“(He) graduated last year,” Madison answered.

“Really?” Julia and Taylor asked in unison.

“Yeah…” Madison said with a distant stare. “Sorry. Did I say something?”

The girls laughed. It was a better response than crying, which would surely get noticed by the staff. Tears were not desirable for empowered women.

“I’m going to marry that man,” Madison said.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.

A distinctive scent of perfume wafted her way. That had been the clue Julia needed to put it all together. This is more substantial than a dream.

Julia rubbed her eyes before opening them again and found herself surrounded by white cinder blocks and colourful steel lockers. A casual glance told her this was a run-of-the-mill high school hallway. Well, except for the school uniforms.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.

The memory of her first catch made her mouth water, reminding her that the energy bar tasted like chalk. While hungry, she was not about to walk around the woods stark naked. Foraging for berries increased her chances of nicking something sensitive… not to mention the bug bites.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.

She found a pebble with a flat surface. With a skilled flick of the wrist, the pebble went spinning through the air and bounced three times before sinking.

“I spent hours trying to perfect that,” Julia said.

While grabbing another projectile the wind picked up. She sighed, unimpressed that her bit of fun was cut short. Never changes… never fails.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Image is sourced from Pixabay.

She forced down her bar, and noticed the envelope within her pack. The temptation to open it was there, but her anxiety levels rose to critical levels.

To recover, Julia closed her eyes, focused on her breathing. Her heart rate tapered off along with pressure building up on her forehead. As a precaution, she continued with her breathing exercises until they transitioned to a soft snore.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Image is sourced from Pixabay.

While clean, being deep in the woods negated the opportunity to dry in the sun. Julia made a fire, to warm up while her clothes dried. Meanwhile, she ignored the droplets rolling down her forehead by thinking warm thoughts.

“Worth it,” Julia said through chattering teeth.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Image is sourced from Pixabay.

“Yeah…” Madison said with a distant state as though caught up in a fantasy. “…what. Sorry, did I say something?”

The girls laughed. It was either that, or cry, but the latter was bound to get noticed by faculty.

“I’m going to marry that man,” Taylor said.

When Madison and Julia noticed noticed the smirk, they all fell into a giggle. However, on the inside, Julia was seething with jealousy.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Image is sourced from Pixabay.

“Wow…” Julia whispered.

The man looked up imperceptibly and smiled, creating the illusion that he caught the comment.  This immediately made blood flush to Julia’s cheeks and set an awkward smile upon her lips. All the while her eyes remain locked on to his eyes, to the exclusion of anything else.

“Who’s that?” Taylor asked once he was out of sight.

“Dunno,” Julia managed to say after she remembered to breathe.

“Yeah…” Madison said with a distant state as though caught up in a fantasy.

Disclaimer: This excerpt from Dark Hearts is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. Image is sourced from Pixabay.