For a moment Sophia had been legitimately frightened. [i]Did I just let a crazed ax murderer into my fucking car?[/i] She thought to herself in a panic. [i]And now I'm bringing him to the woods where he could easily hide my body. Fantastic![/i] When Tim revealed that he was joking she calmed down, but still felt a little on edge. "Well," she said, grimacing a bit, "you might want to work on your jokes, Tim. I may have a twisted sense of humor at times, but you've gotta start off small when you first meet someone, ok?" The rest of the car ride was a bit silent with neither parties really saying much. When they finally reached Nottingham Park, however, Sophia seemed to relax completely.

She pulled up to the small wooden building where visitors stopped to declare what they were doing and to pay the fees--the money brought in by the park went into helping to preserve it and keep it in order. However, if you went to the park often you could simply pay a small fee and you got a pass that was good for the year. Sophia went to the park often enough that she decided to invest in one, and all she had to do today was pay a small fee for Tim's entrance.

"Hello, Mr. Thompson," Sophia greeted the guard by name. "Bringing a friend with me today. Just using the trails." She handed Mr. Thompson a five dollar bill and in return he gave her a paper pass to put in the car's window when she parked.

"Have a good day," Mr. Thompson said, tipping his hat to her before she drove off.

Sophia quickly found a place to park and she got out of the car, stretched and breathed deeply. "Ah," she sighed contentedly. "Better already." She pulled her backpack out of the back seat and shrugged it on, locked the car after Tim got out, and pocketed the keys. "Ready to go?" She asked, her normal happy grin back in place. She led him to one of the many trails, one of the easier ones, and started off into the forest.

It was a nice day. The air was cool and crisp, the sun shining brightly, the sky clear except for the hint of some storm clouds in the distance. But those clouds were miles away and Sophia didn't think it would give them any trouble. The forest itself was beautiful. Pines stood tall and proud, their foliage still green, while oaks and elms and other deciduous trees where painted in yellows, reds, and oranges. Many of the deciduous trees had already begun dropping their leaves and there was a nice carpeting of them on the forest floor. The dried ones made a delicious crunch when trod upon. Birds song floated through the air and nearby a brook burbled happily.

Turning to Tim, Sophia smiled and asked, "Nice, isn't it?"