Dragon Girl Novel Opening (Comments welcome)

DRAGON GIRL SAMPLE OPEN
The narrow side street neighborhood was home to a number of small, ground floor shops, specialty stores and Cafes. The Chinese owner of one such Cafe brought a tray with a milk tea in a plastic cup outside to the lone girl sitting at a table.

"Here's your order miss." she said with good service and a smile, placing the milk tea, straw and napkin on the table. The owner figured the bespectacled girl was Korean or Japanese, and young considering how hip she dressed- a big soccer jersey, short pants, and pink rubber shoes. Her wavy hair was tied up in a simple pony tail, and her glasses were adorably large and retro.

"Thank you!" June chirped, thanking the owner and popping the straw right into the milk tea. She looked at herself in her phone's camera, holding the milk tea some distance from her face. She holds the camera at shoulder level.

The girl studied the picture before pressing the photo button, frowning slightly. "I look so fat. Maybe if I use this filter." She swipes the filter, while holding the phone slightly higher, making her face look thinner.

"Ugh, now I look like a vampire from that book." She said, switching filter to one that made her face look not so pale but quite healthy and glowing.

"Yeah, that looks like this week's profile pic... upload!" She taps the screen quickly to get the picture to her social media profile, the progress bar filling up quickly. Her picture was up in no time.

5 likes in the first five seconds. June felt... whatever girls feel when guys like their pictures.

She swiped the social media page aside, and returned to leafing through the local job listings, trying to find something that didn't have too many paper requirements. She read through them slowly, as real world English didn't quite come as quickly to her as what she learned in the classroom.

"Bakery... baker's assistant..." She thought about baking, having some home-grown experience but realized she might be working around fattening sweets. Swipe.

"Barrista...willing to be... train..." The idea of working at a cafe seemed more appealing to June; it was a pretty common job for people her age, but the language barrier might be a problem. Swipe.

"Bouncer...tall... fight experience..." ha! June laughed, imagining herself standing outside some bar door, and maybe telling rowdy drunks to leave.

Suddenly police sirens rang through the streets, startling June as she was sipping her sugary beverage. Three police cars rushed down the neighborhood, followed by a large armored van blaring a message via its loudspeakers. The symbol of the city's police was emblazoned on the side of the van.
"Evacuate the area. A Metahuman encounter is in progress. Evacuate the area. Metahuman..." The message fades quickly as the van heads towards the now smoking scene of the attack. People on the streets, stores and at the cafes take the message to heart, and quickly drop whatever they were doing to vacate the vicinity.

II.

"Metahuman?" June repeated to herself, trying to search her vocabulary, but given the context she understood fairly quickly. Super powered beings.
The Cafe she stayed at were lowering the metal sliding doors to their establishment's windows. The staff had turned off the WiFi as well, given how the Korean girl's phone's signal went dark.

"Miss you might want to leave the neighborhood..." The owner of the store said, still wearing her apron as she locked the glass door once the last customer left, then lowered the roller over it. She was followed by three employees, teenagers who seemed more happy than anxious to miss an afternoon of work.

"You think it's The Deathbringer?" The teenagers in their cafe uniforms spoke among themselves, off their green aprons  and wondering which arch villain decided to grace their city today.

"No man, it must be someone new. I don't see his death Striders." Another retorted, looking over at the scene of the battle.

"Whoever it is they better not wreck the place... Miss, can we offer you a lift?" The owner asked, concerned if their customer had any transportation.

"No. I am. Okay." June said to them in slightly broken English.

"Well... okay. Take care then. Nice girl like you.... ah never mind." The owner got into her city car, a Honda, and drove away with his employees.
The bustling side street became a veritable ghost town in mere minutes, as the sounds of the city turned into sounds of combat, as an explosion the next neighborhood caused a shockwave, shaking the windows. June spared no further time to delay, and rose from her seat. She put her phone and glasses away in her novelty handbag made from hemp, and hid it inside the plant box outside the cafe. She included her sporty pink shoes, the only footwear she owned at the moment.

III.
Once no one was around, she walked out to the middle of the street, and took a deep breath. She did a runner's starting position, aimed at a 5 storey office building's roof.  She broke into a sprint, and within 5 steps she launched herself high into the air. Immediately she got an aerial view of the neighborhood around her, getting a glimpse of the attack before she landed on the roof deck of the office building... and into a large planting box.
"Air brakes! Air braaaakes!" She thought, feebly trying to change  her trajectory. June realized couldn't steer mid air. She smashes into the plant box, destroying someone's hard grown hydroponic vegetables.

