"Good morning, Walker!" Garofița said as she stepped outside. The morning air was cool and the grass was dewy, squeaking under her shoes. A sparrow quickly flew out of her path.

She gathered bread crusts and sausage skins, but felt bad about giving him only leftovers, so she put some peanut butter on them too. She still had half a jar.

"Hello" Walker poked from behind his tree.

"Hello! Hello!" She said as she threw him breakfast. He didn't mind his hair being all in his face, or his t-shirt being twisted around his torso. Garofița felt the need to fix her own just looking at him.

Walker inspected the breakfast, seeming to turn up his nose at the bread.

"If you don't want it, Buddy will eat it." Garofița said. Buddy, glued to her side, perked up at the mention of his name.

As if understanding, Walker immediately started eating everything. Garofița giggled.

"How is your leg?" She cautiously stepped closer. The bandage was still on, although browner than before. Not a filthy dark brown, but more of a light beige. A tea shade of brown. Ooh, tea might be a good idea to clean and disinfect it.

Walker looked up warily at Garofița looking at his leg, then was back at ease when she returned inside the house.

"What should I do today?" She thought out loud, taking inventory again. She had to get water and a loaf of bread. She should try setting up something to collect rainwater. Why were buckets so damn expensive? Could she find one at the thrift store? The one she discovered in town was the fun kind, like the ones online all those thrifters go to.

Buddy bumped his head against Garofița's shoulder. She smiled and pet him, tracing where the eyebrows would have been. His breath smelled so bad, yet he insisted on pushing his snout right in her face. She tried to gently dodge him, raising her chin higher and higher.

"I think... I will go exploring today!" She beamed, reaching to the loose floorboard. It was loose only a little bit at first, but she dug her nails and tugged on it until she had a small pocket to hide all her money in.

"I'll be back soon!" She told Buddy and kissed him on the head. "Walker, I'm going out! I'll be back soon!" She called out to him through the window.

"Hello" He repeated.

"You should say bye!" She said.

"Hello"

"Bye! Bye!"

"Héé"

"Bhhh-aye!" She said slowly moving her lips. "Buh, buh. Bye."

"Bi"

"Yay!"

Garofița left the house and slipped through the broken fence. Buddy watched her leave until she was out of sight at the end of the street.

She walked fast, swinging her arms, then she started skipping down the sidewalk. She slept so well every night since she arrived, waking up full of energy. She was getting used to walking outside by herself too. It was more enjoyable than she expected. She will have to buy a new face mask too. The one she had was getting scuffed, and it smelled too much like her own breath. How did Walker bear it?

As she got closer to the grocery store at the corner, she stopped skipping and assumed a proper walk. Thankfully, few people were nearby. Garofița walked straight inside.

"Good morning..." She quietly greeted the store owner.

"Mmh." She hummed in acknowledgement, not looking up from her magazine. The owner was a lady in her fifties, chubby and short, with black pencil eyebrows. Her hair was short and spiky, pale blonde and hair-sprayed, and her eyelashes were the same blonde. She always wore a golden pendant with a V-neck shirt, which was deep red that day. Around her thick arms were many bracelets, chunky plastic and lacquered beads.

The store was set up in an old house, walls removed to make it one large open area, then stuffed to the absolute limit with everything. The aisles could not fit two people at the same time, and boxes of produce straight on the floor had to be dogged. Garofița made a beeline to the peanut butter jars, picking one, then two small water bottles. She'll get a big one on her way back.

From between mineral water and Fanta juice emerged a cat. It was the owner's and it had a beautiful grey coat, almost blue. When Garofița first saw it she was scanning the shelves, picking a bag of pretzels only to see its sleepy face and squeal in delight.

"Hiii!" She said again, reaching a hand to it.

The cat sniffed her fingers, and wrinkled its nose in a snarl.

"Oh..." She awkwardly retracted it. Does she smell bad? She washed with a cloth before leaving the house...

"Uhm, only these." She told the store owner, bringing everything to the cash registry.

"You sure like peanut butter!" She said.

"Haha, yeah..."

