Rain pounded upon the metal sheeting of the cabin 12 roof. Emilia lay flat on her back, staring at the white-washed ceiling, wondering if the roof would hold. It was dark in the cabin with only the barest hint of coming dawn forcing through the rain clouds. Emilia wasn’t sure what time it was.
The Gymnasium and Commons would be full. They’d show movies all day in the living room. The Main Hall would be full of kids hanging out and getting baking lessons from Ms. Amy. Emilia wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with the crowds. Since her headache in the living room that first night, she was beginning to wonder if big gatherings affected her negatively. Maybe Eddie would know.
Her stomach growled. She was ready for breakfast, but the rain hadn’t let up. The downpour was a muted roar in their little cabin. Was food worth a thorough soaking? Was it worth mud-caked shoes?
Emilia slipped out of bed and walked to the cabin door. The door was covered by a metal awning, and when Emilia opened it, she was greeted by the pounding deluge. The water was coming straight down, making a mud slick of the girls’ courtyard and a pond of their fire pit. The rain was warded from the door by the awning, but a misty haze still drifted through the open door.
Frankie climbed out of bed and came to stand next to her. “Getting to breakfast is going to be a trick.”
“Close the door,” Nadia groaned. “You’re letting the warm out.”
Emilia closed the door. “Anyone who goes out in that will soaked in moments. I’m not sure breakfast is worth it.”
Frankie knelt by her bed, reached underneath, and withdrew a pair of plastic tubs. The scrape as they were pulled across the floor roused the rest of cabin 12.
“S’it still rainin’?” Cindy asked as she slipped from her top bunk to sit on the edge of Terra’s. Terra yawned and grunted, but didn’t seem distressed.
Frankie opened one of the tubs to reveal a mishmash of rain ponchos. As she pulled them out, it was clear some of them were split at the seams and wouldn’t be much help. There was a blue winter coat with a detachable white hood, and a pair of galoshes too small for anyone in the room. Frankie opened the other box to similar results. All told, they had three good ponchos, one of them without a hood.
Somebody pounded at the door then opened it. Mrs. Fir stepped in. She wore a thick raincoat with a hood. The raincoat was shiny and dripping. She closed the door behind her to keep the weather out.
“Ah, good,” Mrs. Fir said, noticing the ponchos on the bed.
“We’ve only got a few that’ll actually keep rain off,” Frankie said. “We were trying to figure out how to get everyone to breakfast without getting soaked. Are we making a run for it?”
“Normally, yes. But Ms. Amy has a bunch of left-over tin tubs. She says she’s got enough to give each cabin some eggs and bacon, but we need volunteers to get soaked running deliveries.”
“All right,” said Frankie, pulling on one of the ponchos. “Who wants to come with me? The more who come the easier it’ll be.”
“I’ll go,” said Emilia. She loved the rain and didn’t mind getting a little wet.
“Me too,” said Maria suddenly, hopping up off her bed. She grabbed up the remaining intact poncho.
Emilia frowned, wondering for a moment what Maria was up to, then shook her head. Just because she didn’t get along with the other girl didn’t mean the other girl was up to no good. Probably. She picked up the remaining poncho, the one without the hood, then paused. The hood of the winter coat was attached with simple metal snaps. She pulled the hood free, put it on her head. The hood was a bit snug, but it was warm and smelled faintly of pine needles. Then Emilia pulled the poncho over the hood. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do the job.
“Excellent,” said Mrs. Fir. “I’m going to cabin 11. Ms. Amy is waiting for you.”
“Good luck,” Rosa called from where she sat cross-legged on her top bunk. The others voiced their agreement.
The four of them, Mrs. Fir, Frankie, Maria, and Emilia, headed into the rain. Mrs. Fir went immediately to cabin 11 while Frankie made to lead Maria and Emilia around the Commons to the courtyard.
“Wait,” said Emilia. “Why don’t we go through the commons.”
Frankie chuckled. “Yes, of course.” They hurried to the backdoor of the Commons, squishing through mud and puddles. “Let’s keep the mud contained to a single path,” said Frankie. They followed her through the game room to the living room to the front door. The front door of the commons sported a small deck covered by a roof. They stood there for several moments, Frankie stretching like she was about to sprint. Emilia realized she probably was, so she too, stretched, Maria snorted, amused, but after a moment she followed suit.
