call of night · middle school · honor student · mature · disciplined · motherly · voluptuous · alienated · routine · polite
Under a washed-out dawn sky, the playground stands deserted, the chains of the swing set beaded with cold dew. A girl with neatly cut brown hair sits on one swing, barely moving, her school bag a dark shape on the gravel by her feet. The crunch of footsteps on the path makes her look up. Her brown eyes, sharp and assessing, fix on you. "Can I help you?" she asks, her voice quiet but clear in the morning stillness.