming effect she had long forgotten; she thrust her hand into her purse to find her sketchbook.

"Is that it?" Ben's reverent whisper jolted Tali back to reality.

She sighed and slipped her sketchbook back into her purse. "Yes, this is it."

Ben's eyes were aglow with excitement and awe as he approached the bridge. "It's so..."

"It's so what?" Tali couldn't help asking.

"I don't know," Ben said. "I can't seem to find the right words."

Tali shrugged. "This place does tend to have that effect."

Ben shook his head. "Not this place. It has to be the bridge." He placed his hand on the very same post Tali once had. "It's a lot smaller than I imagined." He frowned. "It almost feels sacrilegious to say that."

Tali couldn't help raising an eyebrow. Sacrilegious? That might be a bit much. She sighed. "If you don't mind, I'm going over there to sketch." She pointed a little ways downstream. "You take all the time you need."

"No," Ben commanded. "You stay here." He took a single step onto the bridge. "I want you to see this," he said without looking back.

"What are you doing?"

Tali whirled at the sound of Ethan's voice. Ethan stood over her with his arms across his chest, his expression stern.

"Ethan!" Tali said, her voice squeaking a little. "Um, Ben just wanted to see the bridge, so um..."

"And you couldn't ask me first?" Ethan asked, his expression rock hard.

"Well, I... I just..." Tali's tongue felt too heavy to find the right words to say.

Ethan shook his head. "All right, you've seen it. Now you and your fiancé need to leave."

"He's not my fiancé!" Tali's outburst startled Ethan. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I still need to slap him for that."

Something changed in Ethan's expression. "Well, whoever he is, he needs to leave. Now. Where is he?"

Tali frowned. "He's right over there." She gestured behind her without really looking.

Genuine horror and dread flashed across Ethan's face. "Where?" he asked again, more urgently.

"He's right over--" Tali turned to point at the bridge, but Ben wasn't there. "Oh. I guess he's on the other side."

"Damn!" Ethan spat so abruptly Tali jumped.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

Ethan sighed. "No, this is my fault. It was a mistake showing you the bridge when we were kids."

"A mistake?" Anger bubbled up within Tali's chest.

Ethan cut her off. "You stay here. No matter what you see, I need you to stay right here." He headed toward the bridge. "If I'm not back within the hour, go back to Pabi's house and wait for me there. Understand?"

"What? No, I don't--" Tali started to say, but Ethan was already starting across the bridge.

And then he wasn't there.