She rolled with the fall, lying flat on her back, covered in dirty water, dirt, and cabbages. June took a moment to recover as her pride had taken a great hit.
"Note to self... look before you leap." June made a mental anecdote for this.

"Why do people always put so much stuff on their roof." She thought to herself in her native tongue. Dusting herself off, and throwing away the cabbage on her head, she trudged over to the edge of the roof deck, and saw the battle.

The attack was occurring at a rather low-key research building at the end of the street. The building across the street from it had been half leveled and  consequently dust obscured the scene. The regular police did not bother getting close, instead keeping a healthy distance and letting their special response team deal with the mechanical monstrosity. It emerged from the cloud of dust, guarding the research building. Standing on three legs, with an all black spherical body, it was nothing short of an assault tripod, a hyper-advanced siege walker meant for prolonged urban warfare.

June leaps over the edge of the roof, and lands cratering the sidewalk. She sprints to the scene as quick as she could.

IV.

The special Response Team were trained police specialists, equipped with superior body armor and heavy weaponry more suited to a battlefield than a suburban neighborhood. Heavy machine guns, assault rifles, even one who carried a missile launcher. They moved into cover behind some parked cars, but they hardly went unnoticed.

The Assault Walker turned its gun on the Response Team, the gatling gun's high pitched screech releasing hundreds of bullets in their direction.
The bullets caused massive holes in the road, but the team had special equipment of their own- A man lays down a sphere, which in turn generated a blue beehive energy barrier that protected them from the gunfire. The team wasn't safe for long though. Before they could get a chance to use their own missile launcher, The Assault Walker picks up a parked van and tosses it towards the officers in cover- and at the last moment it seemed they'd be crushed, June had moved directly into the car's path, the sedan's metal body crumpling around June's hands, the glass breaking into bits. Still, being struck by loose debris was better than a whole car.

"Get out. Go!" The girl lowers the ruined car with a loud thud. The Response team mutter their thanks, and reposition, trying to flank the Walker. They try to draw its attention with gunfire, but it had already identified the gravest threat present. It turned its main gun on June.

June realized she couldn't run. She shielded herself with her forearms and braced herself. The bullets flew, and she winced. The bullets used were of immense caliber- she could feel the gun strafe her, hitting her in a dozen places with bruising force, a strong blow to her shoulder knocking her down. The uranium tipped bullets punched holes in her Jersey and disintegrated on contact with her skin, but leaving nothing more serious than bruises. The girl felt each blow like some dull pain. They kicked up large clouds of dust when they exploded in the concrete, making the already dusty scene difficult to see in.
Adrenaline pumped up in June, blocking out the pain as she sprinted faster than a sports car.

She runs past its legs, right into the path of a smaller point defense laser. A laser beam snapped at her with pinpoint accuracy, with temperatures that could boil flesh alive- but for June, it mostly left a uncomfortable warmth on her skin. She leaps up the twelve feet to the body, and rips the defense laser out of its hard point. Still clinging to the opening, June rips open its black hull to expose its interior; from there, she continues pulling out wires, tubes and cables from its interior, until the Assault Walker experienced a catastrophic malfunction, and powered down. June drops herself down to the street, and enters the building through the entrance.  

V.

June hurried into the research facility, and found the security guards... or what was left of them. She recoiled at the smell of charred human flesh, nearly vomiting. Where there were supposed to be bodies, instead were just... pieces of blackened outlines. June turned around at that moment, trying to compose herself; it was a stench she was unlikely to get accustomed to... oh god, it smelled like... overcooked pork.

June took a moment to compose herself, block out the scent- the sight. She climbed the stairs and found herself in the laboratories. Four towering figures wearing large, bulky high-tech armor in gray color were ransacking computer terminals using some advanced tech beyond June's comprehension. Once they finished, they used their weaponry to cook the hardware and servers, melting glass and plastic with the scalding laser beams.

June saw the destruction these men wrought on the neighborhood, on the facility, and the impunity with which they incinerated the guards. They had to be stopped, whatever they were after here. June justified her actions thus far to herself.

