The bulky packet full of instructions for the class project lay untouched on the dining room table of Mr. and Mrs. Hilton's medium-sized, three bedroom home. Solana hadn't even so much as looked at the packet since it was given to her, leaving it on the table to collect dust over the last couple of days. Now, on that bright and early Saturday morning, the young woman snatched the packet from the table and stuffed it deep inside her drawstring bag, right next to a packed lunch, a brand new spiral notebook and an unopened pack of mechanical pencils. Thanks to her foster parents, Solana was actually prepared for these next two weeks, physically, at least. The married couple had even bought her a new-ish pair of ripped jeans and a black hoodie from the local thrift shop for the first day. She paired this bland outfit with the pair of sneakers she'd spent hours cleaning a few nights ago. 

Mentally, however, Solana still hadn't fully recovered from her mini-breakdown. In her mind, school was at the very bottom of her list of priorities, and the only reason she even considered going back to finish was to avoid being kicked out as soon as she turned eighteen. In swift, quiet motions, Solana searched around for her purse, coat, and cell phone, being careful not to wake anyone. When she found her cell phone, which had been tucked in the front flap of her purse, she saw that she had a few text messages and notifications; Solana simply deleted them all and checked the time. It was still a bit early, but she decided that it was time for her to begin her trek to school. [color=gray][b]"Have a good day, Sol!"[/b][/color] Solana heard someone call after her, but she'd already pulled the door shut and skipped down the front stairs. Not much time passed before the young woman was seated on the subway, just a few feet away from a sleeping homeless man. She tucked a crumpled five dollar bill into his back pocket before getting off the train.

Next thing Sol knew, she was walking down the eerily quiet hallways of the high school, the sound of her heavy footsteps filling the silence. Soon, she was walking through the classroom door. She wasn't surprised to see two other people had arrived before her; she was never one to be early. She faintly recognized them, but knew she wouldn't be able to put names to faces no matter how hard she tried. [color=#7F7D71][b]"Good morning,"[/b][/color] she said simply to the others, not wanting to be rude. She took an empty seat near the others and sat her bag on the desk in front of her. She had to fight the urge to use the bag as a pillow and take a nap, deciding instead to rip open the pack of pencils and place everything neatly on the desk.