Her sleepiness was completely gone, leaving her wide awake.
Ashley Bowen threw back the covers and got out of bed. She walked to the window, recalling Vivian's warning before she went to sleep not to open the window because the wind would be strong at night.
After a moment's thought, she pulled back just a corner of the curtain and peered outside.
The streetlights outside were still on, casting an orange glow on a world of swirling, fallen leaves. The wind was definitely strong.
Just as she was about to let the curtain fall back into place, a figure outside startled her.
The figure was standing just across the small path, hair a mess in the wind. He looked pitiable, just standing there, letting the gale buffet him.
It wasn't until the man looked up, as if sensing her gaze, and turned toward her window that she gasped his name. "Yuri Sinclair?"
Unsure if it was really him, she opened the window. A sudden gust of wind howled through, blowing grit into her eyes.
