The children woke up early that morning.
The house was unusually calm, the kind of calm that slowly turned into boredom.
They were all gathered in the living room, spread across the couch and the floor, staring at the television. Cartoons played on the screen, but no one was really watching.
"Pff… I'm bored," William complained, sinking deeper into the couch.
"Yeah, seriously," Marc replied. "This is getting old."
Yurim spoke up immediately. "So… what else can we do?"
A brief silence followed.
Teïkõ, who had been sitting quietly, finally said,
"Since we're already awake, why don't we explore the neighborhood?"
Simon's face lit up. "That's a great idea, Teïkõ!"
They got ready quickly and stepped outside together.
"Finally, some fresh air," Marc said, stretching.
Simon laughed. "Alright, listen up. What if we split into two groups and meet back here before going home?"
"That sounds reasonable," Teïkõ replied. "Four p.m. should be acceptable."
"Okay… if you say so," William said.
"I'm good with that," Marc added.
Yurim started speaking without hesitation.
"Only Teïkõ and I have watches, so—"
"Perfect," Simon cut in immediately. "One watch per group. Teïkõ, you're with me and William. Marc, you go with Yurim."
Marc nodded. "Works for me."
"Cool," William said.
The decision was made.
They split up and walked off in opposite directions.
Teïkõ moved beside Simon, with William just behind them. He observed the houses, the streets, the unfamiliar sounds of the neighborhood. Everything felt real, yet strangely distant, like he was looking at the world through glass.
Simon walked with his usual energy.
"This is gonna be fun. You ever just walk around with no plan?"
"No," Teïkõ answered calmly. "But it seems efficient for understanding one's surroundings."
William scoffed. "You talk like an adult."
Simon laughed. "Told you."
Teïkõ didn't respond. His eyes remained fixed ahead.
For reasons he couldn't explain, a quiet tension settled in his chest.
Something about this day felt… wrong.
They walked for a while in silence.
The neighborhood slowly revealed itself—rows of modest houses, quiet streets, a few stores with faded signs. Simon kept glancing around with curiosity, while William kicked small stones along the sidewalk.
"So…" Simon said suddenly, breaking the silence. "We kinda know Teïkõ already, but you're pretty quiet too, William."
William shrugged. "Nothing special to say."
Teïkõ turned his head slightly toward him. "You do not speak much. But silence usually hides something."
William blinked, surprised. "You always talk like that?"
Simon laughed. "See? Told you."
William hesitated for a second, then sighed. "Well… since we're walking anyway."
He slowed his steps.
"My family was… normal. Not rich or anything. We didn't have much, but my parents helped everyone they could. Neighbors, strangers, didn't matter."
Simon listened quietly now.
"Our street used to be calm. Then some guys showed up. Bandits. They started demanding money every month from everyone living there."
Teïkõ frowned. "For protection?"
William nodded. "Yeah. If you didn't pay, bad things happened."
His voice grew lower.
"One day, I came back from school like usual. And there were ambulances in front of our house."
Simon stopped walking. "Wait… ambulances?"
William didn't look at him. "My mom was dead. My dad… he survived, but he couldn't walk anymore."
The words hung heavily in the air.
Teïkõ felt something tighten in his chest, a strange echo he couldn't explain.
William continued, his voice flat, like he had said this story too many times already.
"He couldn't take care of me. Couldn't even take care of himself. So… I was sent to the orphanage."
Simon clenched his fists. "That's messed up."
William gave a small, empty smile. "That's life, I guess."
Teïkõ stopped walking.
"That is not life," he said quietly. "That is injustice."
William looked at him, surprised by the firmness in his tone.
Simon nodded. "Yeah. Totally unfair."
For a brief moment, none of them spoke.
Then William shrugged again. "Anyway. That's my story."
Teïkõ looked ahead at the road stretching before them.
Somewhere deep inside, something stirred—an unfamiliar heat, a distant anger that didn't fully belong to him.
But he said nothing.
Not yet.
They kept walking, the tension slowly easing as the street opened up ahead of them.
Simon kicked a pebble into the road. "Man… that got heavy fast."
William let out a short laugh. "Yeah. Sorry about that."
Teïkõ shook his head. "There is no need to apologize."
Simon grinned. "Still, let's not turn this into a sad movie. We're supposed to be exploring, remember?"
William smirked. "True. Guess I don't talk about that stuff much."
"So what do you like?" Simon asked. "Games? Sports? Comics?"
William shrugged. "I'm good at running. Had to be, back then."
Simon's eyes sparkled. "Oh? Racing type?"
"Only if you're ready to lose."
Simon laughed loudly. "Big words!"
Teïkõ watched them, the heaviness from earlier fading bit by bit.
"Competition can be… healthy," he said. "Within reason."
Simon pointed at him. "See? Even Teïkõ agrees. Kinda."
They reached a small park at the corner of the street. A few kids were playing in the distance.
