[COLOR=gray][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]B R Y N N R E Y E S[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sup]9:47 PM, Wednesday Night | Crestwood General Hospital[/sup][/INDENT] Brynn’s fingers moved quickly over the keyboard as she typed out another line of her English essay, mind so lost in her writing that she didn’t notice the nurse approaching. “Ms. Reyes,” the nurse — Ankitha — said gently. Brynn looked up in surprise, tensing before relaxing and smiling. [color=gray]“Please, Ankitha, call me Brynn,” [/color]the girl said, rising from her seat in the comfortable cushiony chair in the waiting room of the hospital. Stretching her back, Brynn looked around curiously. [color=gray]“Is the hospital closing soon?”[/color] “In thirteen minutes, but you should catch him before he leaves” the nurse said with a smile. “Your father is heading to the main hospital after — something about a possible case of acute leukaemia.” [color=gray]“Thanks, Ankitha,” [/color]Brynn said with a sigh.[color=gray] “I guess I should have come yesterday — thought he would have had at least one day free this week.”[/color] The nurse watched the girl head towards the back of the clinic with a sad smile. Through her twelve years of working with him, Dr. Michael Reyes had always struck her as a kind, compassionate person. She’d assumed that it all carried carried over to his home setting as well, but it soon became clear that Michael wasn’t one to put family over his passion. That much was clear. [I]The estranged family of a doctor, I suppose,[/i] the woman thought as she took a last perfunctory glance around the clinic, making sure everything was in place for when they opened the next morning. [I]It’s quite amazing that both of his children have grown up into such mature, respectable individuals despite the lack of parental presence in their lives.[/i] Brynn pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, rapping her knuckles on it lightly to catch the white-garbed man’s attention. [color=gray]”Dad,” [/color]Brynn said as the man swivelled around on his roller chair, lifting his reading glasses as he did so. “Brynn! Honey, how are you?” Michael Reyes asked, a broad smile stretched over his tired features. “What brings you down to the clinic?” [color=gray]”Parent signature,” [/color]Brynn said with a polite smile, brandishing the form she’d gotten from Lehrer before handing it over to her father. [color=gray]“Was hoping to catch you earlier at home, but you didn’t come home...”[/color] The man pulled a face, receiving the form with a sorrowful expression. “Oh Brynn, you know how things are around here,” Michael said. “The Williams’ boy came down with a terrible flu the other day, and then Kurt Lorenzo dropped by the next day — you remember him from Christmas? And then—” [color=gray]“It’s fine, Dad. Really,”[/color] Brynn said with a small smile. [color=gray]“You’re busy. I get it.”[/color] “Really?” Michael asked, eyes widening for a second before he visibly relaxed with a sigh. “That’s a relief. Well, what do we have here?” the man asked, frowning as he slipped on his glasses and stared down at the paper. “Camping trip? Over the weekend? Brynn, you know that your brother’s flying back for a visit—” [color=gray]“That’s next week, Dad,”[/color] Brynn said flatly. Michael looked up in surprise before laughing awkwardly, relieved. “Oh, it is, isn’t it? Wow, I guess I really am tired,” he said, frowning. “Well then of course you can go. Behave yourself, yes?” Michael asked, signing his name at the bottom of the form as he continued. “There’ve been more incidents in the woods lately, and I don't want you getting hurt.” [color=gray]“Of course, Dad,”[/color] Brynn said, taking the form back and folding it up before depositing it into her bag. [color=gray]“I’ll see you later then.”[/color] Michael looked like he was going to protest for a moment, but the phone rang and a look of realization dawned on his face. “Dr. Reyes speaking,” he said, picking up the receiver and waving goodbye to his daughter. “Yes. Yep, I’m on my way over now. See you in a few. Alright, you too. Bye.” [hr][INDENT][sup]5:00 PM, Friday Evening | Orlaith Valley Trail and Park[/sup][/INDENT] The bus ride was uneventful, and Brynn spent the drive gazing out the window, mind blank. The first part of the hike was the same. As a runner, Brynn wasn’t bothered by the length of the hike, so she instead spent her time enjoying the fresh air and reminiscing about the days when her family used to hike together. It seemed so far away now, so unbelievable that her father, mother, and brother used to take time out of their busy lives and spend it with each other, and yet it once was. Her brother had once been an avid hiker, dragging her parents out on hikes in their spare time, but then he entered high school and life picked up. Caden had to focus on his studies, Brynn’s father was opening up a new hospital in downtown Crestwood, and her mother was finally getting her promotion. A decade later, and here Brynn was, hiking with a bunch of classmates she barely knew much less felt a connection with. A commotion broke out ahead of her, snapping Brynn out of her daze. It was the troublemaker, Sebastian, and Aiden McKenna. Sebastian was the aggressor, by the looks of it, but the tussle soon took a brutal edge that was more furious than Brynn thought necessary or even possible for two high schoolers. Alarmed, Brynn looked ahead to Lehrer, but Winter stepped in and shouted something that stopped her cold. Controlling fire? Spells? Had the younger girl finally cracked under pressure? Sure Brynn knew that Winter had been behaving a bit oddly the past week, not hanging out with her usual crowd, but she had no idea that it’d been that bad. [color=gray]“Back off Aiden,”[/color] Brynn snapped at the boy when he waved the lighter around again. [color=gray]“You have a point right now, so let’s keep it that way and put the lighter away.”[/color] Turning, Brynn jogged over to Winter who was currently being patted on the back by Evander. [color=gray]“Winter, you okay?”[/color] Brynn asked, eyes scanning her friend’s face for any indication of pain or worse. Behind her she heard Belle say something before walking over to Winter, leading the girl away and whispering something in her ear comfortingly. Figuring that Belle was probably one of the friends Winter had picked up during the last week or so, Brynn shrugged and dropped back to talk to Evander. [color=gray]“You’d think that, since we’re on a trust-building trip and all, they’d think twice about fighting,”[/color] Brynn commented with a frown. As long as she didn't get dragged into it, Brynn was fine with the others tearing themselves to pieces, although she’d prefer not to have to clean up the scraps.