As the sun set on a beautiful spring day, two people sighed at the view. One, Ellie Brown, sighed with relief. It was the first anniversary of her escape; her year of freedom had been everything she'd dreamed it would be and more. While she fervently hoped that the search for her would soon end, allowing her to live at ease once again, she mainly felt thankful for her continual ability to evade recapture. She released another sigh and grabbed her pack. She had hiked the mountain trail to find a good spot to get a photograph of the city bathed in the setting sun's last rays.
The other, Alexander Reynolds, was sighing with contentment as he watched the sun dip behind the mountains. He had finally reached the city after one extremely long week of packing and two straight days of driving. He'd been longing to live there for years after a family vacation in high school had introduced him to the nearby mountains. Now he had accomplished that goal and had even scored an apartment with a perfect mountain view.
Grabbing his jacket, he locked up and set out to explore the neighborhood. Though he was exhausted, sore, and hungry, he smiled. He was actually here. His apartment was in an amazing location: within walking or biking distance of both the bustling downtown scene and the area where he'd be starting his new job in a week.
The only thing missing from his life was a girl, and now that he was settled down, he could rectify that pretty quickly. That would please his mother more than anything else he could do. She kept teasing him, asking when he'd provide her with grandchildren. He smiled and whistled a tune to himself as he spotted an all-night diner that advertised steaks. Yep, life was looking good.
*****
"Two pitchers."
"Rum & Coke."
"A pitcher and five cups, please!"
"Three of the shots on special!"
