Episode Three
Mouse stomped her way down the
long hallway behind the training arena, intent on blowing off enough steam to
cook a dinner for two. The door to the women’s locker room took a moment too
long to open, and her fist met the doorway as she rushed through. By the time
she found a changing stall, her backpack was already opened, and she scattered
its contents across the small stall bench.
When the door eased shut behind her, she took a deep breath and closed
her eyes. She exhaled slowly, trying to calm the twitch in the base of her
tail—a quivering, involuntary motion that betrayed her anxieties and
frustrations alike. It wasn’t working. Her face twisted into a grimace as she
reached for her belt buckle.