“Ready?”
Maria and Emilia nodded.
“On three. One… Two…”
The courtyard of Camp Arrowhead was largely dirt thanks to the high foot traffic, with only patches of grass here and there. The muddy ground was treacherous, and Emilia shortened her stride to keep from slipping. As they passed the stone box, she couldn’t help but glance at it and noted the compass rose upon the lid in faint blue light, obscured by the mist of pounding rain.
The windstorm had produced a faint yellow light, now a rainstorm produced faint blue light. There was a certain logic to it. Emilia felt a faint thrill at her chest, a mixture of panic and excitement.
They weren’t first into the cafeteria. There was already a short line of boys prepared to deliver breakfast to waiting campers. Ms. Amy had the tin tubs at the ready and was scooping generous portions of eggs into one and bacon into another other. A couple older boys grabbed one of each and hurried into the deluge.
As they passed, Emilia realized it was Aaron Drake and Bryce Stillwell, two of the four fiends. She watched Aaron, looking for any sign of glowing yellow eyes, the scent of cloves, or any acknowledgment they’d engaged in metaphysical combat only days ago. Neither Aaron nor Bryce paid her any mind.
Frankie, Emilia, and Maria got in line with the others.
A few moments later, the door to the Main Mall opened again. Emilia looked over her shoulder to find Eddie wearing a sad excuse for a rain coat and soaked through. He stopped, shivered, and shook, getting as much of the water off him as he could before joining her at the back of the line. He gave her a funny look.
“Something wrong?” Emilia asked.
Eddie shrugged. “That’s an odd hood for a rain jacket.”
Emilia chuckled. “I had to scavenge parts.” She looked past him at the door, but no one else from his cabin came in. “Is it just you?”
Eddie nodded miserably. “I drew the short straw.”
“There’s going to be two tins,” said Emilia.
Eddie shrugged. “I’ll come back for the second one.”
“Wait, they sent you alone?” said Frankie over Emilia’s head.
Eddie blushed and looked away.
“What cabin are you in?” Frankie said.
“Um.” Eddie cleared his throat. “I’d rather…”
“He’s in cabin 4,” said Maria.
Emilia had wanted to say it, but knew Eddie would prefer she didn’t. She wondered how Maria had known. Eddie blushed harder.
“If there’s just two tins,” Emilia said. “You two can take food back to our cabin, and I can help Eddie.
“You don’t have to,” said Eddie.
“I’m not trying to embarrass you,” said Emilia, “but you’re my friend and you’re alone and I want to help. If you tell me you don’t want my help, I’ll leave you be.”
The boys in front of them took their tins and went on their way.
“Come on now,” said Ms. Amy. “You’re not the only ones waiting.
Frankie, Maria, Emilia, and Eddie stepped up to the counter. As Ms. Amy filled more tins with food.
Eddie finally nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
“And I’ll be having a word with Cayden,” said Frankie. She held up a forestalling hand. “There’s no use talking me out of it, Eddie. I’ll tell him you refused to tattle on him, but you’re one of my archers now, we protect our own, and I give bullies no quarter.”
Eddie looked miserable but said nothing.
“Come back as soon as you’re done,” Frankie said to Emilia. “We won’t’ start without you.”
Emilia waved a hand. “Of course start without me. I’m going to stop by here and get us an extra tin of food.”
Frankie laughed. “Gotta be a hero, don’t you McIntyre. Come on, Maria, let’s go.”
Maria gave Emilia an inscrutable look. Then shook her head and off they went.
When Ms. Amy had the next two tins ready, she dropped a handful of plastic forks and paper plates and napkins in to each, snapped the lids on, and sent them on their way.
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the help,” Eddie said, as they stood in front of the door, a thin line between pounding rain and warm shelter. “It’s just that I wish I didn’t need it and it’s embarrassing to know how weak I am.”
“Eddie, it’s not your fault those jerks are mean to you. They’ve chosen to take that action.”
“Still. It would be nice to learn to stand up for myself.”
“Well, you know what Mr. Northam would say. Practice, practice, practice.”
