Forecast: Mallory
The drive home was a lesson in anxiety. Every mile closer to the white monolith felt like a weight being added to a scale I no longer wanted to balance. I killed my headlights two blocks away, letting the Subaru glide through the pre-dawn shadows like a ghost. The gravel driveway felt like a minefield though, and I was certain the crunch of tires would wake my parents. My heart was a frantic bird against my ribs as I shifted into neutral and coasted the last twenty yards until I came to a stop. Trajectory: Zero. Momentum: Hidden. I didn’t use the garage. I slipped through the side gate and through the garden. My bare feet are damp with the morning dew as I eased open the back door and slipped inside the mudroom. I froze, holding my breath until my lungs burned, listening for the heav
- Writer
