Dawn of Dreams

Chapter 3

Kayla studied her room with a mixture of jubilation and annoyance. It was spacious with its own walk-in closet and place for all her shoes, but how long would she be here to enjoy it?

She glared at the moving boxes stacked against one wall. With her father's job as a contractor, her family was lucky if they only moved once every few years. Sometimes, though, it was a scant six months before it was time to pick up and move . . . again. It was getting old.

Although she enjoyed the new homes to explore, rooms to decorate, and stores to exploit, she dreaded navigating the new LCs and the "friends" her parents expected her to make. Being a loner was almost easier. That way, there were no tearful goodbyes when it was time to move on.

Miserably, she thought of Grailynn, her best friend ever, whom she had had to abandon for this last transfer. It had been her toughest farewell. She and Grailynn shared a rare friendship where they could literally finish each other's sentences.

Kayla was still angry her parents had denied her request to stay with Grailynn's family through the end of the semester. What difference could a few extra weeks have possibly made? But no, they insisted I leave when they did. She had lost out on that last precious ounce of time with Grailynn. Her early departure from the LC also meant she would start the new semester hindered by a graduated average instead of her typical stellar year-end results.

Fresh fury flared. She slit the throat of the nearest box, choked by clothes. Grabbing garments, she hurled them onto shelves. The box emptied, she snatched another. She disposed its contents of in a similarly destructive fashion. Rage driving her on, she terrorized two more boxes before yanking on the carton containing her shoes. The cardboard creaked, briefly resisting before resigning with a hissing rip. The tearing sliced Kayla's anger, and her temper receded.

Taking a steadying breath, she freed the first pair of shoes: dainty sling-back sandals in a delicate shade of blue, perfect for summer evening socials. Smiling at the memories they invoked, she willed herself to calm down and relaxed into the tranquil task of savoring each pair.

At least relocating came with the benefit of her parents owing her new shoes. Although this was their way of bribing her and a gesture she rarely took advantage of, this time she would appropriate her pound of flesh.

Another sigh escaped when her fingers found her running shoes. More memories of what she had lost. Running with Grailynn had been one of their favorite afternoon activities. Daily, they had basked in the freedom of being able to stretch their legs on the unspoiled beaches of the shoreline near their homes. Kayla's pale green eyes went dreamy as she remembered the ocean with its ever-changing color palette and scented breezes, brushing warm, salty air across her face. The closest she would come to sea and surf now would be the lake they had passed on the way to their new home.

It was about a grid away, a nice warm-up distance. She had caught snatches of graveled sections, hinting at a pathway around its perimeter, when their terraporter had skirted the lake. Now that she was thinking of it, perhaps it was time to check it out.

Hurriedly scraping her blonde hair into a tidy ponytail, she picked through the muddled clothes strewn across her closet. Pouncing with triumph on a long-sleeved workout tee and some heavyweight running pants, she dragged them on. A thermal sweater followed the tee, and then she slid her feet into her shoes. Down the stairs she bounded, aiming for the street door and yelling to her mom she was going for a run. Without waiting for a reply, she dashed out and escaped.

Although it was gloriously sunny, an icy wind nipping at her exposed flesh tempered the sun's warmth. Summer was at least a month away. The snow-covered mountains dwarfing the community were probably the source of the chilled air. Setting her PAL to "private" mode, she absorbed the music filtering directly into her ears and studied the mountains as she warmed up.