The morning rainstorm had a way of swallowing sound, as if the whole city of Ravenshollow wanted to hide beneath its own gray curtain. As Mateo Rios hurried along the soaked boulevard, he felt the weight of the day pressing against his ribs. His résumé, protected only by a flimsy plastic sleeve, thumped lightly against his chest. He wiped his brow even though the rain had already drenched him through. This was his fourth interview since spring, and the last one he could afford to fail. His mother’s medications were nearly gone, his savings had collapsed into loose coins, and the landlord’s warnings had grown sharper each week.
He remembered his mother placing a gentle hand on his cheek at dawn, her voice soft from years of strain. “Be yourself. If the world pushes you to be cruel, choose kindness anyway.” Her words were simple, yet they clung to him with a stubborn tenderness.