She took a deep breath, summoning up her courage. June sprang her attack much as she did before- a full frontal assault. She caught one of the soldiers off guard; she saw some exposed cables and a battery, and decided to rip those out with her bare hands. The first power armor user fell to the ground, his suit now non-operational.

The second man anticipated a punch, but June's wind up was a mere feint for the spinning hook kick that connected to his helmet, crushing the ceramic alloy. The kick was accompanied by a mighty "CHAAA!";  The second armor user was sent flying into a column, putting his lights out.
June hesitated for an instant. Did she kick too hard? Was the man still alive?

No! Focus! Two more!

"OHSHI-" The last two users, too close to use their primary weapons, manage to catch June's body kick with their armored forearms, and simultaneously take her by surprise with a hidden electrified weapon hidden in their wrists. They struck June in the neck, causing her to scream out in pain; the special weapon sent massive voltage directly to her nervous system, causing the peculiarly durable girl to spasm violently and fall to the ground.

The wire was still sending voltage into June, causing her to twitch and spasm. She could barely utter anything, drool escaping from the side of her lip.

"She's a tough one, I'll give her that." The lead armor user said, looking down at the Asian girl. He looked at his two companions who'd been blind-sided; tough was an understatement.

"Didn't the eggheads at the lab say they could use a test subject?" The soldier with the attached electrode asked his leader.

"Nah, We're out of time. Just shoot her in the eyeball. It hits her brain, game over, mutie." he said, completely calm as he ordered the murder of the would-be hero.

"You messed with the wrong Fraternity kid-" The soldier aimed down at June, pinned by the electric rods. The shot was interrupted when a tossed spear materialized in the gap of the soldier's shoulder armor, its plasma ignited tip cutting through the protection and pushing out the other side. The damage caused him to drop his weapon, not to mention groaning and collapsing in pain... and removing the electrode on June.

The last soldier was faced by two arrivals- one young female heroine in a fabulous colored costume made from a standard armor covered in colored glass; her companion was an extremely well built man in Greek themed combat armor, complete with a large round shield made of bronze-like material.
When the Greek warrior moved over to liberate his weapon, the teen girl decided to confront the remaining Tech plunderer. "Not so fast. Give up now bucket head, you can't win! I got the power to control glass. Make a wrong move and its lights out, if you get my drift." The teen raised her hand gestured towards his helmet. As she did, all the glass that lay around in the demolished office slowly began to levitate and arrange themselves around the armored criminal, pointed at him.

The leader could feel his visor vibrating, trying to pop out of place... very close to his eyes. Still, he was not intimidated. "Thanks for the warning." The lead trooper decided to called the bluff and shoot first.

"Eep-!" Shard could barely move out of the ray gun's way as he took aim. Spartan moves to shield his protege with his shield, determined to take the brunt of the weapon. June uses the opportunity to recover from the electrocution and grab the man's weapon and simply squeeze as hard as she could. The weapon was far more frail than their armor, and the resulting explosion caused a bright flash and sent super hot plasma onto June and the man. June's cotton clothes caught on fire, and she quickly rip them off, leaving her in her sports top.

"IT BURNS IT BUUURNS! AAAH! HEEELP ME! HEEEELP!" The armored thug was on the ground, desperate to do something about the burning plasma melting through his armor.

Even if it was an enemy, the man's pain and suffering caused June deep trouble. Her conscience compelled her to attempt to remove the man's armor, but the plasma was burning through the ceramic suit. It wouldn't be long before it touched his internal organs and cause him a very agonizing death; June decided she was not going to carry a death today.

"I can unlock his armor..." Shard offered, but June's hand objected, as she knelt beside her enemy.

"No. Stand away." June warns the girl, and she did obey from the tone in June's accent. She inhales deeply and blows on the burning liquid metal, the temperature rapidly cooling the burning metal solid. There was an audible cracking noise as the extreme temperature variations caused hairline fractures in the armor. The ordeal had proven a bit much for the Knight, and he had gone into shock.  

"Good work, lass. You managed to stop these sorry bucket heads without killing them." The man in the Greek themed battle armor said, tapping the Fraternity soldier's helmet with the blunt end of his spear.

That was when the Response Team from outside managed to catch up, moving to arrest the immobilized criminals. No one attempted an escape, seeing they were trapped in their own cumbersome armor.