They hurried through the rain at huffing jog, trying not to slip. They couldn’t cut through the Gymnasium as they’d cut through the Commons so they went around.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” said Eddie as they left the courtyard. “About the next trial. I think it’ll be water, at the lake, during last winter. If we’re progressing chronologically, winter is next, and the lake is east of the stone box.”
“Do you suppose this rainstorm has something to do with it? I saw the compass rose on the stone box again.”
Eddie nodded as they rounded the corner of the Gymnasium and headed for cabin 4. “If the rain ever lets up, we should meet in the library.”
They got to cabin 4. Eddie pushed his way in and a group of boys in various state of pajamas looked up. “What took you so long, short straw?” said a tall brunette boy with a scruffy neck. “Hey, you got your girlfriend to help.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” said Eddie.
The boys snickered.
Eddie set the food on the floor and pulled off his less than useless poncho, dropping it outside. “Thanks for your help, Emilia.” He took the other tray from her.
“Sure. Take it easy.” She looked at the scruffy junior councilor, Cayden, and scowled at him. He didn’t seem to notice.
A bit of water had seeped between the poncho and the hood. She pulled the hood down over her forehead and hurried through the rain, back to the Main Hall. Multiple trips through the rain had left her cold and damp. Her shoes and the cuffs of her sweatpants were mud-caked. The tops of her socks were soaked. Her nose was freezing. Inside the cafeteria, she had to wait a few minutes as others got their first rounds. When she got to the front, Ms. Amy gave her a nod.
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“You’re a trooper, Emilia.” She filled a tin half with eggs, half with bacon and snapped a lid on. “Be careful, yeah?”
Emilia smiled. “Thank you, Ms. Amy.”
When she passed the stone box, the compass rose of pale blue light was still there, though it flickered and wavered in the rain. She hurried through the courtyard to the Commons and followed the careful track of mud to the backdoor. She took several breaths to steel herself before running into the rain again.
She sprinted for cabin 12, ready to warm up and eat breakfast. A few girls, mostly junior councilors, hurried this way and that with tins of food and rain gear. She was nearly to cabin 12 when her left foot slid out from underneath her and she pitched face first to the mud. Desperately, she held the food above her head, trying to keep it level. When her chest hit, the air was punched from her. Her vision shifted to sparkles of grey. She was cold and slick and her left knee hurt like she’d banged it on a rock. She must have cried out because the door opened and pair of hands grabbed each shoulder.
“Get the food,” Emilia wheezed.
She still held it aloft and right side up. Someone grabbed the food and someone hauled her to her feet and into the cabin.
“Holy shit, are you okay?” Cindy said.
“Her knee’s bleeding,” said Rosa. “It needs to be cleaned.”
“I’m all right,” said Emilia.
“You’re bleeding and covered in mud,” said Frankie.
“I’m… mostly all right.” Emilia shrugged. “I just need to shower off.”
She pulled her poncho off and dumped it just outside the door. The hood of the winter coat was wet but not muddy, and she dropped it by the door inside. It’d served her well and she had no desire to leave it out in the rain. She kicked her shoes off and left them by the hood.
“Big damn hero,” Maria muttered, nearby.
Emilia couldn’t tell if it was a compliment or an insult, so she ignored the other girl and hobbled back to the small bathroom at the back of the cabin. After a quick shower, she changed into a clean pair of sweatpants and a tshirt. She kept her towel hung over her shoulders and joined the others on the floor of cabin 12.
Rosa insisted on applying a band-aid to her scraped knee. Nadia handed her a plate of bacon and eggs, fork stuck through the top like Excalibur. The girls of cabin 12 gave her a heart round of applause.
Warm eggs and crispy bacon felt particularly good after running in the rain and slipping in the mud. For several minutes, the eight of them ate without speaking, only the sound of the rain filling the quiet.
When the food was gone, Frankie collected the tins and plasticware and paper plates. She redonned her rain poncho. “I can handle this part by myself,” she said. “I’ll see if I can figure out if there’s a plan for the day. Or, who knows, the rain might let up.” She left in a clattering of door and puff of mist.
Emilia was seriously considering climbing back into her bunk and taking a post-breakfast nap when the rain suddenly intensified, pounding on the roof like an avalanche of hammers. Everyone in cabin 12 startled and hunched. Terra let out a pitiful squeak and began to cry.
“Lighten up, it’s just rain,” said Maria, tone caustic.