Garofița had the money ready from before entering the store. The lady handed back the plastic bag. Garofița was thinking to herself that she should have brought one herself, save the few coins, when she noticed the banknote inside.

"Uh, ma'am, the money..."

"You gave me too much." The lady nonchalantly said.

"N-No, it's enough..." Garofița calculated it.

"Then it's a discount. It's on the house." She winked.

"O-Okay... Thank you."

Garofița left and headed for the town, concerned. Why did the lady do that?

As she walked away she realised the cat hissed because she probably smelled like Buddy. She pulled the mask off her nose and sniffed her own hand. She couldn't pick up anything in particular. A car drove by. Garofița quickly put her hand down.

The town did not stand out in any way. It was a mixture of communist apartment buildings, ground houses with little gardens that survived being replaced by apartments, and early 20th century manors that were taken from the bourgeois and turned into communist party assets, then taken again, turned into stores and even more apartments after the revolution.

Coquette little houses with rose bushes and forged iron fences were nestled between 4-5 stories tall buildings, tenants able to peer down into their yards. White lace curtains or heavy drapes, orchid pots, sleeping cats and old people smoking could be seen from the rows of windows.

Early birds were waiting outside pastry shops. A café at an intersection already had people sitting at their tables. They didn't pay Garofița much mind, and she only snuck glances at who was there.

The houses and smaller blocks gave way to taller and taller ones. Beige, cream and grey boxes with 8-9 floors, laundry hung to dry in their balconies. Many had bright red and pink geraniums hanging from gardeners, hanging down like clusters of grapes.

All roads led to the town center, a large square of white concrete and wave-like sculptures in place of benches. In the middle was a bronze bust of Dr Anemona Balint-Rățoi, the scientist and cryptozologist who got married and spent the rest of her life in that very town. In fact, in one of the manor houses surrounding the square. Her bust was angled to gaze towards the woodland she studied, where Garofița was coming from.

The manors were so beautiful. Art nouveau architecture, effortlessly stealing all eyes away from the dull communist blocks. They were powder pink, sky blue, pastel green, rich yellow and icing white, each of the facades covered in florals, goddesses, nymphs, stars and columns.

All the shops in the town center were too expensive for her ascetic budget. Garofița stretched the dry food she bought for as long as she could, skipping meals and chugging water to fill the hollow in her stomach. It was getting harder now that she was looking after Buddy and Walker both. They could eat grass and raw meat respectively, and drink straight from dirty puddles. Damned be her weak human stomach.

She passed a sushi place and looked longingly through the wide windows. Fish was sort of safe to eat raw. But everything tasty was so pricey. Common things cost so much too. Garofița didn't expect to miss eating cabbage rolls, or spaghetti, or oh, hot noodle soup! She needed to get a job somehow.

As if God listened to her for once, she came across a restaurant with a terrace. Next to the daily menu (chicken stew "a la greek", chicken breast schnitzel, potato wedges, spicy pork sausage and oven-baked veggies) was a sign they were hiring a waiter or a waitress! She can do that!

A stone-tiled path led to the terrace, with reddish brown tables and benches, and an artisanal fountain in the middle. To the left, by some crates, was a locked metal door. To the right, framed by two potted firs, was an open wooden door, leading to the restaurant. After a bit of hesitation, she walked inside.

"Good morning!" She said.

Nobody was in the restaurant except for two young men, who suddenly shot up to their feet. Garofița took a step back and looked at them up-and-down.

"Uh, hello!" One of them said, then cleared his throat.

"...Are you open?" She decided to ask.

"Yes! Of course!" The other said. "Take a seat wherever you want!"

Garofița nodded and made her way to one of the smaller tables, with her back to the window facing the street. She put her groceries on the chair next to her.

The second man brought her a menu, then retreated to the bar, where he had been sitting. Garofița noticed an open laptop with anime stickers. The first man slipped to the back, where she guessed the kitchen was.

Garofița took the menu and flipped through it without paying too much attention, her ears straining to listen to the two.

