11
Anna ran through a field.
The grass rustled under her feet, and the wind caressed her, offering the barest hint of relief from the summer’s heat. Sweat matted hair to her forehead. Jack was beside her. She would never admit it, but she had to struggle to keep pace with him. Keepers were all roughly equal in terms of strength, but he had those long legs!
They ran north toward a school constructed from red bricks and white duroplastic, a squat, single-storied buildings with rectangular windows. Taking refuge on the east side, they found a little relief from the afternoon sun.
Anna almost sighed when she stepped into the shade.
Turning around, she pressed her back to the wall, then bent over and massaged her forehead with three fingers. “Who’d have thought a small town would be so big
