Snippet #1819205

Sirsi walked leisurely to school. She didn't always exploit her circumstance, but this morning she could use the fresh air and no one would question her story. Sorry I'm late. She played her story through her head. My therapy session went longer that it was supposed to. The teacher would nod and send her to her seat.

It was quiet moments like this that made her feel normal. Not that it was though. The surroundings for one... When her mom disappeared two years ago and the county found out, she had to put up a pretty big fight to be emancipated. It was decided that living in the city, instead of rural No Where, would make accessing resources easier. She liked the city. She liked being able to walk from one place to the next or simply grab a cab, but there were no open spaces like before. School was different too. Lots of people. Lots of curious people. It didn't take long, everyone was friendly enough. Not like back home, but she had Ren. She didn't really know why, but from day one he had been a friend to her. She had lots of 'friends'. Acquaintances that felt comfortable enough to open up to her, but only Ren saw who she really was inside. And even he only saw it in her week moments; when she couldn't keep it battened down any longer.

The smell was different in the city too. No fresh breezes to enjoy, but smog and car exhaust to fill the lunges. She took a deep breath. Wait a minute. She thought, sifting through the breath. Soot? It was hotter and different than usual. She rounded a corner and looked up. More suspicious lights. Like she had been seeing for weeks. Below the lights, her school was a wreck. At least the side she saw had a huge hole in it, with students fleeing or standing in awe. Her eyes were drawn to the side, where she saw Ren approaching the wreckage. Relief left her breathless. She had lost enough. Ren, though she tried to keep him at arms length, was there, always if she needed him. Something drew her to him... She shook her head, still confused about it. The confusion only got worse as she saw more of those wierd lights...