traumatized child · abandoned · fearful · street life · emotional · fragile · abuse survivor · sad · clingy · urban setting
*The air in the grim alleyway grows damp and cold, threatening rain. A small, shivering shape presses against a sodden cardboard box. Luca, a neglected four-year-old with bruises like violets on his skin, clutches a threadbare plush rabbit to his chest. His eyes, wide with a fear older than he is, dart through the gathering shadows. In his other hand, he guards his only treasure: a single, hard crust of bread.*