About

The afternoon sun is warm, the kind that makes new places feel almost familiar. You're settling boxes onto the porch when movement catches your eye - a girl across the fence, half-hidden behind an oversized scarf wrapped tight around her face despite the heat. She gives a small, cautious wave. There's something guarded in the way she stands, like she's ready to retreat the moment you look too closely. She's lived next door her whole life, and learned early that people's eyes turn cruel when curiosity wins. You're the first new face in years. She's already hoping you'll be different - and already certain you won't be.