“What the hell is your problem?” Cindy demanded, turning to face Maria.
Maria clenched her fists. “She’s been crying like a baby ever since she got here,” Maria said. “It’s annoying.”
Cindy stood and Maria immediately followed, looking ready to fight.
“If you don’t like it, find another cabin,” Cindy said. “No one else here seems to have a problem with it.”
“Maybe you should find another cabin,” Maria said. She shoved Cindy, who staggered back several steps.
Emilia was aghast. She stood before she realized it and put herself between Cindy and Maria. She kept her hands out and wide, facing Cindy.
“Easy now,” Emilia said. “You don’t have to retaliate.”
Cindy’s expression was furious but eased when she looked at Emilia instead of Maria. Her jaw clenched, she took a deep breath through her nose. She flicked her glance at Maria, then looked at Emilia and gave a small nod.
Emilia looked over her shoulder. Maria stood like she was ready to hit something, anything. Her expression, unguarded anger and, Emilia thought, despair.
“Shove me around if you want, but leave my little sister out of this,” Cindy said voice stead if strained.
Maria’s expression shifted to a haughty façade. “I just don’t see why the rest of us should have to put up with her being so damn whiny. She should be able to get through the night without bursting into tears.”
“It’s because of the nightmares,” Rosa said.
Everyone looked to the small, dark-featured girl. She knelt next to Terra, one arm around Terra’s shoulders. Terra looked smaller than usual, cross-legged, hands in her lap, head down. Her shoulders shook and though she was silent, Emilia was sure she was crying.
“There was a car wreck,” Terra said. Though her voice was small and shaky, it filled the cabin.
“Terra,” Cindy said. “You don’t have to…”
“They died.” Terra said. “Papa takes care of us now. Most of the time I can handle it. Accidents happen. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Superheroes can’t be everywhere all at once. But when I’m sleeping I can’t stop remembering.” She looked up at Maria. “I’m sorry I bothered you.”
Emilia looked at Maria whose expression had gone stoic and blank. For a moment Emilia thought the other girl would apologize. Instead, Maria sat cross-legged on her bunk, facing the wall, and crossed her arms tightly.
Emilia looked back at Cindy. “You all right?”
Cindy shrugged and swallowed hard. “Could have been worse.”
The silence was awkward for several minutes.
Eventually, Frankie came back and told them the Gymnasium, Main Hall, and Commons would be open, but all outdoor activities were canceled until the rain let up and the mud dried out. “There’ll be movies running all day in the living room and Mrs. Fir will open up the crafting supplies on the second floor of the commons. It looks like the rain might let up in the next few hours, but Mrs. Fir wants to limit campers being outdoors to avoid injury and whatnot.”
Frankie had a bundle of new if cheap rain ponchos over one arm. They were thin but at least they were whole. She handed them out and everyone got dressed. Emilia put on her new rain poncho, but she grabbed the white winter hood she’d worn earlier and put that on over. It was warm and no one else had claimed it. Besides, she’d kind of liked it. The girls of cabin 12 hurried out into the rain. Emilia was prepared to head for the Commons when she realized Maria still sat on her bed, facing the wall
Emilia paused at the door. “Maria?”
The other girl stiffened but otherwise didn’t respond.
Emilia didn’t like Maria, but neither did she want her to feel unwelcome in her own cabin. She decided, in Maria’s position, she’d want to be left alone.
The girls of Camp Arrowhead scurried from cabins to Commons. By the time Emilia got there, the living room was full. She went to the third floor first to see if Eddie had arrived, but all four rooms were empty. She went back down to the second floor where Mrs. Fir was getting out the crafting supplies.
Emilia sat so she could see through the doorway so she could see and be seen from the hallway in case Eddie was headed to the library. The second floor filled and Mrs. Fir gave brief demonstrations on the button maker, the die-cutting machine, and creative use of rubber stamps.
By lunchtime, the rain had slackened to a spattering of sprinkles. And though the sky was still grey, the clouds had shifted from dark and ominous to pale and smooth.
Emilia stood in the center of the back left room of the third-floor library. She’d slipped off her shoes and stood with her stockinged feet shoulder width apart, arms hanging at her side, eyes closed. In her mind’s eyes, she saw a set of trading cards: The Angler, the Archer, the Athlete, the Guitarist. They were just a mnemonic, a mental trick, but they stood prominently in her mind. She wondered if that was her doing or if it was because what Eddie had said about using trading cards to prompt his memory.
