I. Standing on the edge of the weathered sidewalk Drew scratched mercilessly at a patch of dry skin on her arm waiting for the cars to slow so that should could make her way across the road. Lifting her right foot forward she stepped down off the curb and into the traffic, which greeted her with the squealing of tires and a sharp hand gesture in her direction. She paid no attention.

Bounding down the street quickly, she dodged small children and brushed past a group of grade sevens lighting a cigarette they had found on the ground. Only three more blocks until she reached Liberty Park. She could smell the fresh cut grass when she grew closer to the park; quickening her pace she rhythmically pounded her feet against the pavement so now she was running full on. Sometimes it felt like she was being chased by an unknown being, this was one of those times.

At some point in time during those three blocks which seemed to be taking an eternity to conquer on foot, her legs became tangled. And at some point in time during her trip to the ground a she thought of the strange sensation one felt when they fell. Everything seems slow, time teases as you fall, flailing your arms under the pretence that you could maybe save face only to find yourself face, down on the ground.
"Shit." She pushed herself up feeling the ground rub against her raw skin. She couldn't let this stop her; soon it would be too late. She brushed off her hands with a few swift brushes against hips and carried on. This time with a bit more agility.
"Are you okay? That was quite the spill", said an approaching figure. The suns glare blinded Drews view for a moment.
"I'm fine", she paused in front of the figure and raised the arm to block the light from penetrating her eyes. The figure appeared male, approximately mid-twenties who reeked of stale smoke. She scrunched her nose in displeasure with the smell. For a moment they stood there waiting on each other for further response. The male took her hand, which she held up and turned it so that her palm face towards the sky and pulled out a tattered handkerchief from his pocket.
"Here, to stop the bleeding" He pushed it onto her palm, nodded and proceeded to walk away pulling the spare cigarette from above his ear.
"Thank you" she called. No response.

Too much time had been wasted. She made her way down the grassy field where dogs were chasing frisbees and a group of rowdy boys played a game of soccer. That's when she saw it, the group of children playing on the playground. They were from a small Christian preschool down the street and only came to the park specifically at this time, on this day. The preschool was run by nuns who Drew had never seen smile once, as a child she attended the very same school, following the very same routine. All the nuns were extremely uptight, but today would be different. It had to be. Drew could only have faith in the future if today was different. And then it happened. That moment when it all comes together, because it has to all come together at some point.

A young blond boy floated amongst the crowd of children, gracefully dodging a playmate chasing after him in what appeared to be a game of tag. He threw his head back in wide-mouthed laughter, his curls bouncing wildly on top of his head. A small pair of hands swung behind him grasping only to air. And then suddenly, the boy fumbled and crashed to the ground. Drew diverted her attention to the nuns who had been talking with straight faces; their eyes darted to the scene of the accident. One after another the children toppled onto the young boy all screaming "You're it!" then running away in giddy fits of laughter leaving the boy bewildered. The nuns turned to each other and let out a burst of howling laughter.

That is how Drew began her transcendence from childhood to adulthood.