Zoe Sawyer sniffed. The scent felt a bit familiar, but she couldn't place it.
Before Zoe could get a better whiff, the sour stench of garbage drifted over on the wind, making her instinctively cover her nose.
Heath Hale, meanwhile, was sizing up the woman pushing the garbage cart, Aunt Monroe.
Her salt-and-pepper hair was neatly combed back. She looked to be in her fifties. Perhaps due to constantly bending over, her janitor's uniform, no matter how clean, inevitably had a few smudges on it.
Other than that, her gaze was calm, and her demeanor was poised and natural. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Lily, are these your friends? They look quite sharp." Aunt Monroe sized up Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale, smiled at them, and then spoke to Lily Golding.
Lily Golding nodded happily. "Yes, they're my friends. They came to visit me.
We have to go, Auntie. I'm heading up now."
After exchanging a few more words, the three of them started walking toward Lily Golding's dorm.
