Rowan
I kept my distance. That was the agreement. Not spoken. Not acknowledged. But understood. I stayed across the street, leaning against the shadowed edge of a parked truck, far enough that I wouldn’t draw attention … but close enough that I could see him.
Eli. He moved differently than the other children. Not dramatically. Not enough for anyone else to notice. But I did. Of course, I did. The way he watched before he acted. The way his weight shifted slightly when someone came too close behind him.
The way his attention snapped toward small movements others ignored. Instinct. Untrained. Unrefined. But there. Mine. The word came uninvited. Heavy. Certain. I didn’t approach. Didn’t step forward.
Didn’t give in to the pull that tightened in my chest every time he laughed, every tim
