Dayton

Saturday sunlight streamed through the tall glass panes of Glinda’s Thrift on West Hanover, diffused into soft gold by the dust-speckled air. The hum of a well-tuned espresso machine mingled with…

Thursday showed up pretending nothing had happened.  The sky was blue, the air was cold, and Roosevelt Middle looked exactly the same as it had every other morning that week.…

The last bell had rung twenty minutes ago, but the third floor still hummed like a machine cooling down. Most of the noise came from the far end of the…

Wednesday came in gray and heavy, like the sky had hit snooze too many times. By the time Dayton got to her locker, the eighth grade hallway was already loud.…

Tuesday started out pretending to be normal.  Dayton stood at her locker, spinning the dial with numb fingers, the hallway buzzing around her. The air smelled like floor cleaner and too many…

It was Monday morning and the city felt like it had been refrigerated overnight.  Dayton stepped out of her home into air that bit the inside of her nose, her breath fogging faint and ghostly in…