Chapter 4 — Chance Encounters

Layla

I wasn’t sure why I ended up at the wooded park that afternoon. Maybe it was the faint glimmer of sunlight filtering through the clouds, the kind that whispered faint promises of spring. Or maybe it was the unbearable stillness in my house, where every sound ricocheted off Donna’s pristine walls like a passive-aggressive echo of everything I’d lost. Either way, I grabbed my hoodie, stuffed my astronaut keychain into my pocket, and headed for the trails without a second thought.