Maddie was in a daze, barely managing a weak “see you” as Jolie and Marty’s path diverged from hers. She’d tuned herself out of their conversation and her mind wandered, as it always did. She stood for a moment on her own as other pedestrians pushed past her hurriedly, probably judging her for her transgression against society.

It was an almost symbolic moment – after sharing schools for the past decade, Maddie’s path was now, for the first time, truly her own. She ignored the small palpitations in her heartbeat, but the empty feeling in her chest was more persistent.

A shove. A passerby shot an angry look up from his phone as Maddie struggled to hold on to hers.

“Right.”

Twiddling her thumbs, Maddie summoned her destination.

M-SEC Building 3
Pilgrim Composites Corp.
634 McEwan Road
Heidelberg West VIC 3081

A few quick taps on the glass screen confirmed her route, and Maddie set off to catch her bus.

As the immense skyscrapers of the city passed outside her window, they shrank and transformed into single-story suburban houses. A quick jaunt across the smoother traffic of the Eastern Freeway was all it took for Maddie to slowly drift into a quiet slumber, head firmly pressed against glass.