Gravel and twigs crunched under every footfall as she sprinted after her brother's surprisingly agile pace. Her arms pumped at her sides in a determined rhythm, her muscles burning with the effort of pushing herself faster. Her mind had narrowed to a single objective— to catch Rowen—and everything else blurred around her.
For a long stretch, the only sounds in her ears were the pounding of her heart, the rasp of her own breath, and the heavy thuds of her shoes as she ran.
Rowen had managed to keep ahead of her for far longer than she anticipated, his small frame darting and weaving with the kind of childish nimbleness she had long outgrown.
But now she was gaining on him, steadily closing the gap he had created.
