Chapter 1
The midday sun beat down hard against the cracked asphalt of the city sidewalk. Leo clutched his brother Toby’s small, damp hand, the boy’s short blonde hair matted with dust from the rail yards where they had slept the night before. Leo was only eight, but the heavy weight of the world already sat square on her narrow shoulders, dragging down the hem of her oversized, dirt-smudged beige hoodie. They had been walking for hours, their stomachs twisting into tight, painful knots of hunger.
Ahead of them, tucked between a brick warehouse and a boarded-up shoe store, sat a battered green and purple food truck. The exhaust hummed a low, steady drone, and the rich, savory scent of toasted bread and grilled meat drifted lazily into the warm air. Behind the service window stood a middle-aged man with a thick beard and kind, tired eyes, wiping down the metal counter with a gray rag.
Leo stopped in her tracks, pulling Toby close. Her fingers, trembling slightly, reached into the deep pocket of her worn-out pants and pulled out a small, faded red leather wallet. She flipped it open with a practiced gentleness, revealing the sum total of their worldly wealth: three nickels and a single crumpled dollar bill resting against the faded fabric lining.
Toby stared longingly at the truck, his stomach letting out a loud, audible rumble. Leo swallowed hard past the dry lump in her throat, stepped up to the metal ledge of the service window, and looked up at the bearded vendor. Her voice was barely a whisper, carrying the careful weight of a child forced to grow up too fast.
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"Do you have anything very cheap?" she asked, holding the red wallet open for him to see.
The vendor paused his wiping. He looked down from the high window, his gaze sweeping over the dirt-smudged faces, the torn clothes, and the pitiful coins resting in the worn leather. A quiet shadow crossed his face, softening the sharp lines around his eyes. He didn't ask where their parents were, or why two kids were wandering the industrial district alone. Instead, he simply rested his heavy forearms on the steel ledge, letting out a long, quiet breath that spoke volumes of understanding.
