"Miss Mai," the male caregiver asked, "are you tired from walking? Why don't you sit down? You've been on your feet for a while now."
As he spoke, he gestured to the empty wheelchair he was pushing.
For some reason, Mai Mingle found the wheelchair exceptionally jarring today. Just looking at it felt like a stone had settled in her stomach.
It felt like only yesterday she could run, jump, and eat to her heart's content. Now, after walking for just ten minutes, her legs felt weak and shaky. She'd exhale, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't draw in the next breath.
'This isn't how it should be.'
'Wasn't I just a young woman a moment ago?'
She hadn't had the chance to run freely yet, to run until she was out of breath, to run until she collapsed on the ground, lying among the grass and fallen leaves to watch the sky change with the seasons.
"Where's Yi Lian?"
