Chapter 18 ~Vivaldi~

I STUMBLED TOWARD THE NEAREST VILLAGE, and the smell of food hit me like a ton of bricks—bread baking, meat cooking, the works. As I got closer, I saw these kids playing and having a blast. They were laughing and shouting, and it was like a totally different world from the pain and loneliness I'd been dealing with. For a second, I just wanted to be a part of that, you know? Like, to be a normal kid again.

So, I got my hands on some bread, and it was all warm and crusty—just what I needed. But then, out of nowhere, this crazy thing happened. One of the kids threw a rock and hit another kid, and the poor thing started crying.

The smell of blood just kinda exploded in the air. I mean, it should've grossed me out, but it was actually kinda... sweet? Like, it was this weird, enticing smell that just pulled me in. My heart started pounding, and all I could think about was that blood.

I tried to act normal, you know? I went over to the hurt kid, trying to make them feel better. But even as I