The young man by the laptop was in his early 20s, if not a teenager, tall as hell, broad-shouldered and wide-chested. He had a long nose and a pointy chin. His brown hair looked like an overgrown mohawk, shorter on the sides but longer in the back and the front. He kept looking nervously between the kitchen, his laptop and Garofița.

The first one eventually returned, peeking from behind the corner. Also in his early twenties, he was shorter and skinnier, with a bony diamond-shaped face. His hair was short, fluffy and dirty blonde, his skin tanned, and he wore a black tank top. He looked like a surfer from an American movie.

"Dude!" He said through his teeth, calling the other one closer. "Gabi! C'mere!" He anxiously motioned with his hand too.

"What?" Gabi, the faux-mohawk, whispered.

"Who the hell is that?" He demanded, pointing with his eyes to Garofița.

"I don't know! I never saw her before!"

"Is she a friend of Mirabela or something?"

Both of them looked at Garofița, who was pretending not to look at them. She was a small and skinny girl, with ebony hair and white skin. Half of her face was concealed by a blue face mask.

"She is pale, so maybe...?" Gabi said.

"She came straight from outside, though!" Surfer said.

"It's kinda overcast." Gabi shrugged.

"Oh my f-... Just go take her order."

Garofița watched him walk up to her, her eyes pointed down at his shoes. He was very polite, though.

"What would you like, Miss?" He smiled indulgently.

"Today's menu, please." Garofița said.

"Schnitzel or sausage?"

"Schnitzel."

"Any drinks?" He leaned slightly closer.

"No, thank you!"

"I'll be right back." He took back the menu and returned to the bar, always smiling. "Soup, schnitzel and potatoes, no drink." He reported back to the surfer.

"Okay..." He nodded.

They stood next to each-other for a long moment, both waiting, Gabi's brows furrowing and the surfer looking back at him confused.

"What?" He eventually asked.

"Go make the food!" Gabi said.

"Huh??"

"What do you mean ‘huh'? You know how to cook, right?"

"Kinda..."

"What do you mean ‘kinda'??"

"Nobody ever comes here!! And Roxi usually cooks anyway."

"F-Figure it out!"

Gabi turned to look at Garofița again, who was watching them distrustfully. Her eyes were large and piercing, brown so dark it seemed black. Gabi smiled awkwardly and Garofița reflexively mirrored it, crinkling her eyes, then cursed herself for doing it. These guys are weird. She doesn't want to work here anymore.

Several pots fell in the kitchen, making her flinch, and several swear words echoed out. Gabi asked "You good?", back to typing something on his laptop. "Shut up!!" The surfer replied, forgetting about the guest.

Garofița glared towards the kitchen, then slumped into her chair.

"The stove isn't working." The surfer said.

"You have to turn the gas tank on, it's under the sink." Gabi said. "You gotta crank it."

"God, I hope this doesn't explode..."

Gabi watched Garofița not pull out a phone or a book or anything of any kind, but quietly look around, studying their decor. She was swinging her feet under the table. It was a dark and cozy place, with simple tables, chairs and shelves with random porcelain trinkets. Each table had a round lace doily, yellowed by time and hot plates. It was like if a humble countryside living room was turned into a restaurant.

A pair of heels could be heard approaching the restaurant. In the door appeared a smiling young woman.

"Sorry for being late, y'all!" She said, taking off her leather jacket. "My bed was just too gosh darn comfy!"

She was the same age as the guys, tall and athletic. Her hair was light brown with blonde highlights, with straight across bangs that hid her eyebrows, her eyes green, her lips bubblegum pink, her skin sun-kissed and her nails turquoise. She wore a tight black t-shirt with orange blossoms printed on it, hoop earrings, and low-rise dark blue jeans with a very chunky belt.

"Come help me!!" The surfer shouted from the kitchen.

"What's wrong with Mihăiță?" She asked Gabi, her ankle boots loud against the floorboards. Her belt made a lot of noise too, dancing on her hips.

"He can't cook." Gabi said, chewing on his fingernail, focused on his laptop.

"What for-" She glanced around the restaurant, her eyes finally landing on their guest. "Oh, sorry! Hello!"

"Hello..." Garofița mumbled.

"Have you been waiting on these goobers for a long time, Miss?"

