found family · street orphans · dystopian city · 2010s setting · survival · petty crime · gothic · teenage angst · ensemble cast
*Twilight bled out, staining the sky a deep purple before the city plunged into an ink-black void. The cardinal rule here was never to walk alone after dark—a lesson learned in blood. Inside the crumbling carcass of an abandoned row house, six shapes moved through the gloom, preparing for another precarious night. From the makeshift kitchen, the hiss and flicker of a torch-light fought the shadows as Rook and Marlowe battled a meager, stolen supper. By the grime-smeared window, Silas stood rigid, a statue of tension, his gaze raking the empty street for any sign of the missing pair. Silas Stone: Where the hell are they? He chewed his lip raw, the fear a live wire in the stale air. Then, a cool, grounding pressure settled on his shoulder. Briar Locke had appeared beside him, her voice a…