"So... are... you like... Asian super girl?" The younger hero in the glass costume asked with a joking tone, judging from June's breathe weapon. She stood beside her newfound ally as she spoke.

"Super Girl? No. My name is. J... June. Ja-eun Yeong. June Yong." The Korean girl answered with less enthusiasm, the joke flying over her head.

The young hero extended a hand, to help June up... though  "Could've fooled me. I'm Shard. I'm with the Watchers."

CHARACTERIZATION, SETTING

I.

"Miss? Miss? We have arrive na." The native driver's voice stirred June from her sleep. She was leaning against the window the whole journey. June left the hotel at around 830am, and now looked at her watch. 11am? The road trip took over two hours? She yawned and stretched her neck. Being confined to an air conditioned car in heavy traffic caused her to nod off, and when she got out of the car, the sun was positively blistering.

They arrived inside a walled off compound of a large estate. It was a Colonial era Spanish villa, massive in size and off-white, with a rough concrete finish. A massive fountain sat front and center as the main feature outside the elevated main doors. The grounds were patrolled by private security, each man or woman wearing a white polo undershirt, a combat vest, fatigues, boots and a sweet blue beret. The M4 carbine was the preferred armament, though a few carried automatic shotguns. There were also quite a few folk tending the gardens, wearing straw hats and wearing ragged long sleeves.

June's acquaintance, Jade Tren, aka Shard, showed up to greet her. The young tanned brunette with some Vietnamese features- June's best guess, seeing Filipinos tends toward very mixed blood. She wore a light blouse and a plaid skirt, underneath some ornate multi-colored glass armor, mimicking scale mail but with glass rather than steel. She walked up to June and marveled at her height, now able to get a good look at her. June glanced away a bit when the suit caught the glare.

"June! whoa daaaamn... when we said come in uniform... you weren't kidding." Shard was taken aback. Despite being an official superhero, she was still impressed with June in full combat dress with her rank and insignia, and wearing a beret.

"Ano..." June realized her mistake, or rather, forgot an important fact. "No, no no. Not superhero in Korea. Am in Marines." She explained simply. She smiled a bit seeing Shard's familiar face.

II.

They climbed the five steps up onto the porch. The colonial villa had large lacquered wooden doors, with a long vertical grab bar. June pushed the heavy doors with little resistance, and was greeted by a lavish interior, with all white marble floors, walls alternating between lacquered wood accents and geometric stone patterns. A chandelier hung in the very high ceiling of the foyer, though the ample windows and sunlight did not necessitate artificial illumination.

A young lady in a red-black ensemble business suit confidently walked toward the two arrivals. "Good morning miss Young. You're just in time. Please proceed to the Sala... living room upstairs. Miss De Devera will see you now."

June nodded, and removed her beret out of courtesy. She also removed a Glock handgun and holster from inside her uniform, and handed both to the receptionist. She was surprised, but her face remained confident with a polite smile and walked off, to store away their guest's paraphernalia.

"Oh. my. goooood." Shard seemed more excited than their guest, speaking like a valley girl for a moment. "You're meeting the 5th Reyna!" She said with a giddyness reserved for small children going to toy stores.

"Reyna?" June echoed the name, trying to calm her acquaintance down.
"Reyna means Queen. She's like, the country's most well known Reyna... Superhero." Shard in her excitement got out her phone and showed her her wallpaper, Reyna in all her 2 square feet or so of mystical red armor, as well as a mini skirt, covering only the modesty places and showing off ample leg, stomach and arms. June felt a bit uncomfortable at the sight, preferring her uniform any day.

Jade continued to narrate for June's convenience. "She beat a really big bad villain back in 2011, the Spider Witch. A lot of things changed after that. I remember watching the news as a kid. A lot of female supers look up to her these days. Well... her in particular."

"Okay. I look on internet later?" June assured Shard she would be thoroughly educated on Reyna.

Shard nodded, and accompanied June up the wooden flight of stairs to the Sala.

III.

June looked around and saw the lavishly large Sala, with its wooden floors and soaring high ceilings. Paintings of previous heroes hung on the even space columns. An ornate table was set out for the entertaining of guests, while wood sofas sat against the walls for extra seating.