She tried not to let the thought stick. She focused instead on The Archer, depicting Francine Crabtree clad in her archery gear, arrow knocked and bow drawn.
She took a deep breath and tried to remember what it felt like, how her fingers and toes tingled; how her thoughts became still; how she slowly, steadily felt different. Not just the ease with which archery came to her, but the confidence, the strength, the grace. Her skin vibrated as she let out the breath slowly, and on the next, she tried to breathe in through the card and felt herself shift. It reminded her of putting on gloves before helping Ms. Amy in the kitchen, her body was stretching to fit her. Just a bit. And then just a bit more.
“You’re doing it,” Eddie whispered.
The noise startled her and her opened her eyes. She felt herself snap back like a rubber band to her default shape.
“Sorry,” Eddie said.
Emilia turned and blinked at him. He stood in the doorway, hands behind his back, cheeks flushed. He looked particularly small and reticent just then.
“It’s all right. If I’m going to get good at this, I’m going to have to be able to do it even while distracted, right?”
He nodded and smiled, but just a little.
“I wish there was a mirror in here,” Emilia said, so I can know what I look like.”
“Use the window,” said Eddie.
It was nearly dark out, the over cast day becoming early evening. With the light on in their library room, there was a faint reflection.
Emilia went to the window, closed her eyes, and took another deep breath and held it. She let the image of the cards come and focused on the Archer. When breathed out, she let the breath move through the imaginary card. When the sensation of change came, she tried not to focus on it, not wanting to psych herself out. She tried to relax, to let it happen, to slide her mind obliquely toward this strange and wonderful feeling. It tingled along her skin, tickling at her eartips and buzzing her toes. She focused on imagining her breath moving through the mental trading card.
“I think you stopped,” Eddie said quietly.
Emilia let her eyes flutter open and examined the reflection staring back at her.
She looked like Frankie, but only kind of. She was taller, her arms toned, and her shirt and shorts were a bit tight. Her hair was the same shade of blonde as Frankie’s, her skin the same shade of pale. Her eyes were blue, and her nose had grown. But while she definitely didn’t look like herself, there was something about her face that had stayed the same. Her lips, she thought, or perhaps her cheek bones. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Eddie came to stand next to her, shorter than usual. “You kind of look like Frankie. If I saw you at a distance, I could easily mistake you for her. But you also kind of look like you. A little bit. Maybe it’s the ears?”
Emilia nodded. “Maybe I just have one of those faces.”
Eddie laughed, loud and sudden, and the careful concentration she’d crafted snapped. She stumbled back a step or two. Her vision blurred as she shifted back to her own shape. She looked at herself in the reflection of the window and nodded. Eddie had been right. It’d been her ears.
“Do it again?” Eddie asked.
Emilia smiled.
She focused on the Guitarist next, Zenith Niall. She’d only gotten to meet the Guitarist briefly, but clearly the woman had left a big impression on her. She was one of the Heroes of Humanity after all, not to mention a rock and roll badass. Emilia wondered if wielding the magical guitar pick had anything to do with it.
This time she kept her eyes open just enough she could see a fuzzy reflection in the window. She breathed in, focusing on the mental trading card. She felt her skin tingle much quicker this time, like she was getting used to it, getting the hang of it. She took a deep breath through the mnemonic card and tried to push at that feeling. In a sudden moment, her body expanded, shifted, slid, fitting her new shape.
“Wow.” Eddie said.
Emilia opened her eyes. Again, it wasn’t Zenith Niall’s reflection, but rather someone who kind of looked like the famed Guitarist. Her hair had darkened though her skin and eyes were much the same color. She looked at her ears, but they were distinctly smaller than her own. Still, there was something about her, something that’d stayed the same.
“It’s your nose this time,” Eddie said. “Do you think you can change that too?”
Emilia took a breath, but she didn’t change. She felt like she’d stretched as far as she could in this direction. She shook her head. “Don’t think so.”
“Perhaps that’s a limitation on your power.”
She concentrated on the mental trading card and this time, instead of breathing through it, she mentally pushed it away and watched, eyes wide, as she shifted from a woman who looked kind of Zenith Niall back to herself.
