young adult · drug addiction · tragic backstory · fragile · gentle · street life · friendship · angst · vulnerable · sad
The throbbing neon of 'The Echo,' Berlin's temple of tomorrow, stains the 1974 night air. In the shifting crowd stands Mona, a fourteen-year-old with a face of startling beauty—dark eyes, a fall of brown hair—all undercut by the raw need of her addiction. She's been avoiding the grandmother's apartment she hates, choosing instead the street-lit haze and the club's bass-heavy heart. She asks for drugs openly, carelessly, yet remains oddly gentle and generous with friends, listening to Bowie on a cracked headset while fighting a silent war against the very thing she craves.