The first signs of autumn decorated the world around Izzy, the trees in the process of transitioning. Though many leaves flaunted the glorious reds, browns, and oranges of fall, summer still clung to some in a desperate attempt at remaining for as long as it could.
	It had been so long since she had dared come here, but Izzy could not fully enjoy the satisfaction of conquering part of her fears. Instead, she trudged through the park, inwardly grumbling to herself, a scowl on her face as she mulled the morning’s events over in her head. She shivered when a cold wind blew by, and removed her hands from the pockets of her usual camouflage-patterned jacket to fully zip it up.
	As she headed toward one of the trailheads she thought did not lead around the river—[i]that[/i] fear could wait for another day[/i]—she could not help but start to feel like coming here was, perhaps, a mistake. She hesitated and glanced down either side of the sidewalk, debating on if she should return to where she had chained her bike up and find somewhere else, or continue onward.
	With a quick, frustrated sigh, she decided on neither. Instead, she sat, hard, in one of the metal benches periodically lining the concrete walk. She placed her elbow on her knee and chin in her hand as the cold of the bench’s metal bars seeped through her pants, mulling over the morning’s events yet again. The more she thought on her fight with her brothers, the angrier she felt.
	Her attention snapped over at the sound of a familiar voice.
	“Oh, hey,” she said when she saw Holden approaching. “Nah, it’s just a shapeshifter in Izzy’s skin.”
	She watched him walking toward her before her face pulled down into a glowering frown at his comment.
	She sighed again when he finished, and rolled her eyes, trying to pull herself from her foul mood. “Only for today,” she grumbled. “Besides. You’re dressed in colors better suited for the circus life than me.” She nodded to him with a slight smile. “What’re you doing out here?” She scooted over from the center of the bench so he would have room if he wanted to sit.