"Goobers?" Gabi's eyes shot up.

"No, I just got here." Garofița said, easing a little bit.

"I'm gonna go whip up something good!" She grinned, clapping her hands together. She had a snaggle tooth on the right side. Garofița liked her better.

After some minutes where Garofița waited and Gabi typed, the woman returned and served a big steaming bowl of chicken soup, with bright yellow broth, potato, bell pepper, carrot, celery and a lot of parsley.

"Bon appétit!" She said, even fixing her napkin for her.

"Thank you!" Garofița took her mask off, letting it hang by one ear. None of the three recognized her, and as far as they could tell she was a regular human.

"Are you new in town, Miss?" The woman asked, leaning against another table.

"Yes." Garofița said, and nothing more. Her eyes glittered as she chowed down.

"That explains why she came here." Gabi muttered under his breath.

"I haven't seen you around, that's why I asked!" The woman continued.

"I moved here a few days ago." Garofița smiled half-way.

"Oh! How do you like it so far?"

"It's nice! I like it."

"I moved here from another town too. It is really nice here, if you don't mind the woods and prices!"

"I like the woods."

"Oh, you do? I mean, so do I! There's a special area where you can go have picnics or go camping overnight. It's surrounded by a wire fence so no creepy things come near, but it still feels like you're in the woods, you know."

Garofița held down a smile. "Are there a lot of beasts and monsters?"

"Oh, gosh! I don't mean to scare you, but a few days ago a hunter got killed by a skin-walker. Poor guy, he used to be one of our clients."

Garofița froze, spoon in hand. "Really?"

"Yeah... may he rest in peace." She paused, then pouted. "Well, not too much, he was kind of a dick to me."

"He was a dick to everyone." Gabi commented. "That was his personality."

"Yeah, but that was still an awful way to die!"

Garofița ate in silence, avoiding eye-contact.

"My name is Roxana, by the way!" The woman smiled. "You can call me Roxi!"

"I'm Ga-Gabriela!" Garofița panicked.

"Oh! We have a Gabriel too!" Roxi nodded towards Gabi. "He's why you may have noticed it smells like fried brains in here."

Gabi groaned, rubbing his own face.

"Love youuu!" Roxi made kissy sounds, then turned back to Garofița. "Is the soup good?"

"Yes, very good!" She said. She finished all of it.

"You must have been hungry!" Roxi picked up the bowl.

"Y-Yeah...!"

The surfer guy emerged from the kitchen with a large plate and a basket of bread. "Hopefully it's edible." He said as he set them before Garofița.

"Oh, ignore him!" Roxi ruffled his hair, gently shoving his head left and right. He made an annoyed face, but didn't stop her either. "This one is Mihai."

"Hello." He said again.

"Hi!" Garofița reached for the utensils to cut up her schnitzel, but found she had no fork.

"Shit, I knew I forgot something!" Mihai ducked away from Roxi's hand and went back into the kitchen.

"There's some here too." Gabi muttered, pointing behind the bar.

"Excuse me..." Garofița said.

"Yes, dear?" Roxi said.

"Is there somewhere I can buy, uhm, medicine for animals?"

"There's a vet shop down the street, next to the Hungarian bakery. Can't miss it, they have a big poodle poster in the window!"

"Thank you!"

"You got a pet?"

"Yes, uh, two... dogs."

"Oh my gosh, I used to have a dog too!" Roxi said, then she sighed. "I named him Gogu, short for Gogoșel! He was a gosh darn bastard and kind of ugly, but I love him, damn it."

"Aww!"

"He chewed the electrical wires in my first apartment and got electrocuted, the poor thing."

"Oh."

"Yeah... I miss him a lot... I tried to get another dog after Gogu, but he bit one of my roommates and we had to put him down. Then at the vet we figured out I was sold a hairy cryptid! I didn't even know they come in hairy! I've been hugging and kissing that thing for weeks!"

Mihai returned with a fork. Garofița took it quickly, glad to change the subject.

"Most people come to our restaurant at night." He casually mentioned. "As does our boss, Bisclavu."

