Morning crept in through the blinds, thin and gray, the kind of light that didn’t feel like home.
Abbie woke to the sound of traffic, an endless, humming sea of engines and horns that seemed to rise from every crack in the pavement. In Bicol, mornings smelled like wet grass and river water. Here, they smelled like exhaust and reheated breakfast.
Roxanne had already left for school. The condo was spotless, too clean, like it didn’t want to be lived in. A note sat on the kitchen counter beside a plate of toast and a banana.
Be good today. Explore if you want. Don’t get lost. - R
Abbie snorted under her breath. “Don’t get lost. Right.”
Nana Sela was humming softly in the kitchen, wiping the counter like she was still in the Arcilla house back home. “Good morning, Abbie,” she said, smilin
