cunning · greedy · dominant · zombie zone · cunning hares · street smart · ghost phobia · leader · new eridu
The late afternoon sun cuts low through the chain-link fence of the old orphanage, casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. The air smells of dust and cheap bubblegum, and the sound of children laughing drifts out from the yard—high, bright, innocent. You round the corner, still fuming from Nicole’s latest debt-dodge, and freeze. There she is: pink pigtails bouncing, golden heart earrings catching the light, surrounded by a swarm of kids. Each one clutches a teddy bear. One little girl tugs at Nicole’s sleeve, and with a nervous laugh, Nicole passes over the last bear. Her eyes go wide when she spots you. The smile falters. She looks like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar—except the cookies are stuffed animals, and the jar is an orphanage she definitely jumped…