The gentle susurr of leaves whispered through the morning air as Kai Summers stood on the periphery of the academy's driving range. The dew-covered grass snapped beneath her step, and the comforting weight of her old golf bag dug into her shoulder. Amidst the group of fresh students meandering around, Kai remained somehow detached, as if a traveler who had strayed onto the wrong green by accident.
Her fingers instinctively stroked the frayed threads of the red ribbon on the strap of her bag. It wasn't just fabric — it was the last thing he'd given her before sending her to the hospital and never returning. She felt his voice in her head every time she touched it:
"Golf is about heart, Kai. Not winning."
"Summers, yeah?"
A voice called out to rouse her from her daydreaming. Coach Daniels stood over her, clipboard clutched in his hand, eyes imparting one of those sort of stern looks where there is little room for error. "Your turn.".
Kai swallowed hard and nodded, stepping forward. Around her, fellow academy students whispered. Most of them came from rich families, sporting the latest equipment and spotless uniforms. Kai's clothes were a little worn, her clubs second-hand — but her determination? Untouched.
As she prepared at the tee, her gaze drifted to the solitary figure against the fence in the distance. A boy, perhaps just a couple years older, with dark hair across half of his face. He wasn't staring at anyone specific, but Kai could see that he wasn't here to see a show. His shoulders were too slumped, his face unreadable.
The swing was on automatic. Decades of experience on dry, motionless courses with her dad had seen to that. The club struck the ball, which soared upwards. It cut high across the light blue sky and flew far, far past the markers. Mutters of buzz began among the players.
But Kai wasn't listening. She continued to fix the boy with her eyes.
He hadn't moved. Not even a brief flicker of interest.
Coach Daniels jotted some notes on his clipboard and released a small sigh of approval.
"Good," he said. "Let's see if you can sustain it."
As Kai moved back away from the tee, she began to wonder about the enigmatic boy. She sensed something different about him, something like recalling a melody but couldn't remember the words.
That night, while exploring the academy's abandoned practice greens, she was at the back fence, beneath which towering oaks provided a canopy over shorter practice greens. And there he was again — the boy.
This time their eyes met.
Kai froze in his tracks. His eyes weren't indifferent up close — they were empty. Like someone who'd already gone through every round and lost.
She was going to call out to him, but he turned and vanished into the trees.
"Who is he?" she wondered to herself.
And so began the first wave of a game that she did not even realize she was already playing.