PROLOGUE
The rain fell hard that night. The sky was black, with no stars in sight. The streets were almost empty, except for the lights from the buildings that stood on both sides of the road. Their windows glowed against the darkness, bright and warm, but the woman running past them did not stop.
She ran without knowing where she was going. Her feet slipped against the wet ground as she moved through the rain. She looked from one building to another, watching the lights blur through her tears.
Then she tripped. Her knees hit the steps hard. She stayed there for a moment, breathing heavily, her hands pressed against the cold ground.
When she looked down, she saw her reflection in a puddle. She could barely recognize herself.
Her hair was tangled and falling apart. Her clothes were torn and dirty, hanging loosely from her body. There were scrapes on her knees and bruises around her neck. Rainwater ran down her face, mixing with the tears that would not stop. She looked away.
Slowly, she dragged herself up the steps and kept moving. She did not get very far before her legs gave up again.
There was a tree nearby, large enough to shelter her from some of the rain. She crawled towards it and rested her back against the trunk. For a while, she simply sat there, staring at nothing.
Then, something hit her head. She flinched and looked up. A guava had fallen from the tree.
She picked it up and turned it around in her hands. She was hungry. She could eat it. At least, she thought she could.
Then she smelled salt. She could here the soothing sounds of water waving against sand.The sea was close. She looked towards it.
For a moment, she remembered her childhood. She remembered how much she loved coming to the beach with her parents. The sand beneath her feet and the sound of the waves.
Her hand moved to her chest. She felt hurt. She dropped the guava beside her.
After sitting there for a little longer, she slowly stood.Her legs shook beneath her, but she began walking towards the water.
The rain continued to fall.The closer she got, the louder the waves became. They moved back and forth beneath the dark sky, reaching towards the shore before pulling away again.
She stepped into the water. It was cold. She stopped for a moment, letting it cover her feet. Then she took another step, and another.
The water reached her ankles, then her knees. She kept going. The cold slowly spread through her body. She closed her eyes as the waves moved around her, and for the first time that night, she stopped running.
Somewhere behind her, there was a faint voice. She heard it. She did not turn around. Another wave moved against her body. She took another step. The water pulled at her legs.
She stumbled, but did not fight it. The voice came again, louder this time. She still did not turn. The water dragged her further in. For a moment, she could taste relief.
