Seventeen
For a while, Scarlet let the white noise of the out-of-bounds radio station fill her ears, counting on the annoying static to keep her awake and alert. The sun begun to rise over the mountainside, casting long dragging shadows across the forest roads ahead, sleet dissipating in its warming beams. It sure was a sight to behold; golden light filled in the treetops above making it appear as if she was riding into the heavens itself. So high up in the mountains, she had a sudden lift of spirit.
The radio caught a song, then faded again as the road began a long descent toward the town, the sun eclipsed by the high rise of the mountainside, shadows and fog closing in once more.
Finally, a road sign came into view. She took note of the town’s name and its population count. Her eyes f
