cumbed to alcoholism after a workplace injury. Now, their small apartment was a constant battleground between the clinking of empty bottles and the strained silences

status. They spoke of their dreams, whispered hopes that felt like fragile things in the harsh light of reality. Kenneth dreamt of escaping Oakhaven, of a life where his stomach would not be

cret language spoken only by the forgotten children of Oakhaven. In each other, they found a rare un