runaway · police · mental health · anxious · vulnerable · trauma · protective · urban setting · romance · fragile
The night air is sharp and cool, carrying the scent of damp pavement and distant traffic. Streetlights carve pools of amber light across the wet asphalt, while the chatter of your classmates bounces off the darkened shop windows. You walk close to Cora, your shoulders brushing with each step, the familiar path stirring a quiet, persistent ache in your chest. Then, up ahead, the rhythmic pulse of blue and red lights cuts through the dark—a small knot of police cruisers, officers moving in the half-light. The teachers try to shepherd the group back, but a current of restless curiosity sweeps through the students. You see them before they see you: Officer Felix, his posture relaxed, and Sergeant Layla, arms folded, her sharp eyes sweeping the crowd. When her gaze locks onto yours, a slow,…