And Then She Was Gone

Heading West

A/N: This chapter will be detailing a passage of time, and may take a little patience to get through as she is alone in her travels and does not have true contact with anyone. Don't worry she will be returning to civilization in the next chapter!

A month and a half had passed since she started her trek across the northern part of the US, heading in the direction of West. The states currently under her belt were Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. She quickly became a seasoned traveler, knowing the ins and outs of rest stops better than some truckers, and rapidly learning how to navigate around the state owned campsites like she lived in each one all her life. Adapting to campground cabin life was easy, the only true negative being the lack of a personal restroom, and the reason she learned very early on that shower shoes were a essential .

Cabins were insisted upon, instead of tent camping, and was non-negotiable in Uncle Dominick's eyes. He reasoned that she would be able to securely shut and lock a door, and have electricity which meant that there would be no reason for her phone to ever die during her stays.

She made sure that she contacted her Aunt and Uncle everyday at 7:00pm on the dot, and she also answered any random phone calls or video calls from them throughout the day, happy to give them little snippets of what her day looked like as it was unfolding. The phone and video calls were just as comforting for her as it was to them, having familiar faces to talk to besides Shelby, who could only respond with cute head tilts and nose nuzzles.

Her uncle grew more at ease as time move forward and actually started to begin treating their calls as somewhat of a conversation in place of the interrogation method he initially opted for in the beginning. However, he still had his typical overbearing ways that would poke and prod their way through making sure that she was double checking and cross checking each decision so that they were perfectly calculated and carefully thought out. Insistently making sure she was checking the oil before leaving each location, monitoring the tire pressure, as well as all inspecting all the vehicles lights to ensure they were functioning. Making sure she didn't leave anything behind in the cabins and ensuring she had enough funds available for her next arrival.

Her Aunt would always take away the phone after too much of his badgering and then politely remind Lizzy for the umpteenth time to grab her a key chain in the next state that she was heading to so she could have a little collection at the end of her nieces trip, and then they would discuss any locals she had encountered and literally anything else that came up of interest along the way. Conversations always ended with the typical sappy "I love you" and "See you soon!"

Alex remained in constant contact with her as well. Opting to face time her every couple of days and fill her in on things she was missing back home. Local gossip around town, as well as among mutual friends, and his infrequent run ins with her Uncle which were always amusing. He always seemed perfectly content as he listened to her gush about the landscape, how well Shelby was handling the car rides and the egregious amount of foods she was eating. Seeming to never get enough of her rambling, most of the time staying on the phone with her until the late night hours when his eyes would get heavy and she would force him to get off the phone so he could face his responsibilities the next day. She would always wait for the next phone call from him, knowing his schedule was much more hectic than hers, but found the more he called the more impatient she became waiting for the next time she would see his name pop up on caller id.

At this point in her travels, she was only about an hour from her next cabin site where she was to settle down for the night. She had already been driving for about four hours and with only a brief rest stop to re hydrate and allow Shelby some bathroom time, her legs were beginning to get stiff. Her required nightly phone call being done for the day, left her listening aimlessly to part music and part static as she drove in-between radio frequencies in the new geographic region. The landscape that was unfolding before her as she drove into and through Montana was absolutely breath taking and the air was of a different caliber, being crisper and  fresher than anything she could have imagined. Her eyes practically burning into the gray mountains capped with snow which bordered the highway giving an impressive view.

She went into autopilot for the last stretch of her trip, listening to her phones GPS chime in at random intervals and aimlessly following its directions as she began to drive through a sleepy town named Columbia Falls, which seemed to have turned in for an early night. The town was at the border of the campground she would be staying at, and the realization of her long awaited reprieve suddenly made her more aware, snapping her back to conscious reality where she could take in the sheer beauty of her surroundings. The mountains encased the businesses and homes within sight giving it a quaint warm tucked away vibe. Reminiscent of the type of village you would see in a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie, titled along the lines of "My Christmas Prince" or "My Dear Saint Nick".

Small businesses were littered all throughout the long singular main road, the shopping district consisting of little mom and pops shops, making her all the more excited to see the town in the morning when it woke up to greet the sunshine. In her opinion, there was no point in travelling if you intended on eating at Applebee's or getting your drinks from Starbucks, the real magic happens at these little family owned shops and restaurants, making an area come to life, living and breathing with fresh vitality.

At long last, she was finally taking her last right turn down the access road to the state park where she was to call home for the next week. She pulled up to the park Rangers shack and gave her reservation details while showing her ID. With a quick set of directions paired with a ring of keys and a park map, she headed the short distance to the cabin. Quickly admitting herself in and doing the most minor job of unpacking before turning in for the night to start fresh and early tomorrow. Tomorrow being the first day of the rest of her life.