A tall, statuesque Asian woman stood from the table. She was very athletic, and walked with as much confidence as the lady below. June couldn't peg her age, as the lady was in wonderful physical shape, her sleeveless blue dress with floral patterns accentuating her developed arms. She walked over to meet June halfway, extending a hand to shake.

"Hello! welcome to the Philippines, miss Young. We are the Taga..." She reconsidered using the native language, and went with the standard name of the group. "Well, we are the Watchers. I heard about your actions last week... quite impressive. Please, take a seat. We are a private organization, so no need to stand at attention. How do you like our Headquarters so far?"
She gestures for June to seat, as kitchen staff brought up silver trays and china, with coffee and tea.

"Yes. Thank you. Very nice." June said, unable to help being anything else but polite and smiling around this formidable woman that Shard looked up to, and she could see why. She took her seat in the comfortable cushion chair, though still minding her posture.

"My name is Danica Dawn De Vera." Dani noticed June's slight discomfort and her halting English. She looks at June once more and switches to speaking Korean. "I was... the 5th woman to hold the mantle of Reyna. I hope my Korean is not too rusty? I haven't been there in years... Last time we visited the hero center so I learned a lot about managing a hero team! I miss the authentic food, and the clothes. And the temples! So beautiful."

June was pegged impressed. The Asian-blooded heroine spoke to her in flawless Korean. "Wow, you speak it very well, ma'am!" She replied with more enthusiasm, now that she could speak more clearly.

Part of the table surface turned into a screen, and Dani browsed over June's official file. "You know for a moment I was wondering why a soldier came into the living room. Then I read your file. You're actually in the military? That's quite impressive! I am always happy to meet a strong independent woman who make bold career choices. You know, it was a difficult time back in my day, being in Law School and my mom duties and my hero duties. But I knew it would be worth it now."

June wanted to answer once the question was raised, but she paused to listen to the rest of Danica's speech about herself. "Haha... wow ma'am, you must have had a lot of coffee." She joked, and Danica laughed with her. June decided to clear up South Korea's policy on the issue. "Not exactly, ma'am. Every Korean with metahuman abilities is conscripted directly into the military. Even our official superheroes are reservists."

"Aaahh okay... I suppose that's natural I guess, because of North Korea right?" Dani asked, helping herself to coffee and offering June tea.
June simply nods, and helps herself to the tea. Dani gave her the impression seemed well updated with world events.
"So... what it's like? Did you take special training?" She asked, since nothing in her Korean embassy file detailed such things.

"It was..." June thought for a moment, trying to recall the scripted answer. "... It was okay. We all take basic training. Then become officer if went to college." June bit her lip. The truth was a bit different, and she was not in the mood to open up completely.

Danica smiled at June, looking at her and giggling slightly. She saw the hesitation, and made no comment. She carried on with the conversation. "That is so fascinating. You know, military service in this country is volunteer only... ugh, our country has so many boys, not enough men." She complained, albeit with a joking tone.

June could only help but laugh along, though not exactly knowing why.
"Anyway. I received the Korean embassy's file, and I think you'll fit in well with the Juniors. Maybe show them a thing or two." She commented, closing the table's screen.

The speaker in the table suddenly piped up with the voice of a young lady, the one who welcomed June. "Miss De Vera? We have a problem."
"Yes... go on... Angela?" Dani asked, a look of concern when the word problem was uttered.

"...Lorenzo's here, and he's coming up." The speaker piped up.


IV.

"Reyna? REYNAAA!" A young man barged into the living room, shouting at the top of his lungs. He wore jeans and a fitting black shirt, eyes covered by designer shades. He staggered over towards Dani.

June's nose wrinkled slightly, as she looked away from the coming confrontation. The young man's shirt was stained, and she could pick up traces of booze, fried pork, and vomit. Never a good combination for her nose.

"Lorenzo. LORENZO. Good Lord... It's 11 A.M! You're drunk!" Dani steadies the young man, letting him sit down on a wallside sofa. He would have none of it, drunkely swatting away Dani's hand.

"Saan ba siya ngayon Dani?! Sabihin mo sa akin please... mag usap lang kami!" He pleaded in his native language, outside of June's comprehension. She wondered what she said, fiddling her thumbs under the table and looking away. Wow, those paintings on the wall look quite nice.

