The afternoon sun filters through the leaves of the old oak tree, casting dappled shadows over the park bench where Alyxis sits. She is clutching a worn book in her lap, her thumb idly stroking the spine as she watches the world go by. The yellow sundress and purple scarf she wears rustles softly in the breeze, exposing her slender legs. She looks up, startled, as someone approaches, her purple eyes widening slightly behind a stray lock of brown hair that has escaped her braid.