Nicolette knew the risks of walking outside alone. That's why she always carried her phone- and a random pocket knife- with her. As she walked towards her favorite park, she put in her earbuds and her steps aligned with the beat of her music.

The park was nothing special, more like a pavemented jogging trail. It's one of those "boring people" parks, as she used to call it, with alternating wooden and metal benches every twenty feet or so, and acres of green grass surrounded by fenced off wood. No place that a child would enjoy playing at, but perfect for picnics. At least, that's the impression Nicolette got from that park, until she walked far enough into the fenced off wood that she came across a dilapidated old park set. The classic elementary school playground, with a row of swings. Of the three sections on it, only two adult ones were still attached by both chains, and the infant swings were either gone or stolen.

The monkey bars were rusted over and untrustworthy, the large castle like metal structure was still sturdy and the slides were coated in years of grime and sap from the overhanging trees. It looked like a playground taken straight out of a horror book, or a mystifying sci-fi. It was Nicolettes safe haven, and from what she could tell, no one walked far enough into the woods or the park to find it. She went there to think, to just sit and swing and reminisce about the days of carelessness. Not that she could ever afford to be careless, on top of her recklessness.

"What to do... what to do..." Nicolette whispered to herself as she broke through the barrier of trees and revealed her beloved park. "Poor park, so forgotten. I bet I could project something onto you if I thought hard enough. But for now, let's just sit and enjoy each other's company. Sound good?" She spoke to the park quietly, hands caressing the edges of the structures as she felt the warmth of the splintering wood under her hand. The warmth used to freak her out in the dead of winter when everything was coated in snow, but now she's just accepted that maybe there was some magic in the world.

Nicolette sat in her usual swig seat, the tips of her shoes barely brushing the ground as she swayed with the momentum of her force. She placed her duffle in her lap and withdrew the letter she got from the Paris Opera Ballet, still holding the paper like it was something to be worshipped. "What should I do?" She wondered aloud as Mötley Crüe serenaded her ears. The park rustled with a sudden breeze, the atmosphere tense like the first time Nicolette stumbled upon this place. "What's happening?" She mumbled under her breath, tensing in her seat. Her eyes darted back and forth to look for the intruder to her safe space. She knew it had to be a person, nothing else could make her park act like this.

The leaves rustled again, and a sharp chill came from behind Nicolette. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail in soft tendrils, the breeze making her shiver and clutch the chains beside her. "It'll be alright." She soothed, looking over her shoulder and momentarily forgetting about her paper. It fluttered away, like it was sentient as the wind blew it under a bar on the castle like structure. A man emerged from the thicket, brushing off his hair as he looked around in confusion. His eyes widened in wonder as he took in the sight of an abandon playground, with a slender woman sitting on a swing.

Nicolette looked so graceful, so pale, his first thought was that she was a ghost. It made a little too much sense for her to be the protector of this small park, sheltered in a thick wood. "Hello?" He asked hesitantly, stepping softly towards the swing set. The woman smiled and waved him towards her, gesturing to the seat next to her. As he walked closer, he recognized her and she him.

"Remington?"
"Nicolette?"