Chapter 16 Mia

• 9 months later
• It is October now. The first of October. My neighborhood looks like a haunted ghost town with all the Halloween decorations scattered across the lawns and rooftops. But for me, this month marks the ninth month I have been away from my home...and my family.
• The air is different—lighter, refreshing compared to the harsh, bitter cold of the blizzards I had the unfortunate experience of training under. There is a crispness to it, a tickling sensation against my nose as I inhale. The scent of damp leaves and earth fills the air, accompanied by the musky sweetness that autumn always brings. It’s fall, my favorite season.