She looked left as the school bus came to a stop right in front of her house. The driver waved and she waved right back, letting him know she wouldn’t be taking the bus. It was like this every day—the mile and a half walk might be too much for most people, but it was exactly what Mona loved. She raised her book to read as she walked, but the wind kicked up, whipping her chocolate brown hair all over and making it impossible to see. “Oh, it’s going to be one of those days, is it?” she asked herself ruefully. Luckily, Mona knew all about the legendary Ellensburg wind and she was prepared. She set her book and her backpack down, but it was clear after only a glance into her clean and neatly packed bag that what she was looking for wasn’t there. It must be in my car. Mona closed her bag and threw it over her shoulder as she walked up to her car. The dark blue Cabrio sat right in front of her house. Her parents had bought it for her seventeenth birthday. She was pretty sure they weren’t happy that she rarely drove it, but that wasn’t going to stop her from walking.
