September 18th — three months earlier Beams of sunlight streamed through my window; the slats of my blinds chopping it into a myriad of rays that lazily slid across my quiet room. The whir of the ceiling fan was the only source of sound, a soft and lulling noise that almost made me want to go back to sleep. The blankets on my bed felt warm and soft against my skin and the sound of a lawnmower picked up outside. — no doubt one of the neighbors is hoping to get some yard work done. It was a Saturday right in the middle of September — the welcome transition between summer and fall when the weather was neither hot nor cold, just pleasant. The eighteenth of September; a few days away from the twenty-first, the technical first day of autum

I took a moment to watch him walk ahead, bent over his map and looking up every so often at the trees to ensure he was going the right way. A few yards away he stopped and looked back at me. "Well? Are you going to just stand there?" I shook my head and returned his easy smile, stepping around the small plants on the ground and beginning to follow Eric back through the forest. Eric alternated between looking at his map and out at the forest, his brow furrowed as he navigated through the woods. He hummed lightly under his breath, posture relaxed and straight, towering about half a foot above me. I had never wanted to learn about someone so badly, yet I did not know how to begin. "How did you choose to come to Madison?" I asked as we walked.

The late morning and afternoon was spent in that perfumed, stuffy salon. Kendra, our routine hairdresser, jabbered on about nonsensical topics as she was washing, drying, asking if I wanted highlights, straightening every crimp and curl from my hair, clipping my nails, buffering them and covering them in rich black nail lacquer. I just nodded along to whatever she said, not replying much. Genevieve sat across the salon, reading a magazine as she had her hair curled, and Nova squirmed in her seat as a manicurist tried to file her nails. "It must be so fun going to all your dad's parties, huh?" Kendra asked me, painting a second coat of color onto my nails. She wasn't much older than me, maybe twenty five, at the most. She was tall and stick thin and had caramel colored hair.

"Nova needs a new science tutor," Genevieve said over breakfast the next day. "Last year's tutor didn't teach her anything. She tried to teach Nova geology, but—""Geology isn't a real science," I said into my bowl of cereal."—Nova was disinterested. Any ideas, Jonathan?" Genevieve finished, looking to my father."Yes, I've got someone in mind," my dad said. "I'll make some phone calls.""I don't want to learn anything," Nova said. "I don't want a new tutor. I hate science.""It's either we get you a new tutor or you've got to go to public school," Genevieve said, setting a bowl of fruit on the table.Nova had been homeschooled her entire life. I had always gone to public school. Nova was a much more shelte

Nova held my hand as we followed Eric down the forest path the next day, the sun cutting through the treetops and casting skinny beams across the ground. It was a clear day, but the temperature was cool enough that we each wore jackets."Tell me, Nova," Eric said as we walked. "What is the most important thing in the world?""Love," Nova said almost automatically."Wrong.""What?""That wasn't an opinion question," he said. "If I had wanted to know what the most important thing in the world was in your opinion, I would have asked what you think the most important thing in the world is. But I asked you for a fact, not an opinion." He half smiled.Nova looked at Eric with a look of confusion, curiosity and a touch of awe. "What is t