“You sure this is the right way?” Ever said. He sat up a bit taller, trying to look beyond where the Toyota’s headlines shone.

  “Positive,” Zoe said. She stared at her phone, eyes flickering up every now and again. “Alright, left here at the sign… whoa, stop!”

  Ever hit the brakes hard, stopping inches away from the bumper of the car in front. The grey, fluffy steering wheel cover wasn’t so fluffy anymore where he had it in a death grip. The line of cars snaked up the hill, inching forward every few seconds. He glanced across at the sharped-edged rectangle of light in Zoe’s hands: 11:15pm.

  “Sorry.”

  “For what?” Zoe replied.

  “We might miss the fireworks. I should have driven quicker.”

  “Nope.” She reached over and patted his knee. “Police are crawling around everywhere, looking for anyone and everyone to slap with a fine. I would’ve been more pissed off if they pulled you over for speeding.”

  Ever nodded, shifting his grip on the steering wheel. The cars crawled forward, with one disappearing over the crest out of view.

  ?Hello.?

  Ever smiled and would have replied back to his mother if not for Zoe jumping out of her seat. She stared at Ever, eyes wide.

  “Who the hell was that?” She whispered, voice laced with fear.

  ?Do you wish for a high vantage point?? Nyx asked.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Yes, mother,” Ever responded.

  “Mother?” Zoe said, bewildered. She looked over her shoulder only to see their spare jackets on the seat.

  ?Turn at the next street. Follow it until you can’t go up any further, then turn right. From there, just follow the slope. Eventually, you’ll get to a dead end. I’ll meet you there. ?

  With that, the primordial goddess of the night withdrew from Ever – and Zoe’s – minds.

  Ever broke off from the line of cars, disappearing into a side street. Meanwhile, Zoe frantically scrolled and tapped through the settings of her navigation app.

  “None of these voices match up to that one,” she hissed, barely audible.

  “Yes, I don’t think you’ll find the goddess of the night’s voice in the list,” Ever said, unable to hold back a grin.

  “So…” she paused, “that was Nyx talking?”

  “Mmhmm.” Having come up to the end of the street, Ever turned the steering wheel clockwise.

  “And she’s your mother?”

  “No. Well… she’s my mentor’s mother. I don’t have a mother, so I was more than happy when she said that she wanted to be mine too.”

  They sat together in silence as Ever drove slowly, going wherever the path climbed.

  “Has anyone else, Taylor or your boss, ever been able to hear Nyx?”

  “Never.” He glanced across at her, smiling placidly.

  “So…” she killed the navigation app, “why would she be letting me hear her now?”

  Ever was silent for a while. What had she said on Christmas? ‘I’ll be able to meet her soon enough’? It was almost like she was waiting for something to happen.

  “I don’t know,” Ever replied. He parked the car and killed the ignition. “Let’s go and ask her together.”