Garofița nodded as she ate, not reacting to that information in any way. Mihai and Roxi glanced at each-other, she shrugged and he pursed his lips.

"We'll be over there if you need anything!" She said.

Mihai and Roxi sat next to Gabi. Garofița heard him hit back-space several times and take a deep breath.

"What's the difference between ‘effect' and ‘affect'?" He asked.

"Affect is... when a thing does something to someone, like the resulting thing, and effect is the result of that... something. Kinda." Mihai said.

Gabi stared at him, then hit back-space 6 times. "I'll use a different word..."

"You can do it!" Roxi said.

"Is the boss coming over today?" Mihai asked.

"No, no." She replied. "Only tonight. Mirabela told me that until then we can chill and do our own thing."

"I gotta clean the kitchen..."

"I gotta finish this stupid paper." Gabi said. "And I have lab at 5..."

"I finished the playlist!" Roxi grinned. "I think they're gonna love it!"

"They'll dance to anything if they're drunk enough."

"Did Mr Marius manage to get to hospital?" She asked.

"I think so. He's also been busy with these two guys from a rival family." Mihai said. "One was caught by the maternity and nurse Ciocan fucking decked him."

"I love her."

"She's a queen."

Garofița finished eating the entire plate. They tasted like the best potatoes and chicken she ate in her life, or maybe her standards were lowering. She hadn't felt so full in what felt like forever.

"Thank you very much!" She told them, taking out the money from her pocket.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, dear!" Roxi beamed. Mihai smiled a little too. His cooking skills weren't that bad, huh?

"Everyday we have a different menu, and they get rotated every week." Roxi continued. "If you order from the daily menu, it's a little cheaper!"

"Thank you!" Garofița put her mask back on. "Have a good day!"

"You too! Come again soon!" Roxi waved.

The street stretched for a long distance in one straight line, with shops and doors and display windows on either side. Garofița thought she'd at least get a nice walk. A small clothing boutique, a pharmacy, a gambling place, a grocery store, a flower shop, another gambling place, a closed shop with "FOR RENT" on the door, another pharmacy, a bakery - oh, there it is!

The bakery was called "Szilvi", having a big swirly sign above the door, and, separated by a public phone that didn't work anymore, was the vet shop, with a big poster of a chocolate poodle advertising anti-flea shampoo.

From a distance she was hit by the smell of fresh bread and felt hungry again. She admired the loafs through the glass, until her eyes landed on one of the posters taped to the door.

Garofița felt her heart shrivel in her chest. She looked up to the baker, who was with his back to her, had not seen her yet. Garofița abruptly turned heel and walked away.

She was nearly running, panting, trying to force air down her throat but it was refusing, feeling her mask get pulled inside her mouth. She tried to focus on something else, the beautiful bas-au-reliefs with cracked paint, the dandelions growing through the concrete, not bumping into the people that kept fucking cutting her path and walking slowly, but nothing worked, nothing helped, her chest and skull felt like they would burst from fear. What if they found her? What if she was found and they forced her to go back home? What will they say? What will they do? She needed to get back to her house, to Buddy and Walker, she'll never walk outside again, she'll stay hidden in the house and the woods, she'll-

"Oi, little girl." A rough voice called out.

Garofița gasped out loud. Her eyes darted around until she found the source: a woman standing next to an alley. She had a cigarette between her lips and she motioned with an even rougher hand for her to come closer.

That must be the girl Roxana talked about: small, maybe 12 or 13, wavy black hair and pale skin, a tacky fuzzy purple shirt. Her eyes were huge at the moment, like one of those freaky wild rabbits.

Garofița fought with herself for a moment, then walked towards the stranger. She was a short homeless woman, wearing random mismatching clothes and a beanie. Her hair was cut short just under her ears and straw-yellow. Every feature denoted sourness and a deep exhaustion. She watched Garofița walk up to her with such severe eyes that Garofița didn't dare look at her directly.

"H-Hello?" She swallowed hard before speaking.

"You're Gabriela?" The woman asked. She spoke with an even, uninterested monotone.

"W-Wha..." She remembered. "YES, yes I am."

