An area of deep woods began at the bottom of a hillside to her left. She moved quickly down the hillside and into the woods. Things grew there that she had never seen before -- trees with mold encrusted black bark, branches heavy with pungent dark green needles that shut out the sun -- as if she had entered the Septemberclaver gymnasium in the early morning before Ethan turned on the lights.

Like the rays of early morning sunshine, that sometimes shone through the gymnasium windows, projecting iron bars on the gym pads in the far corners, occasional patches of bright sunlight lit up shiny green vines that curled around her feet.