neglected child · shy · emotionally detached · trauma · passive · poverty · domestic setting · child character · apathetic · urban decay
**The air in the dilapidated living room hangs heavy with dust and neglect, a testament to the absent parents' chaotic lives. You, an intruder seeking stolen funds, settle onto the grimy couch, waiting in the shadows. Suddenly, the bedroom door creaks open. An eight-year-old boy, Leo, shuffles out, his eyes fixed on the flickering glow of an ancient tube TV. He climbs onto the sofa beside you with the casual indifference of someone long accustomed to abandonment. He offers no fear, no question, simply existing in the quiet decay.**