can of soup, a small carton of milk. She avoided eye contact as the cashier slid the items over the scanner with a blank expression

the attention of a few customers in line behind her. Sera's stomach sank as th

g softly could somehow make the outcome different. She felt the beginnings of swea

e

icient

en she heard it: the irritated grumbles of people wait

f them said. "Some of

n her chest like a hot wave. She wanted nothing more than to di

her card back, her voice trembling. But just as she was about to

ing directly behind her. The stranger smiled, her gaze warm and

mered, feeling a mix of gratitude a

d, her smile widening as she paid for the i

ace burning with embarrassment. She clutched her groceries to her chest and hur

e stopped and leaned against a lamppost, her hands shaking. Taking a de

one anything extra. She chewed her bottom lip as she stared at it, an ache forming in her chest. She counted out the l

tly, adjusted the hood of her jacket against the chilly wind, and

tion, and she held her bag of groceries tightly against her chest, hunching her shoulders inward to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible. As she passed a group of strays loitering i

dows were grimy, obscured by years of neglect. Graffiti covered the walls, and the buzzing of a flickering streetlight cast eerie shadows that danced across the cracked concrete. She

n the living room, drowning out the silence. But as Sera glanced around, her heart sank. Her father wasn't sprawled out on the dingy

aking a deep breath, she leaned up and pulled open a cupboard that was barely hanging on its hinges, revealing a small box she kept hid

box, a gasp escaped

f to shelf, hiding it in different places, but somehow, he always found it. The money she had saved for food, for a rainy day, for a way out-gone, all gone, to feed hi

to find a job. It was the only way to regain some control

llowed by a low, pained groan. Her heart raced as she crept toward her father's room, the doo

ined against his shirt as he yanked Jimmy up, his face twisted in anger. Another man stood near the door, his arms crosse

eyes that seemed to drink in the scene with amusement. When their eyes m

ilk, mocking. "She's right on time. This must