Colin sat outside on the feeble bench in the park, surveying the unusually mild night weather. The soft breeze caressed his skin, and it almost felt wrong, considering the season.

Winter always hits the hardest in his town, the residents always end up with property damage due to the harsh winter storm, yet at this moment it is nothing more than a mere gentle wind.

Something about it was disconcerting.

The thought flew from his head as quickly as it came when he noticed a quite unusual view.

 Shining by the moonlight, beneath the towering, gnarled cherry tree across from him, stood a girl unlike any he had ever witnessed.

Her grace struck him the moment he set eyes upon her, and his heart skipped a beat. 

Her cinder lipstick was the first thing that captured his attention, followed by her sickly pale skin. Her face stands out greatly against the stark black clothing covering every inch of her. 

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Standing there, the girl wore a flowing black lace gown that encircled her body. Her demeanour was bland, and she had a blank, unreadable face, without a hint of any emotion. 

'Matron would have been petrified by the sight of her', he thought musely, a small puff escaped from his lip.

He felt a surge of curiosity, and wished he had the courage to say hello. 

He couldn't take his eyes off her as she began to sway away, her glistening dark hair shining in the moonlight and her cheeks rosy from the frosty air.

His eyes then met the girl's, and her eyebrow lifted as her unspoken question seemed to hang in the air: "Why are you staring?" He felt himself grow flustered by the sudden contact and quickly looked away in embarrassment.

Colin could almost feel the girl's judging gaze on him even though he was already facing the other way. With a deep breath, he gathered his courage and ventured a brief glance at her again, his heart fluttering with butterflies. Surely it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw a small smile flicker at the corner of her lips. 

It was just for a moment, but it left him feeling smitten. 

She then took a look at her watch and he watched as her stoic face shook a little, and she began to walk away from the tree going through an unmarked pathway, darkness engulfing her with every step that she took.

As he watched her shadow disperse into the dark, his mind was filled with racing thoughts. Who is that girl? It's quite a rare sight for newcomers to step foot in this dingy town, as there's nothing interesting that can be done here. The life here is so dull that most of his classmates have made plans to move away to somewhere far away once they graduate. Well, everyone except him. But that's a thought for another day, he supposes. 

As if in response to his questions, a faint breeze rustled through the branches of the cherry tree, sending a shiver down Colin's spine. 

'I wonder if fate would have made us cross paths with each other once more' the thought crossed his mind, and he made his way back home, the memories of the woman still replaying fresh in his head.