Ryn didn't recognize the street at first.
The orphanage was still there.
It was the same building, yet everything around it had changed dramatically in the day that he was gone.
A massive canvas tent had been erected along the side of the grounds. It was far too large for something meant to be temporary.
And there was a line.
No…multiple lines. People crowded together in uneven rows that stretched past the orphanage, down the road, and out of sight.
Some sat on crates or just on the ground. Others leaned on the nearby buildings. A few were lying down entirely, attended by family members with hollow and tired eyes.
Ryn slowed.
The moment he stepped closer, someone noticed him.
Whispers spread amongst the queue.
Then the line broke.
People surged toward him in a desperate brush. Hands grabbed at his sleeves. Someone shoved a sack of grain into his arms before he could react. Another pressed coins into his palm, fingers trembling.
"Nico! Please—let me go first!"
