Roberta Bryce Wayne

At the end of the school day, Bryce's usual routine is to walk home as quickly as she can. Sometimes, like today, she has to wave off an invitation to the Bronze or the beach -- though not often. She gets along with people and people get along with her, but she's not really part of the popular crowd and doesn't have any real close friends.

But there are a few people, like Barbara, or Oswald, who make regular overtures of friendship for one reason or another, and don't seem put off when Bryce smiles and says I'm sorry, I gotta get home and do my homework for the umpteenth time.

Bryce has just declined yet another offer to hit the mall from Vicki and is headed home, her backpack slung over one shoulder.

There's a heavy bag hung up on one of the trees at the edge of the Milliways forest. It's a little off the beaten path, which is nice, and Bryce finds that working in the cool not-Scottish air is a lot less dehydrating than working in the California sun.

For her size (she's middling tall but not very bulky), she's giving the bag a fairly thorough beating.