The sun was just starting to shine along the ocean blanket to send blinding rays for those who happened to capture a glimpse of its beauty. It was early enough that traffic hadn’t gotten too congested within this small suburb. Though, the occasional foot traffic was well into swing. A young mother was power walking while chatting with friends on her blue tooth while pushing a stroller. A middle aged man was running his dog while shirtless, earbuds in each ear as he flashed the random smile when women would turn their heads and follow his path. Two old ladies used their walkers to move around their block, gossiping about how the young had no sense of propriety. The sound of brakes from a long yellow school bus screeched while it moved to pause at a stop sign and pick gathered children up. It was a nice, normal community for those who could afford it.<br/><br/>Along one of its streets, a small gathering of townhouses marked the middle of the block surrounded by large houses with larger yards. The brick was hardly modern but their inward tone was. A front door opened to one of the townhouses as a young woman slipped out dressed for her morning walk and run. It was a routine that afforded her the life she desired as well as time for thoughts inspired by the world around her.<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fdrive.google.com%2Ffile%2Fd%2F1iwIWCYiqdNCBXIaSBtfS-2BLZzLLjdMj%2Fview%3Fusp%3Dsharing&amp;hash=6afea66462911ce19a6bd8202228dd64" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iwIWCYiqdNCBXIaSBtfS-2BLZzLLjdMj/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank"><u>Amber</u></a>double checked to make sure the door was locked behind her before lowering down to confirm her laces were well tied. A soft barking came from a window of their neighbor which drew her head to lift to glance over. The small white Maltese was going at her as if she’d offended the thing’s owner somehow. A smile spread across her lips as a hair tie was slipped from a slender wrist to be utilized. Amber blew the dog a kiss while collecting her hair and tied it into a long pony.<br/><br/>She set off at a swift pace her ponytail swinging with each step, seeking to warm her legs up quickly. She’d indulged too much last night and needed to make up for it. Her roommate,<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F474x%2F21%2F52%2Fbe%2F2152bedc83847ee82906375909c6314b--christy-mack-tattooed-women.jpg&amp;hash=cdb48d8d9ef1ce09a988ce72d68df77d" href="https://i.pinimg.com/474x/21/52/be/2152bedc83847ee82906375909c6314b--christy-mack-tattooed-women.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank"><u>Sera</u></a>, was a hobby chef and the food had been to die for. It had also caused her to no doubt gain several pounds. It wasn’t so much the need to be skinny but Amber was the mindful woman and strove to be healthy. Moderation with small indulgences made life gratifying. A small wave to the mail courier across the street and she rounded the corner heading to the park where she’d run along its paths. Most ran with music. Amber refused to as she rather soaked in the motions of the world as she encountered it. You never knew when a gem would be caught, like the bees diving and hovering over the next street’s garden an old gentleman had planted in memory of his late wife. Beauty. She loved all kinds of its form.<br/><br/>Crossing the last street, she had to suddenly pull back onto the sidewalk as some jerk rolled through the crosswalk in his Lexis before turning directly in front of her. Amber gasped and looked to the driver who flipped her off while cursing her in spanish. A deep breath as her heart was pounding had to be taken before she let it out slowly. With a roll of her eyes, she crossed quickly after it was clear and moved onto the grass to stretch. She decided she would run today, the need to shake the rudeness of the asshole off was great. It reminded her of her roots on the other side of the country where rudeness seemed part of their culture. Such thoughts only rolled into others she couldn’t hold back this time. Her parents.<br/><br/>Deep breaths and quick hops before she began to glide down the pathway into the large park. It was designed for runners and walkers with wide open areas but trees for shade. It even had a few small ponds and a stream with bridges over them. Several years ago, they had thought to put in occasional exercise stations for those who wanted more than to burn calories but the town budget used the funds for more important issues. They chose new street decorations for the holidays. It was well maintained which is why it attracted many of like mind, until you moved further into the heart and the older section. Trees loomed there and their roots went deep and spread wide. A lot of times, those roots ran under the asphalt and could prove tricky of one wasn’t paying attention.<br/><br/>Amber chose such a route and watched her environment. Like how the winds coming in from the coast not only tempted her to visit the sandy beaches with the salt lingering in its scent, but she watched it change the color of the grass as it bent their blades over in various motions and gusts. It was an unknown pattern mother nature chose as she nourished the ground in gentle caress. The leaves of the trees above and around her flicked against each other adding sound to the winds and she often wondered about people who said they could hear what the trees were saying. As she observed nature, her mind began to wander towards the classes she had scheduled to attend. They would have a guest speaker that liked to engage in discourse over myth and lore over lost objects in ancient times. His expertise interested her, for it was the direction she wanted her career to go towards. Items mentioned in text with vague descriptions and locations that had vanished from public knowledge. Her mother had spent her life actively searching for such items and, while had acquired several with success, Amber knew it was also the reason for the death of her and her father.<br/><br/><br/>She didn’t want to think about that now, nor the object shipped to her just days prior their ‘accidental’ death. Her legs pushed harder against the ground and she began to fly down the path leading around a corner. If she had been paying more attention, she would have seen him in the middle of the trail. When she rounded the corner, Amber tried to slow down too quickly. As it was, she was coming upon him too fast and had to catch herself by trying to jump over him. Someone must have been watching over her this morning because she just barely managed to clear him, but not without her toes catching along his chest. She nearly tripped but after a few halting strides, she was able to maintain balance.<br/><br/><br/>She cursed quietly as her body was slightly bent over, resting her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. Standing tall with hands on her love handles, she turned to view who in the hell would just obstruct the trail in a very bad spot like that. Her eyes glanced over his legs and saw the blood of a skinned knee and realized he must have taken a fall. “Oh!” she cried out before walking to him and lowered down, “Are you alright? Here, let me help you,” she offered with a hand reaching out. The sun, rising further as time progressed, peeked through the trees and landed on them both. Her hair nearly lit up as if on fire while the brightness shone through the natural highlights of its red lengths. Her face was flushed having just begun to push herself in the run while her eyes, possessing more yellow then brown currently, portrayed concern.