Chapter 106

  I lean against a stone wall to catch my breath and wait for my stomach to settle. Then, composed once more, I notice a group of children playing a game, laughing raucously and enjoying themselves immensely.

  ‘Hello. Miss?’ A young woman with a posh accent says. She has long dark-brown hair and brown eyes. She appears to be in her mid-twenties, and two young girls hold her hand.

  ‘Hello,’ I nervously reply, saying hello to another human for the first time in my life. It’s odd yet liberating. I shade my face with my velvet hood, so she does not see my violet eyes.

  ‘Is everything okay?’ She asks. I nod.

  ‘Yes, I'm fine, thank you.’ I say.

  The woman tilts her head to the side, frowning.