The woman raised an eyebrow. Garofița looked like she was about to cry.

"Say the Lord's name."

"Huh?"

"God's name. Do you know it?"

"Uhh, Yahweh? I think?"

The woman hummed, taking a drag of her cigarette.

"Bea, come here for a second." She said.

"Whah?"

A younger woman popped her head out of the alley, making Garofița jump. She looked like the short-haired vampire lady from the Twilight movies, the ends of her dark hair curling upwards. She had a very pointy nose and shiny almond eyes. Garofița's mind immediately thought "fox". She wore a knitted bowl hat and an old hoodie.

"What is she?" The smoker woman nodded towards the girl.

Bea stepped closer to Garofița and sniffed the air by her head. Garofița stood frozen. She was so confused she forgot about her panic.

"She's human." Bea said. Her voice was very nasally. "She's been around a stinky cryptid, though."

Garofița felt offended on Buddy's part.

"I see... let's make sure." The woman said.

"What?" Garofița took a step back.

"Stay where you are." She said and held out her hand. "Gliga!"

"What's up?" A very wheezy male voice answered.

"Salt."

"Ughhh, hold on..."

A third homeless person appeared. It seemed like he had had great difficulty standing up and walking over to them. Gliga wore an old coat and trousers, and his white beard grew in the shape of a square. His many wrinkles and birthmarks made him look very kind, but his voice was horribly damaged by God knows what.

To Garofița's shock, he handed the woman a 1 kilo bag of cooking salt, like you'd find in a store.

"I wanna grill some pork later, don't go to town on it now, y'hear?" Gliga said. At every word it sounded like he would start coughing uncontrollably.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The woman poured some in her palm. "Close your eyes." She told Garofița.

Garofița blinked, then sighed in resignation and covered her eyelids with the tips of her fingers. The woman sprinkled the salt over her hair and shoulders.

No adverse reaction.

"Alright! That's all! Thank you!" She brushed the top of her head.

"You're welcome...?"

"Come with us for a bit. I want to talk."

"O-Okay."

The alley between two buildings led to an unpaved street. The woman turned to the left and Garofița uneasily followed. On one side she got a look at the backs of the manors, with exposed bricks and overgrown weeds, and on the other side was a small hill, leading up to the expressway. She wondered what the cars driving by were thinking about them, going down this detour path.

"W-Where are we going?" Garofița asked.

"To where we settled up. You can join us, if you want."

"Huh?"

"Here it is." She took out her cig and pressed it against a wall.

A rusty metallic gate blocked the path, with a huge weeping willow behind it.

The woman banged her fist on the door. Gliga and Bea didn't even flinch.

"Who is it?" A voice on the other side asked.

"It's me."

A door opened and two scary-looking men let them through. One of them softened upon seeing Bea, who smiled back at him.

What would have been a communal garden between some abandoned buildings was full of tents and makeshift shacks, with people of all ages living there. The buildings, looking like soggy and crumbling cardboard boxes, with no surviving windows or railings along the staircases, served as screens blocking out the rest of the town, as did the willow for the street above their heads. Actual cardboard was laid on the ground in place of carpets and large patchy blankets served as walls. Somebody had a disembodied car door. Kids her age and younger were playing as they would in any park.

Bea and Gliga walked away to do their own thing, the latter coughing out a really nasty-sounding phlegm. Garofița rushed to keep up with the smoker woman, dodging the other people and the kids running around. A small group was cooking around a fire, cleaning a blackened grill, and a woman was knitting in a corner. A large man walked past Garofița, not giving a single damn she was there and bumping her arm hard. She rubbed it and glared after him.

"Let's sit here." The woman said, pointing to a bench that was tilted. Garofița didn't comment.

"Is this, like, a shanty town?" She cautiously asked.

"Mh-hmm." The woman said, holding a new cigarette between her lips and lighting it up. Garofița could sense the stench of nicotine even through the mask. She smelled like cigs and alcohol too. Garofița sat as far away on the bench as she could without looking rude, careful not to make a face.

"What's your real name?" The woman asked after taking a long drag. "Mine is Vitalis."

"Vitalis?"

