Chapter 3

The very next day, Riona returned to the shelter to inform the other kids that she would be staying with Zane and Leoni. She playfully called them The Golden Siblings and laughed, earning a mix of giggles and bittersweet smiles from the other children. Though they were sad to see her go, they understood her decision.

"Can we still work together sometimes?" one of the younger girls asked, eyes hopeful.

Riona's heart warmed at the thought. "Of course, I wouldn't want it any other way."

As she turned to leave, she saw Zane and Leoni waiting for her at the entrance of the shelter.

"You ready?" Zane asked, arms crossed.

"Yep! Let's go!" Riona replied, flashing a big smile.

They walked through the worn-down streets, eventually arriving at a small, run-down house. The walls were cracked, the wood rotting in places, and the door barely hung on its hinges. It was clear the house had long been abandoned by any proper owner.

"This is our home," Zane said, gesturing around. "It's not much, but it's where we grew up."

Riona stepped inside, taking in the bare interior. There was no furniture, no real belongings—just a few tattered blankets piled in the center of the room. It hardly looked like a place anyone could live in.

Seeing her expression, Leoni spoke up, her voice light, but with an underlying sadness. "After our parents died, some people broke in and took everything. We don't know why… we were just kids."

"They were probably thieves," Zane muttered, his jaw tightening.

Riona's heart clenched. The idea of these two fending for themselves for so long in a place like this made her stomach twist.

"Don't worry!" Leoni suddenly laughed, though the sound was forced. "At least they didn't hurt us, right?"

But the weight of their past had already settled in the room. Silence followed.

After a moment, Zane cleared his throat. "We should all sleep together. In case of danger. Or the cold."

Riona nodded in agreement, but Leoni huffed. "It's way too early to sleep!"

Zane gave her a flat look. "Then what do you want us to do?"

"I don't know! But I'm hungry," she pouted.

"Then eat."

"Eat what, my feet?"

Their bickering escalated quickly, voices rising, and Riona decided to step in before it got worse. "Um… I'm hungry too. Why don't we go to the other kids and ask for some food?"

Zane's expression immediately darkened. "No. We don't ask for their help."

Riona blinked. "Why not?"

"Because we don't ask, and they don't ask. If we take food from them, they'll start asking to stay here. Only family stays here," he said firmly, though his voice wavered ever so slightly. Even though he tried to suppress his emotions, it was clear that the idea of their home being taken away again scared him.

Riona sighed, understanding but not agreeing. "Then… let's find something ourselves?"

Zane hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. But we'll have to steal it."

Riona flinched. "Steal it? No way! I'm not stealing anything," she said firmly.

Zane's expression darkened. "You think you're better than that? Then why don't you just starve instead?"

Riona shook her head. "No, I'm just saying it's wrong… We might take something someone else needs."

Zane let out a sharp laugh. "You really think you're in a position to worry about that?" He scoffed. "And here I thought you'd learned something from being with the others."

"I... I did," Riona protested. "But we can do what the other kids do—we can sell used newspapers, we can sell flowers, we can clean sho—"

"Oh yeah? And how many hours until we have enough money for all three of us?" Zane cut in.

"I... that..." Riona faltered, unable to answer.

"Thought so," Zane muttered.

Leoni, who had been silent until now, suddenly smacked Zane's arm, making him jump.

"What was that for?" he snapped.

"Don't be so harsh," Leoni said firmly. "It's normal for her to not want to do something illegal."

Zane rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? Then let's just starve, I guess."

"I didn't say that." Leoni turned to Riona. "What if we steal from someone who won't even miss the food?"

Riona hesitated but then saw Leoni holding her stomach. She sighed. "...Fine. But who?"

That night, they sneaked through the marketplace, careful not to draw attention. Zane was skilled—his hands moved quickly, swiping small fruits and a loaf of bread when the vendor wasn't looking. Riona and Leoni stood back, pretending to browse in case they needed to cover for him.

When they returned to the house, they ate together, sitting in a circle on the blankets. The food wasn't much, but it was theirs.

"You're good at this," Riona admitted, watching Zane tear off a piece of bread and hand it to Leoni.

He shrugged. "You learn fast when you have no choice." Still bitter from their pervious conversation

Leoni grinned. "One time, he tried to steal from the bakery, and the baker chased him with a broom."

Zane scowled. "That was years ago."

Riona giggled, the warmth of their company easing the tension in her chest. She had never truly belonged anywhere before, but here, in this little house with these two, she felt something close to it.

As time passed, they settled into a routine. They scavenged, stole when necessary, and relied on each other. And somewhere along the way, a strange new habit formed—Zane started playing with Riona's hair.

It began one lazy afternoon.

"Your hair is too long," he muttered, watching as strands kept falling over her face.

"So?" Riona asked, raising a brow.

"So… let me do something with it."

She hesitated but eventually nodded. "Fine."

Leoni sat nearby, watching with amusement as Zane struggled. He attempted to braid it but ended up creating a tangled mess.

"What is this?" Riona asked, poking at the disastrous knots.

"A hairstyle," Zane said, proud despite its horrible state.

Leoni burst into laughter. "That looks awful!"

"Shut up!" Zane huffed, trying to fix it but only making it worse.

Over the weeks, he kept practicing, determined to improve. At first, his attempts were just as bad—uneven braids, loose ponytails, knots everywhere , though riona never fixxed them and let it like that. But slowly, he got better. His fingers moved with more confidence, and one day, he actually managed a neat, proper braid.

"There," he said, stepping back with satisfaction.

Riona reached up, feeling the smooth, even weave. She turned to him, smiling softly. "It's nice. Thank you."

Zane looked away, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. "Whatever."

One night, as the wind howled outside, Riona and Leoni slept soundly on the blankets, their breathing slow and steady. Zane, however, stirred awake.

Something felt wrong.

His instincts screamed at him. Then he heard it—a soft creak from the door.

His heart pounded.

In the dim moonlight, he saw the faint outline of a figure slipping inside. No, not one—two, three…

Thieves.

His blood ran cold.

Without hesitation, he reached for Riona, shaking her awake. "Riona," he whispered urgently. "Wake up."

She groggily blinked, confusion written on her face. "What—?"

"Shh. We need to hide. Now."

The urgency in his voice wiped the sleep from her eyes. She sat up just as he moved to wake Leoni.

More footsteps.

Zane gritted his teeth. Too late.

The men had entered the house.