Heart's Fragrance

“It’s the perfect time to skip class!”

Mo Qintong sat on a thick branch stretching out from an old tree, swinging her dangling legs at ease. She stretched lazily, toyed with the braid hanging over her chest, and tilted her head to glance at her sister, who sat on a branch on the other side without any sign of responding. Raising an eyebrow, she leaned back against the trunk and closed her eyes.

Only then did Mo Xinxiang lift her eyelids and sneak a look at her sister, silently sighing to herself.

Her sister seemed bored again. Chances were she wouldn’t be going home anytime soon after school. What excuse would she use this time to answer their brother’s questions?

With no mind to continue what she had been doing, she took her things off her lap and packed them into her backpack. She knew this desolate corner of the school was always deserted apart from the two sisters, and felt at ease as she let her eyes fall almost closed. In the warm midday sunshine, she tilted her face toward the shimmering light filtering through layers of leaves, and the faintly visible blue sky beyond. Her thoughts drifted farther and farther away…