Sophia thought back to her conversation with the court reporter, the memory surfacing as they passed another mile marker. “You know, after you and Daniel left the other day, I spoke with the reporter. She mentioned Roma was actually local to the area - grew up just south of the old hospital near the aquifers.”

“Wait, what?” Juniper’s head snapped toward her briefly, genuine surprise crossing her features before her gaze jerked back to the road.

The admission sent a chill down Sophia’s spine. If Juniper - who seemed to know every detail about their opponents, who prepared for every possibility - didn’t even know this basic fact about Roma, they might be facing a more dangerous adversary than any of them had realized. She took another sip of her coffee, the cup trembling slightly in her grip, letting the warmth chase away her growing unease.

As they drove deeper into the forest, Juniper shifted into tour guide mode, her hands gesturing off the wheel as she painted a picture of home. “Fair warning - they’re absolutely nuts, but I’ll tell them to go easy on you. You can have my room, I’ll crash in dad’s old chair.” She brightened, her ponytail bouncing with renewed energy, listing off the cast of characters. “Mom’s probably already cooking, Aunt Lillian’s got opinions about everything, and Jacob - well, Jacob’s just Jacob.”