Test Scene 3A

Nickolette was stuck at a stoplight in Devil's Peak when she noticed a guy at the entrance road that led to the supercenter, the building supply store, and a strip mall. He was holding a sign that started with “Starting over. Trying to get back on my feet. Need money or…” The light turned green and Nickolette stopped reading and started driving. “At least I'm not that guy.”

Test Scene 3B

Nicolette sat behind the wheel of her car, her fingers drumming absently against the steering wheel as she waited at the red light. She leaned her head against the headrest, exhaustion creeping in after the long drive into Devil’s Peak. The weight of her decision to leave home still pressed heavily on her, but the not too distant tree covered hills in the town’s backdrop offered a strange sort of comfort.

As her gaze wandered, it landed on a man standing at the intersection with a cardboard sign. His clothes were worn, his hair slightly disheveled, but his posture wasn’t defeated. He held the sign steady, its bold, handwritten letters declaring, “Starting over. Trying to get back on my feet. Need money or…” Nicolette squinted to read the rest, but the light turned green before she could make out the list of items.

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She hesitated for a moment, her foot hovering over the gas pedal. Something about him tugged at her—a kind of resilience in his stance that she didn’t expect from a beggar. The car behind her honked, snapping her out of the moment, and she pressed the gas, driving through the intersection.

The man stood at the corner of an entrance road leading downhill to a cluster of businesses: a building supply store, a supercenter, and a strip mall with faded storefront signs. Nicolette caught a glimpse of the area as she passed, making a mental note of the location. It didn’t look like much, but she suspected she’d find herself there sooner rather than later.

She shook off the encounter as she drove on, focusing instead on finding somewhere to park for the night. Still, the image of the man and his sign lingered in her mind. “Starting over,” she muttered to herself, her tail flicking against the seat. “Yeah, aren’t we all?”