"Weird, I know. Yours?"

"... ... Garofița."

"Grandmas usually have that name."

"Ah, I know."

"It's pretty!" Vitalis searched through her coat's pocket and pulled out a candy in a plain, white wrapper. "Here's a peace offering. Sorry for harping on you so suddenly."

"Oh, uh, thank you." Garofița took it. She took off her mask and wanted to let it hang by her ear again, but it slipped so she set it on her knees. She really didn't want to drop it on the ground. Moments later an old man spat nearby. She changed her mind about eating the candy.

She turned to Vitalis and saw her looking at her. She was looking at Garofița's cheek, at her eye. When she realised, Garofița felt ice in her chest again. No, it was gone, and when she ran away it was already in the green-yellow stage. Was it still visible? Could she tell? Did she see her missing poster too? How much did she know-

"You went to Amante today, right? The restaurant."

"Y-Yes?"

"Roxi asked me if I knew you. I'm the town encyclopedia, apparently. You're new here, ain't ya?"

"Yes, I, uh, arrived a-a few days ago."

"Where have you been staying?"

"In an empty house by the periphery... by the woods, I mean."

"Close to a grocery store with a cat?"

"Yeah!"

"Delia is a sweetheart, nice to folk like us. Be nice to her too."

"She is really nice!"

A man walked right by their bench, struggling to get a signal on a phone and cursing under his breath. Garofița nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a figure behind her. Vitalis didn't comment, just watched.

"Sorry..." Garofița said.

"It's fine. Be careful around the woods. There's a lot of cryptids in the forest, and some skin-walkers too. A hunter got his ass clapped just recently. They say they managed to shoot it in the leg, though, so at least you won't have to worry about that one."

"I'll be careful." Garofița sucked on her own lips to hold down a smile.

"Well, Roxi said you seemed nice, and I agree so far." Vitalis let out a cloud, still speaking in the same bored tone. "Roxi used to be a street rat too."

"She was? She said she moved here."

"That's a nice way to say 'ran off in the middle of the night'. I helped her out for a couple of years and she's made a pretty neat life for herself. I'm proud. She's a good egg. Well, was."

"What?"

"Nothing. Ignore me." Vitalis said then continued. "I'm proud of Roxi, I just wish she'd work in a different place. But she followed the boys there. Gabi and Mihai are good kids too, but they have only one working brain cell that they ping-pong between each-other. You never know who currently has it."

"Hahah..."

"Back when Roxi first arrived she was 15 and a goddamn mess. I directed her to a shelter on the other side of town. It's got a program for homeless youths that helps them figure it out for when they'll grow up, and I forced her to keep attending. They give temporary housing too, but it's not the best from what I heard."

"Why not?"

"Mmmh, Roxi said that the staff were 'bitches'." Vitalis scratched the side of her head, lit end of the cig precariously close. "A lot of people said that too. I don't wanna scare you away from trying it out, though. It's... a pot of all kinds of people, from different bad situations, and shoving them all in the same cramped bedroom is probably not the best idea. But, hey, it's better than nothing. Same with the encampment here."

"I see..."

"What about you? How did you end up here?"

"I... I ran away... from home."

"Can I ask why you ran away?"

"..."

"You don't have to tell me the full story." She took another drag. "Was your home unsafe?"

"Yes."

"Does anybody know you're here?"

"No. I-I hope not."

"Wanna report to the police about it?"

"... no."

"You do what you want. But it can help to leave a track record. Cops are useless, I know, but even if they do nothing for you, at least it's written down somewhere. So when they pull that shit again, it's written somewhere and somebody will see it and go ‘oh shit, we should have done something about that sooner', you know? Again, it's better than nothing."

"I don't want them to find me."

"I get that. I'm just giving advice."

"I just want to be away from them."

"From who?"

"M-My parents, my whole family! They're all horrible!"

"Are they violent?"

"Very."

"Got it." Vitalis nodded. "Do all of them completely suck? Is there anybody that could help you out, or maybe even hide you at their place?"

"No, I'm never going back!"

"Peanut butter, chicken soup and strawberry candy"

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