William stretched his arms. "Wanna stop here for a bit?"
Simon nodded instantly. "Yeah. Beats just walking."
Teïkõ glanced at his watch. "We have sufficient time."
William smiled, a real one this time. "Guess today isn't so bad after all."
The three of them stepped into the park, unaware that this calm moment was only temporary.
They hadn't gone far when Marc burst out laughing.
"Man, can you believe Simon sometimes?" he said. "Always acting like a leader."
Yurim grinned. "Yeah, but it works somehow."
They walked side by side, clearly more relaxed. Unlike the others, these two already knew each other well. No awkward silences, no need for explanations.
Marc suddenly stopped. "Hey… do you hear that?"
Yurim frowned. "Hear what—"
BARK! BARK! BARK!
Both of them froze.
Three dogs came running out from behind a fence, barking loudly.
"…Run," Marc said calmly.
"RUN!" Yurim shouted.
They took off instantly.
"WHY ARE THEY CHASING US?!" Yurim yelled as they sprinted down the street.
"I DON'T KNOW! MAYBE THEY DON'T LIKE YOUR FACE!"
"HEY!"
They turned a corner and spotted an old, rusty hangar with its door half open.
"THERE!" Marc pointed.
They slipped inside just in time, slamming the door quietly behind them. Both of them pressed their backs against the metal wall, breathing hard.
Outside, the dogs barked for a few more seconds… then slowly moved away.
Silence.
Marc peeked outside, then relaxed. "They're gone."
He stepped out first, stretching his arms. "That was close."
Yurim was about to follow when he stopped.
"…Wait."
The hangar was dark. Too dark.
For a brief moment, Yurim thought he saw something move in the shadows. Not an animal. Something… off.
"Marc?" he called quietly.
"What?"
Yurim hesitated, then shook his head. "Nothing."
He stepped out and closed the door behind him.
They walked on, the mood slowly turning light again.
A few minutes later, Yurim suddenly stopped. "Oh."
Marc turned. "What now?"
Yurim pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding up two crumpled bills. "I just found two dollars."
Marc blinked. "…Bro."
Yurim pointed ahead. "Look."
Across the street stood a small shop with a bright sign:
CASINO SHOP
Marc grinned. "Say less."
They went inside, the bell above the door ringing softly.
Rows of snacks lined the shelves. Marc grabbed two bags of chips.
"Classic," he said.
They paid at the counter. The man behind it smiled warmly.
"Here," he said, placing a few candies on the counter. "On the house."
Yurim's eyes lit up. "For real?"
"For real."
"Best shop ever," Marc whispered.
Laughing and munching on their snacks, they headed back toward the orphanage, completely unaware that the quiet day was slowly weaving all of their paths together again.
They arrived at the meeting point almost at the same time.
Simon was bouncing on his heels, eyes sparkling. "Well… how was your walk?"
Teïkõ and William exchanged glances. They were both empty-handed, carrying nothing.
William shrugged. "Not much to tell."
Simon looked down at Yurim, who had a small bag of chips in hand. "And you guys… wow, you're lucky."
Yurim grinned sheepishly. "Lucky, huh? Maybe…"
Marc, beside him, raised an eyebrow. "You're about to tell them, aren't you?"
Yurim nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Okay… so, we had a little adventure."
Simon leaned forward eagerly. "Oh, do tell!"
"Well," Yurim began, "it all started when we were walking around… and suddenly, these dogs showed up out of nowhere."
Marc jumped in. "Three of them. Big, loud, and scary."
Simon's eyes widened. "No way! What did you do?"
"We ran," Yurim said calmly, "as fast as we could. And then… we had to hide in this old, creepy hangar."
William frowned. "Creepy how?"
"Rusty, dark… and honestly, it smelled a little funny," Yurim added, grinning.
Simon burst out laughing. "You ran from dogs and hid in a smelly hangar? That's hilarious!"
Marc elbowed Yurim lightly. "Hey, it wasn't funny at the time!"
"But it is now," Yurim said, chuckling. "Anyway, the dogs eventually went away, and we came out…"
Simon's grin widened. "Wait, there's more, isn't there?"
Yurim nodded. "Yeah. We kept walking, and I found two dollars in my pocket. That's when we saw the Casino Shop."
Marc's eyes lit up. "And you went shopping?"
Yurim laughed. "Two dollars, a couple of chips… and the man at the counter even gave us some candy."
Simon shook his head, still laughing. "Man, you guys really know how to turn a crazy situation into a snack break."
William smiled faintly. "Guess we're just unlucky… or maybe just poor," he muttered.
Teïkõ tilted his head. "I see. You adapted quickly."
Simon laughed again. "See? They're not the only ones having fun today. You should try being a little more lucky next time."
William and Teïkõ exchanged a small smile. Even without snacks or candy, the laughter of their friends made the day feel… lighter.