66 A Night in the Woods, Part One

Snowflakes gently descended from the pale blue winter sky, gradually accumulating alongside streets and above rooftops. The city landscape was transformed into a vista of pearly white mounds with a softened texture.

The local high school, Agawa noticed, was no exception.

"What? I'm back?"

She swiveled her head to take in the familiar expanse of the concrete and glass campus. An ovular track lay behind her, its white runner lines faint against patches of snow.

Looking down, she ran her hand along her tracksuit's metal zipper. Each groove was frigid but held a warmth of familiarity.

Every sensation felt vividly real, from the dark green fabric encasing her body to the cold air brushing her flushed cheeks.

Then the chime of a loud school bell echoed across the campus grounds. Following the loud clang was a stampede of hurried footsteps from nearby students.

"Oh, this is bad! We gotta go! C'mon! I can't miss this class; my dad'll kill me!"