Priya drove Tonya away from the Athletic Center. “So, where to?”

“Stay on Lakeshore and keep going west.” Wind from Priya’s window tossed damp hair into her eyes.

Loon Lake City stood on the northern shore, directly across the lake from campus. Like a pig in a python, Loon River widened into the lake on the western end and shrunk back down to river size to the east.

“How far is it?” asked Priya.

“Imagine Loon Lake is in four quadrants, with the x and y-axes meeting in the center of the lake. My parents live almost straight up the Y-axis. I’ll tell you when to turn north.”

Looking at it that way, campus filled the southeastern and most of the southwestern quadrant, with the cemetery to the west, and Aunt Helen’s shop just west of that. Riding her bike through campus from east to west, sometimes Tonya took the southern drive, which passed between the Athletic center lakeside, and the arena to the south. Next, she would pass between the various science buildings, below the stadium and the library, continuing off campus to Kenny Road.

Most of the time, however, she took the northern drive along the lakeshore which passed between the lake and the Rowing Clubhouse, the DNA lab, Environmental Sciences Buildings, and the college residences. It was cooler along the lakeshore and gave her a view across the water to downtown.

Downtown, which wasn’t huge, had started to develop along the northern shore of the lake a hundred years ago, then continued north with the construction of the city’s first concrete-and-glass buildings in the 1940s.

Lakeshore Drive North followed the north shore, which was flanked by city parks, the farmer’s market grounds, and out toward the east and west limits, lakefront estates.

As if anticipating a need for quarantine, Loon Lake Hospital was built on cheap land northeast of city limits.

Priya continued west through campus, passing the residences.

As they exited campus and entered the tiny, three-hundred-year-old Village of Loon Lake, Tonya’s scalp tingled with a change like air pressure. At university, she was an anonymous student, but to the Old Families of Loon Lake, she would always be her aunt’s niece.

“Turn right.”

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Priya cut north on Kenny Road, and drove between the cemetery on the southwest shore of Loon Lake and Tonya’s aunt’s store to their west.

“My parents live on David, just north of downtown.”

Priya drove them north over River Bridge, then turned east onto David, slowing as they reached Tonya’s childhood home. Maple leaves covered the lawn, but her father wasn’t out raking them.

Priya pulled into the driveway.

“Hey! The porch swing is gone. Wait here.” Tonya got out and went to the front door.

The porch was crowded with liquor boxes labelled “Tonya,” in her Aunt Helen’s wavering hand. She had packed Tonya’s stuff and left it in front of the house. Why?

She tried the front door, but her key didn’t fit.

Picking up a box, Tonya walked back to the car. “I can’t believe this. They changed the locks without warning me.”

“Your parents moved out already?” Priya got out and opened the hatchback.

“Looks like.” So Priya wouldn’t see her face flush, she went back to the porch. Her hands trembled as she called Dad’s mobile.

It went straight to voicemail. Mom didn’t carry a phone. Without optimism, she left him another message and grabbed a box.

When she returned, Priya had the back seats folded down. Tonya slipped the box in and, together, they went for more. She could hardly look Priya in the eye for fear she would tear up. Something was wrong. Her parents had been acting weird, ever since they had talked her out of U of T. If they wanted her to stay here for safety, why had they left so fast? It was a question that preoccupied her until they loaded the last box.

“Well?” Priya stood behind the car, drumming her fingers on the glass. “Are you going to tell me why you haven’t said a word since we started moving boxes?”

“I never thought my parents would leave this place. I should say goodbye to it.” Tonya would miss the plant-filled kitchen and her bedroom with its second-story view. “It would be easy to go around the back and get in through the kitchen window. The lock’s broken.”

“But you won’t.”

“Of course not.”

Priya crossed her arms but didn’t say anything. Was she disappointed?

Since Tonya met Priya, they’d eaten dozens of meals together in the Mackenzie College cafeteria, but she still wasn’t sure what it meant when Priya frowned like that. Tonya slotted the last box into the back.

The motor was running when she got in beside Priya who said, “Come to the pub tonight?”

“I don’t know . . .”

Priya batted her eyelashes. “They have nachos.”

“I can have nachos anywhere.” Eating always made her feel better, but she didn’t share Priya’s enthusiasm for Hub Pub food. Besides, she should stay in her room and call Dad.

“You have to come with me and meet Duck.”

“Duck?”

“Well, Drake, but not Drake the Hip Hop star. He runs the Digital Ninjas.”

Tonya frowned. “I hate clubs.”

“How long have we known each other?”

“A month?”

“In that time, have I ever steered you wrong?”

“No . . .” How could she explain to cool, artistic Priya that Digital Ninjas sounded uber geeky? She sighed. Geeky but fun. Maybe it was time to stop thinking about what other people thought of her and do what she liked.

“C’mon. You two will be perfect for each other.”