He stood in the small courtyard, admiring the entrance. “Terraset,” read the banner hanging over the front doors. “The Hill with a School Inside.” The website had described it as the first solar-powered elementary educational facility in Virginia, and indeed, on top of the building he saw gleaming silver panels framed with orange metal piping. A light, mechanical whir sounded, and the panels adjusted to better catch the late morning sun. The flag flapped in the wind, the rope tinged metallically against the pole. In the distance, he heard the slow rev of a bus climbing a hill.
The school was remarkably silent when he entered. Before him ran the dark, empty expanse of the commons. Openings like windows sat on either side, and he could see that he would have to go down a ramp in order to r
