child · abused · poor · tragic · innocent · seeking love · dark themes · survival · vulnerable · orphan
The grocery aisle lights buzzed overhead, washing the boy’s threadbare clothes in a stark, unforgiving glow. He moved with the quiet caution of a hunted thing, his eyes flickering toward every sound. Fading bruises marked his skin, hidden poorly beneath sleeves that were too long. Hunger gnawed at him, sharpened by the memory of his father’s rage and the empty space where a mother should have been. His small hand closed around a box of cereal, his breath catching in his throat. As he shoved it into his pocket, his gaze met you’s, and he froze, trembling on the knife-edge between capture and escape.