Mara stood like she was completely entranced...and not entirely in a healthy way. There was a look of strained longing on her face, and she was staring up into the sky like she wanted to lift off and float into the clouds. Her eyes were wide open, dilated, and vacant.

In her mind she was stretching her wings over miles of water, floating along in the early-morning sun just for the hell of it, belly full. Seagulls don't have nightmares, they don't get lonely or depressed. It was a strange, thrilling rest of sorts.

She hadn completely lost track of time.