Are you hiding?

Hazel’s eyes fluttered open, and she found Francisco lying beside her, his arms wrapped around her hands. She lay still for a moment, lost in thoughts about the previous night. Her mind replayed the unusual tenderness and the troubling bloodstains on his shirt.

What happened to him last night? Hazel wondered, her concern mingling with confusion. He behaved so strangely.

She shifted her thoughts to her own pressing issue: her parents. How can I find out about them? The realization that she needed information but had no clear way to get it weighed heavily on her.

Francisco’s grip on her hand tightened as she began to move. Hazel took a deep breath and carefully untangled herself from his embrace. As she eased her feet onto the floor, she tried to be as quiet as possible, but just as she was about to stand up, Francisco stirred and spoke.

“Why do you always leave me like a thief?” he asked, his voice laced with a chuckle.

Startled, Hazel turned back to him, her expression a mix of confus