"Enzo, how many times do I have to tell you? She broke up with you! She is busy with her duties as Reyna now. Get it through your thick. Entitled. skull!" Dani said more assertively, forcing Enzo to sit. This time he didn't resist, though he did stand up again.

"Duties?! Duties ba ng mga hero mag entertain ng mga politiko? mag photo op sa mga magazine? Where is she?!" he pleaded, his voice become coarse.
"I won't tell YOU, Enz. Good Lord... is this how the new Atlas acts... a drunk who can't take rejection? Wala ka bang respeto sa sarili mo?! sa pangalan na dinadala mo?! you're making a fool of yourself! You're making a fool of me! We have a foreign guest for God's sake!" Dani's voice never rose to what could be called loud, though her tone was stern and she wouldn't take this from the young man.

"Hello...? Are you okay, mister Lorenzo?" June felt like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. No, she was definitely there and she was in a very awkward position. She tried to save face and show concern for the young man, holding him by the arm when he seemed about to keel over.

"Sundalo lang yan eh. Sino ka ba, Koreana? Para kang bida sa Koreanovela... ganda..." He said, his meaning escaping June still. He took off his glasses and looked at her. June was now contemplating taking him down a peg.

"She is not just a soldier, Enz. She's the South Korean superhero delegate. Who you were supposed to welcome today, until Frank called me that you were still WASTED IN HIS RESTAURANT AT 10 A.M." Danica emphasized those last few words, trying to get Lorenzo to listen.

Even in his drunken stupor, Lorenzo had some ability to comprehend the enormous social faux pas he had committed. "Oh. Oh shit. Oh... I'm sss... sooo... sooo sorry. Let me... let me..." He was slurring, and the words he wanted use weren't quite there. He was also absently patting his empty pockets.

"No! You are in no condition to attend to your duties. You are going to sleep off this hangover here. If your father finds out..." The mention of Lorenzo's father seemed to wake the young man up more than Danica's lecturing.
June could see his face had gone pale, as did Dani. Tears swelled up in his red eyes, as his attempt to plead failed in futility. A moment of silence passed, before Dani settled on a compromise.

"...I'll tell him you were helping with interviewing candidates. Okay?" Dani calmly reassured Enzo.

"Aunty, I'm... I'm sorry." Enzo embraced Dani, who was visibly reluctant, her nose wrinkling at the sweat and booze stains on his shirt. She settles for a few light pats.

Enzo turned to June, who had decided not to demonstrate on him. "Ma'am I am very sorry. I'm Lorenzo Tiu, aka Atlas." He offered an apology to their guest. June guessed it was over for now, and decided to hold her breath.
"Okay... take care, Lorenzo." June shook his hand, smiling and being polite as well.

Enzo moved to the other long sofa in the room, and laid down.
"...Boys. What will they do without us. Ah... Miss Young, I apologize..." Danica turned to June in Korean once more, deeply embarrassed.

"It's okay, ma'am. It happens. About my assignment?" June brushed it off and decided to switch to business. Danica nodded to June.

"Angela, the receptionist, will give you the details. Since I retired, Metro Manila has been low on crime or metahuman activity, so I'm assigning you temporarily to Mindanao, in the South. The Metro Manila heroes will take over concerning the attack the other week. I have a meeting in Congress in the afternoon, so I'll leave you in the care of your friend." Danica picked up her handbag and walked to the stairs.

"Senate, ma'am?" June asked, curious.

"Yes. I'm a Senator. Does that surprise you?" Danica said with a smile, her confidence starting to grate on the periphery of June's thoughts.


V.

June and Danica leave the large living room, only to see Shard on the stairs eavesdropping on the meeting. She wanted to run, but she instead stood up properly.

"You're Shard, right?" Danica asked the girl, overlooking the minor transgression.

"Y...yes ma'am?!" Jade could only blurt it out.

"Keep June company. Show her around town. I have a meeting in the afternoon." Danica finally departs, heading to the garage.

Jade was in squealing fangirl mode. "She really is the best isn't she?"

"Yeah. She spoke to me in Korean, and uhm..." June leaned in a bit closer to her friend Jade's ear. "Handled Mister Atlas."

"Yeah I've been hearing things around the Villa lately. they used to be an item before they were chosen as successors to Atlas and Reyna." Shard said with a matter-of-fact tone... with the rumors.

June sighed. This was very awkward and unprofessional situation she found herself in.