Bizarre.
The temperature in the area had already soared past 37 degrees Celsius, and the town was surrounded by a high-desert-like climate.
Yet, all the won in town were dressed in vintage, solid-colored long dresses of pink, light green, and other pastel shades. Their attire was so conservative it covered them down to their wrists and ankles.
Their hairstyles were just as old-fashioned as their clothes, puffed up high in the front with intricate three or four-strand fishtail braids in the back.
They looked like people straight out of the last century, leaving both Li Wei and Anya stunned.
They searched for any sign of modernity among the won walking down the street or chatting under the eaves, but not a single one wore sneakers, jeans, or short-sleeved shirts. It made the entire town look like the set of a period film.
"Is this still the United States of Arica?" Anya muttered to herself as she pulled out her phone. "Did we sohow travel through ti?"
She glanced at her phone and saw she still had a signal and a stable internet connection. Seeing cars parked along the road also helped her relax a bit.
Li Wei parked in front of a store and turned to Anya. "Let’s go in and grab a few things. See if they have any snacks."
Anya hopped out of the car after Li Wei, and she imdiately noticed a few of the local won staring at her. Their eyes held a mixture of curiosity, wariness, and a hint of confusion.
She glanced down at her exposed collarbones, shoulders, and arms, then went back to the car to grab a light jacket. Only after draping it over herself did she follow Li Wei into the store.
Li Wei was already juggling several large bottles of Coke and mineral water, a multi-pack of Snickers bars dangling from his right hand.
Anya perused the aisles and happened to spot a box of skin-soothing cream for sensitive skin.
Just as she reached for it, another hand snatched it off the shelf faster than she could.
Anya froze, looking up to see a woman on the other side of the aisle.
She clearly wasn’t a local. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and was wearing a baseball cap.
"Oh, sorry," she said, pausing when she saw Anya’s outstretched hand. "Did you need this?"
Anya’s eyes drifted to the woman’s slightly rounded belly, and she realized she was pregnant.
"It’s fine," Anya said, waving her hand dismissively. "You can have it."
"Thank you," the woman said. "You don’t look like a local, either."
"I’m here with my boyfriend on a graduation trip," Anya said, gesturing toward Li Wei’s back. "That Cadillac Escalade outside is ours."
"From your accent, are you from New York?" The woman asked, slowly walking over to Anya with one hand on her belly. She extended the other. "My husband and I are from New York, too. I’m Sarah."
The middle-aged man who never left her side gave a polite nod. "Mark."
He had a trim build, far from overweight, and wore a pair of gold-rimd glasses that made him look like a highly educated professional.
"Anna," Anya replied, shaking Sarah’s hand. "How far along are you?"
"Seven months," Sarah said with a smile. "My husband and I are on a road trip, too."
She pointed outside to a rcedes G-Wagen parked next to the Cadillac Escalade.
Curious, Anya chatted with the woman nad Sarah for a little while.
Sarah and Mark had been married for over a decade. They had never taken a trip together because of Mark’s demanding job. But now, with Sarah pregnant and Mark having a month-long break between jobs, they decided to take a road trip from New York to Utah.
Anya noticed Sarah’s lips looked a little dry. After a mont’s thought, she went back to her car and returned with a brand-new bottle of moisturizing facial spray.
"Here, take this," she said, handing the spray to Sarah. "It’s safe to use during pregnancy."
"Thank you, Anna," Sarah said, accepting the spray with a surprised and grateful expression. "I ant to pack more, but our trunk was completely full."
"Would you like to rest in my car for a minute?" Anya offered. "It’s so hot out there."
"Oh, no, thank you," Sarah politely declined. "I don’t want to be any more trouble. Even though I’m pregnant, I’m fine standing for a little while."
Anya nodded and didn’t press the issue.
"May God bless you, Anna," Sarah said gently. "I hope you and your boyfriend have a wonderful trip."
"Thanks," Anya replied with a smile. "You too."
By the ti Sarah and her husband left the store, Li Wei had finished shopping and paid for everything.
"New York plates," Li Wei comnted, watching the G-Wagen pull away. "You know them?"
"Nope," Anya said, shaking her head. "I just saw she was pregnant and we struck up a conversation."
"All right," Li Wei said, holding up the shopping bags. "Ready to go? I’ll need to fill up the tank soon."
The two of them got back in the car and continued on their planned route.
As Li Wei watched the streetscape recede out the window, he felt an ever-growing sense of strangeness about the town.
It seed both new and old at the sa ti. More than that, the number of won seed unusually high—almost three tis the number of n.
As he was looking around, Li Wei suddenly spotted a billboard for a place called the Fan Yan Resort.
"How much farther is it?" Anya asked. "Think we’ll make it to the hotel I booked tonight? I can’t wait to take a shower."
"We should," Li Wei said, pulling his gaze back to the road and glancing at the GPS. "It’s about another 200 kiloters. If we take one break, we should get there around 4 p.m."
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