Page 12 of Demon of Dreams

“Maybe.” I felt as lost as he looked. “I’m from out of town. I’m just trying to find out if anyone recognizes it.”

“Maybe try one of those tourist places, with maps and stuff?” he suggested. “They might know.”

That was a good idea. “Is there one of those around here?”

“Nah.” He shook his head. “Good luck, though.”

The next ride I hitched took me to Madison. I was willing to go anywhere that might have a slightly bigger population. The woman who picked me up gave me a couple of ostentatious whiffs as she drove, and when she dropped me off near a strip mall a few miles out of town, I ducked into a Target and bought a three-pack of underwear, deodorant, and a toothbrush and toothpaste.

I considered springing for a fresh pack of socks and a new T-shirt too, but I had $219 in my bank account—$217, after that Snickers—and I had no idea how long that would need to last.

I headed into the bathroom to get cleaned up. I felt as grimy as the floor I’d slept on. Tonight, Ihadto find someplace I could shower.

A guy with red hair and freckles eyed me from two sinks over as I brushed my teeth. I wondered if I was offending him, but decided that if he was already staring, I might as well ask him a question.

“Do you know if there’s a tourism office around here?” I asked after spitting out my toothpaste.

His eyes widened, like he was surprised I was addressing him.

“No, sorry.” He cocked his head to the side. “If you’re not from around here, though, I can try to help. What’re you looking for?”

I pulled my phone out and tapped on the image of the statue to enlarge it. “This?” I said, already bracing for anotherno.

The guy barked a laugh. “Actually, I do. That’s at one of those resorts up by Namekagon. Silver Waters, I think it is.”

“Oh. That’s awesome.” I hadn’t been expecting that. “Um… where is that, though?”

“You know, up near Drummond.”

I looked at him blankly.

He tried again. “Bayfield County?”

I shook my head. It all meant nothing to me.

The guy pulled his phone out and opened up a map, zooming in to an area as splattered with lakes as bacon grease on a hot pan. He pointed to a resort on the shore of a particularly large and twisty lake.

“That’s Silver Waters, right there. Your statue’s out front.”

“Oh wow, thank you so much.”

Excitement rose in my chest. Of course, there was still a chance that all of this was meaningless. That the picture of the statue meant nothing, that the whole post meant nothing, and Vesperwood was just some fantasy book or something. But I’d gotten this far. I wasn’t going to stop now.

“You know it’s like, five hours from here, right?” the man said as I headed for the restroom door. “There’s a storm coming in. You should be careful.”

I waved a hand to him in thanks and slipped out the door. Those were slightly ominous last words, but I wasn’t going to let them get me down. I was headed for Silver Waters resort.

It took most of the day to get there, and as my final ride dropped me off in front of a massive timber lodge, the bronze statue out front, my excitement began to wear off. What was I supposed to do, now that I was here?

The rest of the pictures on the mood-board were either generic woodsy pictures or photos of homey things, like coffee mugs and slices of pie and an old bell tower. Nothing particularly recognizable, in my opinion.

There was nothing for it but to start asking people if they recognized the name of Vesperwood Academy. God, I was going to feel so stupid if this turned out to be some show on the Disney Channel that I’d never heard of. With a sigh, I headed inside the lodge.

There were two women at the reception desk, one with long brown hair who looked about my age, the other with curly gray hair and a grandmotherly air. The younger one waved me up, and I took a deep breath, mentally rehearsing my story.

“I’m so sorry to bother you.” I gave her a sheepish smile. “This is probably stupid, but is there any chance you’ve heard of a place called Vesperwood Academy? It’s supposed to be around here, I think.”

The girl’s eyebrows drew down in thought. “Vesperwood Academy? I don’t think so. Why?”

---