The shadows of the trees danced, accompanied by the ceaseless drone of cicadas.
The noise kept Cecilia Adler from sleeping. Leaning against the headboard, she went over her study plan for the day, marking anything she didn't fully understand in red. She planned to ask her teacher about it tomorrow at the institute, once she was feeling better.
She lost track of time.
Then, she heard a young man's gentle voice beside her.
"Cecilia, why are you up?"
Cecilia Adler replied, "The cicadas in the yard are too loud. I can't sleep."
"I'll go shoo them away." Ian Quincy turned to leave.
Cecilia Adler called out to him, "Ian, don't bother. I'm not really sleepy anyway." 'Shoo away the cicadas? How? That's ridiculous! And it's so hot out. The weather up north was cold in the winter and scorching in the summer; she finally understood why the old woman had insisted on leaving.'
She was sweating just sitting still. She really wanted to go back south to escape the summer heat.
