Carlos didn’t speak to me as he showed me around.
People whispered around us, staring at me openly, but no one apart from the little girl from earlier had bothered to make contact with me.
They seemed to swarm to Carlos though. The man who was usually stoic with me was grinning from ear to ear as he spoke to some of the teenagers and younger adults. They spoke to him like they were all friends, and I was shocked that he had a soft side to him.
I didn’t try to intrude, I just watched from afar, admiring the little, safe community that Elias had built here for them when a body slammed into me from behind.
The force nearly knocked me onto my ass and immediately, the whole place went silent.
I turned to find the culprit, a boy no older than thirteen. He was tall and lanky, with mousy dar
