The large car resembled something like a limousine. The spacious back end had a small fridge and cupboard where Sage found healthy snacks for the trip. The fridge held sodas, fruit juices, bottled water and a few bottles of wine. Not sure how long the trip would be, she wondered how to ask the driver on the other side of the dark glass panel she was pretty sure was called a privacy glass when it suddenly moved and disappeared into the space between the seats.

"Is there anything you need, Miss Sage?" he asked, glancing in the mirror before watching the road again.

"Ah ... I do have questions," Sage said, waiting until the driver nodded.

"How can I help?" he asked.

"Where to begin?" she sighed, "How long is the trip going to take?"

"Around four hours," he said, "we'll stop to refuel, and you will be able to stretch your legs a short while."

Nodding, Sage looked at the refreshments, "Is the car always this luxurious?"

"It is a requirement to be well stocked when picking up the house occupants for Coopers Creek?" he said, not glancing at the mirror this time.

"Have you driven to this house before?" Sage asked.

"My father took the previous occupant, and I drove with him," the driver said, "it is a requirement that the location remain known to a few people."

"Is Coopers Creek a town?" Sage asked, shifting to see the driver's profile.

"It is, but by today's standards, more like a village," he said.

"Huh, so people really live there," Sage said, "has anyone left the house after taking occupancy?"

"Not according to our records," the driver said, "after six months, they don't want to leave."

"That is interesting," Sage sighed, "are the previous occupants single people?"

"Most of them were," he said, glancing at her, "once it was a young couple, and yes, they remained and had their family there."

"Really? Are their family still there?" Sage asked, curiosity blooming.

"Oh, we don't know," he said, "we only know of the occupants."

"Are the previous occupants alive or dead?" Sage asked.

"They have all passed," the driver said, "that is the only way the current occupant can move in."

Nodding, Sage wondered what kind of place Coopers Creek could be that people moved there, lived there, and must be happy there, but the rest of the world seemed to remain ignorant of its existence.

"You're not going into a Twilight Zone scenario," the driver said, snagging her attention and making her chuckle.

"I was wondering that," Sage said, "may I know who it is that drives me to my new life?"

"Albert is the name," the driver said, smiling, "thank you for asking."

"Albert," Sage murmured, "that is a nice strong name. You know mine ... Sage. Was your father named Albert?"

"No, he was Alfred," the driver said, glancing in the mirror again, "you are very curious. I think you'll fit in well with the house."

"Don't you mean the people in the village?" Sage asked, a frown puckering between her brows.

"That as well," Albert said, keeping his attention on the road, "please help yourself to anything you may require from the fridge or snack cupboard. There is also a pillow and blanket under the back-facing chair should you wish to nap on the way."

"Thank you, Albert," Sage said, turning to the window as the city disappeared and the countryside's green filled her view, "four hours ... I may as well enjoy it."

Reaching for a bag of dried meat and a bottle of wine, Sage settled herself to watch the new world she was heading toward drift by her.

Megan shook her head as she listened to the older members of the board prattle about things that didn't seem necessary to the running of the business. She looked around at the department heads sitting at the round table, all giving their views on various topics, but her mind was elsewhere. Concern for Sage sat in her gut like a lead-lined ball. She had followed every instruction but one. No contact with the outside world. Yes, she had taken Sage's phone, but she couldn't let her go into the unknown without some form of contact with the outside world should she need it. Megan nibbled on her lower lip as she wondered if she would lose her job over this violation. The meeting broke up, and she was alone with the company's president. Glancing at him, Megan wondered if he would leave the room. Pulling her things together, she prepared to stand but paused as she noticed her pen was on the floor. Pushing her chair out, she scooped it up and straightened.

"Is it done?" his mellow voice wafted to her from where he sat; she glanced at him as he gathered his possessions.

"Yes, but I still don't know why you wanted Sage to go," she said, pushing to her feet and preparing to leave the room, "it could have been anyone else."

He shook his head slowly, "No, the clause stating that it had to be someone needing peace and freedom is ironclad and very specific. In this day and age, you would think there would be many who fit that description, but I was surprised that there was truly only one person who ticked all the boxes."

Megan nodded, turning to leave the room, but his words made her pause, "Let me know when she makes contact with you."

Turning, she looked at him puzzled, "Contact me?"

He smiled, "You wouldn't be any kind of a friend if you left her without some way to contact you in case she needed you for anything."

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Megan sighed, "Am I in breach of contract?"

He chuckled, "No, as long as your number is the only one she has."

"It is," Megan said, nodding, "I'll let you know when she makes contact."

"Thank you for helping with this, Megan," he said, "I hope Sage finds what she is looking for."

"So do I," Megan said, smiling as she left the room.

Looking across the room at a large portrait of a beautiful woman, he smiled, "Well, Rosemary, even after all this time, you're still saving lives."

Pushing in his chair, he followed Megan from the room; this was the third occupant he had sent to the house. A house he had never seen in a place he had never been, but he trusted Rosemary Channing's instinct when she had drawn up the bequest. She had been known to say that there was always someone who needed help, but there would always be someone who needed it more than anyone else. Never before had she been proven so right, and this time, it was someone from within the walls of this company she had started, grown and run. He wondered if Rosemary would be happy about Sage visiting the house and living there. Shrugging, he wandered toward his office and the rest of his day.

Sage sighed as her eyes fluttered open. Had she fallen asleep? The car was stationary, pushing up into a sitting position. She looked out the window, finding herself looking at a filling station. Albert was nowhere to be seen, so she slowly got out of the car and stretched in the warmth of the sunshine. Turning in a circle, she found only one other car filling its tank. A young man was watching the car and then herself as Sage appeared. Smiling at him, she looked around; an open field was across the broad road, and trees sprinkled shade everywhere.

