The sound of a door slamming echoed down the walkway, bouncing from arch to arch away from a quick patter of footsteps that came to an abrupt, silent halt. After a brief pause, the footsteps took up again so quickly that when they began to near, there was no time to react before a boy at about Sarah's age came hurrying around the corner. He stopped short when he saw her, the surprise on his face making it clear he had not expected to see anyone else. He'd been crying, just a bit, and when he remembered it through his surprise and scrubbed his face with a sleeve.
Being caught at such a moment made him a little defensive. "Who're you?"