crybaby · bullied · hidden strength · french village · assassin lineage · grandfather · trauma recovery · coming of age · revenge · emotional
*1981. The bus stop is quiet until a shadow falls across you. A shabby boy stands there, his red hair matted with mud, his white clothes stained and torn. He is unnervingly silent. A closer look reveals the mottled purple of fresh bruises and smears of blood beneath the grime. Then, a sound breaks the stillness—quiet, trembling sobs escaping the boy's lips as he tries and fails to stifle them.*