When people said nothing ever happened in small towns, she mused that they never actually lived in a small town long enough to understand that big thing did happen. And they happened with increasing frequency in the town she had lived in since she was ten. When she was ten and up until she was about fifteen, nothing had really happened in Stalbrad. When she was fifteen, the fires had started and people had started getting hurt. The first few fires had been accidents, at least that was how the story went, and then the later ones seemed too...intentional to be accidents. And it all started to fall on the shoulders of one of the boys at school, he was thirteen the first time he was accused of doing something, but there was no evidence. At least, that was what she understand, since had never been arrested.
Being a couple years ahead of him, gave her the ability to watch without being questioned about it. After all, who would notice that the girl who's nose was constantly in a psychological thriller, or another psych text, was watching the town's trouble-maker. Although she had watched him until she graduated, she had never introduced herself to him. Her mother had told her on no uncertain terms that she was never to socialize with that boy since he was nothing but trouble. But from what she had seen, he really never did anything.
It wouldn't be until she was nineteen that she thought of him again to the extent she did when she was younger. She was planning on being a psychiatrist and a hopeful professor had asked all of the students over summer recess to pick out a single person in their community and watch how they interacted with others, where they would be ranked on Jung's Archetypes, did they suffer from any mental disorders, and so on. Of course, she had picked Vallios Vladric Xiloscient; her mother couldn't say 'no' since it was an assignment and now that she was nineteen. But, she did worry slightly, the damages around Stalbard had gotten worse while she had been away, and in the center of it was Vallios. And she had to get close to him.
She glanced in the mirror and took a steadying breath as she tied up her blonde hair in a ponytail and made sure that she was prepared for the record high-temperatures they were facing that year. She wasn't too happy with wearing the old pair of shorts she had on, or the tie-dye tanktop, especially since she wanted to make a semi-good impression on her unsuspecting subject, but she figured that it was better than showing up in a business suit or alternatively a bathing suit top and short-shorts (she would never get the picture of her little sister parading around in that).
She slammed the door behind her as she shouted into the house, "I'll be back later." Part of her hated coming back home since she always had to explain herself to her mother when she was there, but the other side of her was happy to have a full-sized kitchen with groceries she didn't have to buy herself, and meals she didn't have to eat alone. She checked her messenger bag for her notebook and made sure she hand enough pens, as if the fistful she had thrown in there earlier hadn't been enough.
Being a couple years ahead of him, gave her the ability to watch without being questioned about it. After all, who would notice that the girl who's nose was constantly in a psychological thriller, or another psych text, was watching the town's trouble-maker. Although she had watched him until she graduated, she had never introduced herself to him. Her mother had told her on no uncertain terms that she was never to socialize with that boy since he was nothing but trouble. But from what she had seen, he really never did anything.
It wouldn't be until she was nineteen that she thought of him again to the extent she did when she was younger. She was planning on being a psychiatrist and a hopeful professor had asked all of the students over summer recess to pick out a single person in their community and watch how they interacted with others, where they would be ranked on Jung's Archetypes, did they suffer from any mental disorders, and so on. Of course, she had picked Vallios Vladric Xiloscient; her mother couldn't say 'no' since it was an assignment and now that she was nineteen. But, she did worry slightly, the damages around Stalbard had gotten worse while she had been away, and in the center of it was Vallios. And she had to get close to him.
She glanced in the mirror and took a steadying breath as she tied up her blonde hair in a ponytail and made sure that she was prepared for the record high-temperatures they were facing that year. She wasn't too happy with wearing the old pair of shorts she had on, or the tie-dye tanktop, especially since she wanted to make a semi-good impression on her unsuspecting subject, but she figured that it was better than showing up in a business suit or alternatively a bathing suit top and short-shorts (she would never get the picture of her little sister parading around in that).
She slammed the door behind her as she shouted into the house, "I'll be back later." Part of her hated coming back home since she always had to explain herself to her mother when she was there, but the other side of her was happy to have a full-sized kitchen with groceries she didn't have to buy herself, and meals she didn't have to eat alone. She checked her messenger bag for her notebook and made sure she hand enough pens, as if the fistful she had thrown in there earlier hadn't been enough.