“One more?” Eddie asked.
“Sure.”
She focused on the Athlete, depicting Mr. Northam in sneakers, track pants, and a t-shirt, basketball under one arm. She took a deep breath through the mnemonic trading card and felt her body change. She watched herself in the reflection of the window, Eddie had said J. Smith’s change was like watching silly putty remolded, but her change was like shifting along a gradation. She watched her skin darken, her height increase, her hair shrink to nothing. Her jaw grew wide. She took another deep breath and felt herself shift more. Her t-shirt was too tight for her arms and chest, her shorts too short for her legs, her socks too small for her feet.
“This is so cool,” said Eddie. “It’s like there’s a bunch of faces between yours and his, and you just shift from one to the other. It’s so neat looking.”
Emilia ran her fingers over her face. It was strange to feel a face that didn’t feel like hers. “I think it’s my eyes this time,” she said. Her eyes were the same shade of brown she was used to and she was fairly certain they were the same size and shape.
“Also, Mr. Northam is old and you still look like a teenager. I wonder if that means you can’t shift what age you look.”
Emilia stretched her arms over her head. She felt strong in this form, as she’d expected, adept and athletic.
“Can I, um… can I ask an awkward question?”
Emilia grinned. She knew what he was going to ask. “I don’t know. Can you?”
Eddie rolled his eyes. “I just wonder if… how much of… are you a Mr. Northam or a Mrs. Northam?”
Emilia laughed. For once, she didn’t feel offended by the question. She felt good. She felt they’d accomplished something tonight. She was a shapeshifter and she’d done it on purpose with concentration and careful breathing. With a power like this, she could certainly apply to Union Academy. More than that, she didn’t feel a trace of embarrassment and that was best of all. She only felt like herself. In fact, she felt more like herself than she ever had.
“I’m definitely male at the moment.” She said it was confidence. She liked the way she felt.
Eddie blushed.
They were interrupted by a snide tone. “You two making out up here?”
Emilia looked through the reflection in the window, and saw Maria staring into the room. She spun about before she could think better of it, and saw confusion in Maria’s eyes. Emilia’s concentration broke and she snapped back to her default form. Maria’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.
“What the hell?”
“We were just talking,” Emilia said, knowing it sounded stupid.
“You’re a para?” Maria said, voice high and carrying.
Emilia was certain everyone in the Commons had heard. Her face flushed with fear and embarrassment and she hated it. She reached for the confidence she’d felt only a moment ago, but it was gone.
“You got a problem with that?” Eddie demanded, taking a step forward.
Emilia was touched by the gesture. Maria was nowhere near as big as any of the four fiends, but she was solidly built and Emilia certainly wouldn’t have wanted to fight her.
Maria ignored him. “I knew it. I knew there was something weird about you. So it’s true then. You really are neither.” Maria looked positively gleeful.
Emilia wanted to respond caustically, to threaten her, to plead with her, anything to get the other girl to keep the secret. She tried to keep her tone even. “Maria, you can’t tell anyone about this.”
“Are you kidding? Why? All this time you’ve just been pretending to be a girl when—”
Emilia felt her emotions explode. “You know what, Maria, fuck you. This is none of your business. Whether I’m a parahuman or not is none of your business. Whether I’m really a girl is none of your business. Even whether Eddie and I were making out is none of your fucking business. I am sick of you and the others at school giving me hell for not fitting into one of your little boxes.”
“Um…” Eddie said quietly.
“Yes, some days I wear a dress and some days I wear jeans. Some days I feel like I’m a boy. Happy now? And now it turns out I’m a shapeshifter and I really can shift between being a boy and a girl. So maybe I really have been wrong about who I am all these years.”
“Emilia?” Eddie said.
Emilia took a step toward Maria and Maria took a step back. “But just because it turns out that you and the other bullies were right about me doesn’t mean that my being a boy or a girl or both or neither will ever be any of your fucking business.”
Maria stared at her, eyes wide, back against a bookshelf. Emilia breathed hard but refused to let herself seem out of breath or ready to cry, both of which she felt.
“Emilia.” Eddie’s voice rang with urgency.
She turned to look at him. “What?” her voice snapped and she felt bad about it.
“It’s snowing.”