Massie had been pent up inside the house for days. Days of doing nothing but sitting in the air conditioning, wishing she could go outside. It was brutally hot outside, at least 95. The afternoon sun was baking the ground and the pavement, making heat waves down the street. There was nothing more that Massie wanted than to go outside, just for a little while.

She thought about it. After all, her mom wasn’t home to say no. As a precaution, she ran upstairs in search of some sunscreen. What she found was SPF 50. Score. Slathering it on every inch of exposed skin, she went back downstairs and grabbed her sunglasses and keys. Here goes, she thought, and stepped out into the blinding rays. Her pupils shrunk to the circumference of a piece of pencil lead, and she immediately threw on her glasses.

This was the first time she had been outside for a length of time longer than 10 minutes. Going outside was reserved for going from house to car, or car to house. Otherwise, there was no sensible reason to risk getting sick. Because of this, Massie was insanely pale. Her Apple-white skin stood out against her dark hair, making her look more like a corpse than a girl.

Now that she was outside, however, she had no idea where to go. Making a split second decision, she crossed the street to the huge field on the hill. The grass tickled her ankles, practically welcoming her back to nature. Insects buzzed and tree leaves shone in the sun. This was worth it, she thought, and began to run. How good it felt to run. Feet pounding down the dirt, she was finally satisfied.