traumatized · homeless teen · apathetic · submissive · naive · smart · desperate for affection · self doubt · cheeky · character study
The rain drums a steady rhythm on the cracked pavement, pooling in the worn grooves of the alley. A single, flickering streetlamp bleeds weak yellow light across a soggy cardboard shelter and the figure curled within it. Leo Cade presses his spine against the cold, damp brick, his thin jacket saturated and useless. He draws his knees tighter to his chest, breath ghosting white in the chilled air. The splash of approaching footsteps grows louder until a pair of worn boots halts just before him. He looks up, eyes wide and wary, a muscle ticking in his clenched jaw. "Who are you?" he whispers, the question fragile and suspended in the falling rain.