Grace lounged next to Gabriella on a metal bench that faced an outdoor park near the Pack House. The sound of children’s enthusiastic cries filled the area as they played with each other on various pieces of playground equipment or simply chased and dodged each other with games of tag. Their cheeks were rosy and they were bundled in light jackets as the first day of October was a little chillier than the previous days. A few young women roved around the playground, supervising; it became apparent that the group of children were part of a daycare when one of the kids called out to the older woman, labeling her as Miss Jessie.
Gabriella was thankful for the slight drop in temperature. Wearing the long-sleeved tee-shirt helped conceal the bandage she had wrapped around the cuts on h
