Twenty Six

As I wandered down the street, towards the shop Kaira had mentioned, I noticed the few people that were about eyeing me suspiciously. It was blatant, and consistent, enough that I quickly began to feel uncomfortable here, out in the open, and couldn't help but start walking more hunched over, with my head down, trying to draw less attention.

I found the shop, though it looked dark inside, and had a closed sign on the front. Looking at the displayed business hours, I couldn't help but find them odd, with only a few days and short hours that they were open. Had they been short-staffed for so long that they'd had to reduce their opening times, I thought to myself, and wondered if it implied anything about how well they treated their workers.

Yet, it seemed like a small town, so maybe there were just too many jobs, and too few people, I told myself, trying to remain optimistic. I turned away from the shop, and found myself face to face with an older man, looking quite unimpressed as he