Eileen imagined herself sizzling like a chicken in an oven, slowly roasting in her own juices. It was already too humid to bear. The Atlantic air normally kept the worst of the heat at bay, but this summer it felt like Dynamo City had been ripped from the Earth and was hurtling towards the Sun. The end of seventh grade and the beginning of the Summer break was only a week away now, so she wouldn't have to worry about the lack of air conditioning in her classes for much longer.
She closed the door to the Bed and Breakfast and clumped down the stone steps, already feeling uncomfortable in her school uniform. Despite the humidity, she decided to walk, ignoring the other damp lifeforms congregated at the bus stop. She enjoyed the trek through the forest. It was cooler amongst the trees. Since moving to the south side of Dynamo, or "The Zoo" as the residents called it, the forest was about the only thing she liked about the place. The trees grasped at the open spaces, trying to reclaim the entire Southern edge of the city. Leafy green claws slowly, inexorably, wrapped around the south and west sides, swallowing it whole. Eileen enjoyed the feeling of stepping into another world. She need only walk a short way inside and the trees would block out the sounds of the city.
She ducked between two of the many rotted fence boards and stepped onto the well-worn path between her street and the school. Some of the kids cut through the forest, but no-one hung around inside it. Eileen didn't understand it. To her, it was paradise-quiet and calming, cool and, even when it rained, which it did a lot, the canopy was so high and thick, you'd barely get wet.
She shivered and a crow squawked nearby. The treetops swayed hypnotically as the sounds of the street disappeared behind her. Ahead, the light dappled the path. To her left, the thick undergrowth absorbed the light, making dark pockets, places Eileen was in no hurry to investigate on her own. She shivered again and quickened her pace.
"Hey, Mac," a girl called from behind her. Eileen turned and saw her best friend, Rhapsody Munroe, dressed as usual from head to foot in black, her face as pale and round as the moon. She'd just turned thirteen and started to grow, already towering four or five inches above Eileen. Eileen wished her name was Rhapsody. All the Munroes had great names. She figured Rhapsody's parents had been hippies back in the sixties and seventies.
"Hi! Aren't you hot?" Eileen asked. She waited for her friend to catch up. A crow settled on the crooked arm of an old tree and cocked its head. Eileen thought it odd the way it peered at her.
"I like the heat. What's new?" Rhapsody asked as the two girls fell in step with each other.
"Nothin'." Eileen shrugged, happy that her life was no longer in constant turmoil. She was also happy that Rhapsody didn't pry too much. "What about you? Is he a friend of yours?" She nodded at the crow who flitted from branch to branch and then hopped from foot to foot as if trying to attract their attention.
"Uh, no." Rhapsody rolled her eyes. Her lips, coated in matte black lipstick, parted revealing a huge white grin. "However, last night, there was a report in the news about The Cat." Her smile was full of mischief.
"Oh? Didn't see that." Eileen laughed. "You know he's probably sixty years old by now, if it's the same guy from back in the day."
"I like to think it's his grandson by now." Rhapsody winked.
"Still too old for you." Eileen frowned.
"Whatever." Rhapsody gave her a playful shove, laughing hard. She laughed a lot which was one of the reasons Eileen enjoyed her company so much.
"So what happened? Why was your boyfriend on the news?"
"I don't know. They were talking about the 'Full Moon Murderer' again. I guess it's time for that lunatic to go another spree."
