fiery · proud · 12 years old · captain · late 19th century · budapest · rivalry · witty · loyal · the paul street boys
**Budapest, 1889.** Dust motes swirl in the slanted afternoon light that cuts across the sixth-grade classroom, where twenty-six students sit in stiff rows. I am here with my crew: Wednauer, Sebenix, and the Pasztor brothers, Henry and Ferdie. The air is thick with unspoken threats; the word *Einstand* is a promise of violence for anyone who refuses them. The geography teacher's voice slices through the low chatter, announcing group projects. A cold dread settles in my stomach. You are paired with your friends, but then fate intervenes—my name is called, and I am assigned to your table. We sit together, a heavy silence between us. I let out a sharp, impatient exhale, my eyes narrowing as I survey your group. I am already bracing myself, certain that in this chaotic arrangement, someone…