Gwh stood behind a pine tree, shrouded in the faintest light, watching the two figures struggling ahead of her.
"I told you toe out here with me, and you did. Don''t pretend you''re not interested," the man sneered, his voice low and grating. "We''re both adults. Why act coy? There''s nobody around for miles-doesn''t the thrill of the wild excite you? Now quit stalling and take your clothes off-"
The man tried to pull the woman closer. Gwh understood the situation now: a man and a woman hiking up the mountain together, but while the man clearly had other intentions, the woman seemed clueless, probably thinking he''d just invited her for a simple hike.
Gwh hadn''t nned to get involved, but this was the only trail up the mountain, and the girl was obviously ufortable. With a quick decision, Gwh cupped her hands around her mouth and let out an eerie owl''s call that echoed through the night, chilling and unnatural.
She picked up a fist-sized rock, took aim by the meager starlight, and hurled it at the man. The stone struck him squarely on the forehead.
"Who the hell-Who threw that?"
The woman seized the moment,nded a solid kick right between the man''s legs, and as he doubled over in pain, Gwh dashed forward, grabbed the girl''s hand, and pulled her into a sprint up the trail.
The girl, startled to find anyone else here at all, rxed only when she saw Gwh was another woman. sping hands, the two of them ran for their lives toward the summit.
What should have been an hour''s climb, they finished in forty minutes.
Gwh was in peak shape, but the other girl was running on adrenaline alone. When they finally reached the top, just as the first streaks of dawn split the sky with scarlet light, the girl copsed onto the ground, breathless and unable to
move.
At the summit, Gwh realized they weren''t alone-dozens of people had gathered here to watch the sunrise. The crowd offered safety; danger was left somewhere down the mountain.
"Thank you."
Only now did the girl get a good look at Gwh''s face and she stared in astonishment.
"Vivian?"
But... the age didn''t seem right.
Vivian was a legendary racer from over a decade ago-a genius behind the wheel, the leader of a famous racing team. Anyone in the racing scene knew her name. The girl herself was a fan of racing and all kinds of extreme sports.
Vivian was her absolute idol. She''d managed to get her hands on one of Vivian''s
rare posters and had kept it above her bed for years, carefully taking it with her every time her family moved.
Gwh noticed the girl mention Victoria Turner''s nickname, and a flicker of emotion passed through her eyes.
She pretended not to hear. "You should be safe now."
She hadn''t intended to save a stranger tonight, let alone make a new friend.
After the sunrise, Gwh nned to visit a famous old chapel nearby-perhaps light a candle for her father, wishing him peace.
"Hey, my name''s Leonie Everhart. What''s yours?" Leonie asked, staring at her with wide, unblinking eyes.
She couldn''t help blurting out, "You really do look just like Vivian-she''s my idol, you know."
The second mention of her mother''s name caught Gwh''s attention.
"You''re a big fan?" she asked.
Leonie nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I race too-love hiking, extreme sports, all of it. Vivian''s always been my hero. Has anyone ever told you how much you look like her?"
Gwh just said, "So I''ve heard."
And then she fell silent.
It was a long way from Greenvale to
Starfall City thousands of miles, and yet Gwh hade all this way. She''d loved racing ever since she was a child, and without
ve''
realizing it, her whole life had begun
tomirror her mother''s.
Yet, for all their simrities, facing Victoria brought only guilt. If she hadn''t idolized that woman when she was a child, maybe her mother wouldn''t have had to raise three kids alone. Maybe her father wouldn''t still be lying in that hospital bed, lost in a sleep he couldn''t wake from.