Chapter 1Cooper
Long branches, nearly empty, moved with the wind, scraping against the side of the house and brushing over onto the roof. A single dried leaf swirled down around me as I hopped from one foot to the other, clapping my mittened hands together. Dead grass crunched under my feet and I wanted to kick myself for running out the front door without shoes—but that would probably hurt without shoes. And why did I think these mittens would keep my hands warm? They were cute and all, but they were loosely knitted and clearly more to be worn as an accessory than for, you know, actual use in the cold.
Remnants of the sunset spilled dusky orange from the east and normally I’d have loved to take the time to drink in the beauty, especially since a gorgeous full moon was also gracing the s
