When they came down, Lara stopped them near the entrance. She was holding a basket of folded laundry and looked at them with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
"Where are you going?" Lara asked. Her eyes moved from one to the next. Even in their cheap T-shirts, they looked out of place, their posture too perfect and their skin too clean.
"We're going to do something, Miss Lara," Alexander replied. He gave her a polite nod. "We'll be back soon."
Lara shifted the basket to her hip. "Ah, okay. But be careful. This place is in the middle of nowhere. If you walk toward the main road, stay on the path. The road gets confusing if you wander off."
Alexander smiled and nodded again. "We'll be careful. Thank you."
As they stepped out onto the gravel driveway, the heat hit them like a physical wall. There was no breeze, only the sound of cicadas buzzing in the tall trees surrounding the place.
