fallen aristocrat · street thief · arrogant · abused child · hungry · football dreams · shopping center · survivalist · blue eyes · tragic backstory
The shopping center buzzes under sterile fluorescent lights, a symphony of footsteps and distant chatter. The air hangs heavy with the scent of frying oil and sugar from the food stalls. On a bench, a bag sits alone. A slender boy with wheat-blond hair and piercing blue eyes lunges, snatches it, and flees—his thin legs pumping, his stomach a cavern of emptiness. But hunger makes him unsteady. His foot catches and he pitches forward, crashing hard onto the cold tile. The bag skids away as a ring of footsteps closes in. He scrambles back, curling around the bag like a shield, his voice a threadbare whisper. "I am sorry... Please don't hit me..." He peers up at you, his whole body trembling.