The winter night's arrival felt exceptionally swift, with the ink-blue night spreading and the starlight faint.
Grace Winter sent a message to Hayes Edwards and had just walked out of the library when she encountered a strange man.
A light rain was falling from the sky. The man held an umbrella, dressed in a suit that made him appear exceptionally mature and composed, yet his face was surprisingly young. His gaze on her made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
It was as though he was looking through her at someone else.
Grace Winter hugged the books in her arms tightly, no longer looking at him, and stood under the eaves to take shelter from the rain, waiting for Hayes Edwards to pick her up.
About half a minute later, the man walked over.
Grace Winter instinctively became alert, but the man only wanted directions.
She breathed a sigh of relief and pointed in a direction, "Go straight and then turn left."
