The Sub-Zero Summer | CURRENTLY UPDATING

Chapter 1

One foot flew to be in front of the other; again and again and again, in a steady pattern. Her legs propelled her through dark in a constant run.

The morning cold nipped at her flushed cheeks and brushed her chapped lips. The breeze tossed her loose ponytail about in the wind. The pavement beneath her made a tap-tap noise every time her sneaks landed on it. It was continual. It was constant. It was stable.

To Aubrey, running was more of a routine than exercise. It was therapeutic; the sort of thing one does not because they are forced too, but because it sets their day straight.

Racing around a corner, eighteen-year-old Aubrey flew past shadowy neighborhoods and gloomy apartment buildings. The morning sun could be spotted just momentarily reflecting off the topmost windows of the particularly high buildings. But other than those windows, the four-a.m. morning was black as the coffee that waited for her when she returned.

At this hour, her hometown of Washington DC was void of people. The bars were closed causing the Thursday-night-partiers from the night before to be home, while those who would be preparing for work had not yet had their first cup of coffee. It was that peaceful in-between hour that Aubrey treasured. No one was here. No one could see her. No one wanted to see her.

Across the bubblegum-caked sidewalks and past spray-painted buildings, her legs flew. Her body carried her out of the city life and into the empty side of DC. It was like instinct and her mind did not waste a thought on direction. Her body knew where it was headed.

She did her best to hold back her thoughts. Aubrey knew what would happen if she didn't. It was like a tidal wave of emotions held up by a dam. When she opened the door—just a crack—to her thoughts, they all came crashing down at once to sweep her away. She was stronger than that and wouldn't let it happen, she told herself.

Even still, the eighteen-year-old had trouble withstanding the temptation. Her destination was a guilty secret and the thoughts were inevitable once she arrived. She knew that. Part of her knew that's why she came here as many mornings as she was able but the other part would never admit it.

Aubrey rounded another corner.

Her excuse was that every other clearing in the city had too many lights nearby, polluting the sky so that she was unable to see the stars. But she was smarter than that. Deep down she knew quite well why she was out here. Never in her wildest dreams, though, would she admit it to herself.

Turning around the last corner, her sneakers set onto her childhood street. Aubrey's breathing became shallower. Her heart raced faster than before.

This place never did change much. The old apartment building had broken glass in its windows and spray-painted graffiti on the brick, yet other than that, the place was the same as the day she left.

Only one streetlight remained working on the avenue. It flickered as if at any moment it would go out. Bugs encircled that light in hopes of warmth.

Despite the spring air, Washington DC was still chilly at this time of year. Summer seemed to refuse to come, for the nights were just as cold as fall. Aubrey didn't mind the cold, though. In fact, she enjoyed it. As long as there was no snow, she could run better in the icy wind than in the hot summer clouds.

Nearing the end of the street, she paused her timer and began to walk. Fourteen minutes, her timer read. Not bad for the two miles she had run so far.

A year or two ago, her guardian, Aunt Vicky, had caught a glimpse at Aubrey's log of run times. Aunt Vicky had done all she could to get Aubrey to join the school's track team. Aubrey, however, complained she didn't run for speed and that it also conflicted with her "tight schedule."