"It's so green," she whispered, turning as the sounds of a door opening came to her ears the quiet air, "Albert," she sighed, smiling.

"You're awake," he said, coming toward her, "apologies for taking my jacket off, but it got a little hot."

"Please don't worry about that," Sage said, "are we off again?"

"If you want to take a few more moments, we can," Albert said, looking around spying the young man staring at Sage, "or not."

"I ... would like to move on," Sage said, "he is making me feel uncomfortable."

"Then let's go," Albert whispered, drawing a smile from Sage, "we are an hour from the house, so it's not much longer."

"Fantastic," Sage said, sliding into the car again and waiting while Albert closed the door, "an hour away."

Pulling her laptop from her backpack, Sage saw the app for the answering machine flashing. Frowning, she opened the app and groaned, "Oh no ... so many messages."

She might as well get this out of the way, "Why couldn't they come and visit instead of treating me like a servant or a modern-day Cinderella?" she muttered. "What do you all want now?"

The first few were her mother wanting to know what flowers she had arranged for the party and don't forget her brother's allergies. They seemed to follow one after another, two talking about her brother's allergies. Sage felt confused.

"Since when does he have allergies?" Sage muttered, deleting the messages and listening to those that followed with half an ear. Deleting them as she went. The glass lowered, and Albert's voice informed her they were half an hour away from Coopers Creek.

"Thank you, Albert," Sage said, staring at the app, "do I want to take all this baggage with me to this new life?" She whispered, narrowing her gaze on the app, "I gave away everything they were attached to it. Do I want to take this ... stress with me?"

Sighing, she shook her head. No way. She wanted none of what they had to offer, tainting her new life. Quickly ridding her laptop of the app, Sage set it to defrag, making sure nothing from the program could possibly remain and have a hold on her fresh start. Looking out the window, she thought she had caught a glimpse of water, but with all the greenery around, Sage wasn't sure what she was seeing. Perhaps it was a lake on someone's property. The ding on her laptop informed her of the completion of the command, and Sage powered down and put it away. It felt strange that she wouldn't hear all the complaining again, but it would be good. Sage quickly looked out the window when the sudden change of scenery caught her eye.

"What the heck?" she frowned, staring bewildered at a large body of water, "Albert, is that the ocean?"

"It is," Albert answered, "we'll be at the house in ten minutes."

"Is Coopers Creek close to the sea?" Sage asked.

"It is," Albert said, "very close."

"How close?" Sage asked.

"That you will see shortly," Albert said before closing the glass panel between them.

"Huh, what are you hiding?" she murmured, staring at the passing beauty. Everything was green and blue, splashes of colour from blooming flowers sprinkled the open meadows. Large, tall trees spread wide arcs of shade over the places they stood. The car suddenly turned, and the road began to wind downward. Sage could see the plume of dust behind the car in the side mirrors.

"An unmarked dirt road," Sage whispered, as suddenly a village appeared around the last corner, "wow, look at that. Right on the seashore."

The car slowed, making its way through the surprisingly wide streets to the opposite end of town where an immense span of grounds could be seen slightly raised from the beach below with an ornate wall surrounding it.

"It can't be there," Sage whispered as the car pulled up to a set of iron gates, which opened as though on their own and slowly drove through. Sage shook her head as she took in the beautifully kept grounds, the private entrance to the beach below and the winding driveway under an arch of trees toward a large white house, reminding Sage of some she had seen in the movies from decades ago, "this is the house of a rich person."

The car stopped in front of a set of shallow stone stairs leading to a large double wooden door. Sage slowly opened the car door, stepping out onto a gravel-covered driveway. Walking to the back of the vehicle, she took in the grounds and shook her head in wonder.

"Is this the house I'm to live in?" she murmured.

"Correct," Albert said, pulling a set of keys from his pocket and walking up the stairs to the front door, "I'll bring your belongings in, and then, unfortunately, I will have to leave you."

"Oh, wouldn't you like something to drink first?" Sage asked, watching him move with surprising speed as he moved her few things into the house. Sage followed slowly, taking in everything around her.

"I have something waiting for me at the pub on the shore," Albert said, smiling, "thank you for the invitation. Here are the keys to the house," he handed her a large ring with several keys attached, "this one …" he pulled one from the pile in Sage's hand, "… is for the front door."

Nodding, Sage thanked him and watched him leave before moving into the high-ceilinged entrance hall of the house.

"Oh my word," she whispered, "my entire apartment could fit in this one room."

Closing the doors behind her, Sage moved around the area, getting a feel for her new home. On a side table, she found a folder with her name on it.

"What is this?" Sage asked, picking up the folder and opening it, "I'll be darned …" slowly, she began to read through her "welcome" pack; each of the keys was named and where she could use them, the plan of the house and where to find all the rooms, the code to the gate should she wish to drive to the village, "I have cars …" she whispered as she took in the code for the garage and many other vital details for her to be comfortable in the house.

Turning to the last page, she froze. A picture of herself only yesterday was attached to the page marked as "find the legend". Everything Megan had told her was detailed here, but there was much more.

"Holy Moly," Sage hissed, "I have six months to find out what the legend is and write an article about it …" sudden understanding filled her, "… six months ...huh … now I know why that time was insisted on."

Looking around, Sage decided she needed to locate a bathroom and then a kitchen before she started researching with the help of the material supplied.

"This place is massive," she sighed, "let's get acquainted, house."

Taking her folder, Sage moved through the house, finding luxury in every corner. How could a house like this possibly come with a legend?

What kind of legend?

Well, she had six months to find out.