#beach encounter

It's not terribly early in the morning when Veronica steps out the back door that leads directly off from her apartment. There's a small copse of trees behind the clinic but if she follows the treeline a ways, the small woods tapers off and gives way to the beach, where Veronica prefers to run because it challenges her balance and keeps her muscles guessing rather than the monotony of level pavement.

The doctor's mind is swirling with thoughts and flashes of memory, and with each of them, her chest is bombarded by their attached emotions. In comparison to the drama of Faulkner that seemed to only drive up a notch further with each passing day, her years in college and medical school seem unbelievably tame and dull. Going for a run is the only thing she can think of that will help her get some perspective and simply clear her head.

Pressing the earbuds of her ipod into her ears, Veronica presses play and then starts off toward the beach at a sedate pace. When she runs, she listens to the new digital music--dubstep as it's termed these days--upbeat and fast-paced, it does wonders for her motivation. And once on the sand, Veronica kicks up her pace, already feeling a nice burn settle over her muscles as she flings sand behind her as she goes.

Halfway to her turnabout point, V sees someone seated near the water's edge on a piece of driftwood. A dark haired girl staring out over the ocean with a pensive expression on her face. Unable to resist meeting someone new in this small town, Veronica slows to a stop and walks up to the girl as she pauses the ipod strapped to her bicep and draw the earbuds out.