Smallara

Alejandra’s chair creaked softly as she settled her weight back into it, the laptop screen throwing a faint, bluish glow across her tired face. In the dim hush of her…

Charity didn’t realize how long she’d been staring at Alejandra’s hoodie until the giant girl’s voice rumbled above her.  "Here."  One word. Not a request,  a decree, plain and final.…

Alejandra stood up, bracing her palm under the tiny girl’s fragile back as she set Charity carefully down on her old coffee table. She watched for a heartbeat as Charity…

Charity didn’t realize how cold she was until Alejandra’s hand pulled away.  In the suffocating closeness of the backpack, in the folds of that battered hoodie, she’d had warmth, even…

Alejandra couldn’t believe what she was looking at.  She’d barely kicked off her shoes, the cheap sneakers squeaking against the warped floorboards of her tiny living room, when she’d dropped her…