The sun was still above the horizon, but in the bustle of the city it was lost behind the buildings. Deep violet shadows gathered and threw fingerlike tendrils across the churned snow. Katelina and Ume left the abandoned building behind and walked down the street. The buildings around them were also empty, marked with signs written in a symbol language Katelina didn't understand. The street ended at another, and it was like stepping from a graveyard into the throbbing pulse of life. People zipped past on bicycles and women in dresses and headscarves moved in chattering groups. Cars wound down the road, but the pedestrians appeared unconcerned, and crossed in front of them at will.
Despite the people Katelina felt they stood out; Ume in her bizarre pajama-like ensemble and herself in a dus
