SILENT SINS
He moved through the world with less fear and more private focus.
Lila, fifteen and already carrying the same green-eyed stillness that unnerved adults, had developed a taste for clothing that left shoulders, midriff, and long stretches of thigh bare. Elara had tried, more than once, to suggest hemlines and coverage. Kai had only shrugged and said, “Let her be. She knows the difference between a party and a problem.” Lila loved him for the freedom. She still called him her bestie in private, and the loyalty ran deeper than any of the recent tensions with her mother.