Aurora had been moved from one care home to another because her parents’ struggles meant she couldn’t stay with them, and as an only child she had learned not to expect anything to last, but this time she arrived at a huge new care home with Salish, the only friend she still had from before, and as they were walked into the crowded assembly hall filled with noise and unfamiliar faces, the room seemed to quiet just enough for people to notice the “new girls,” eyes following them with curiosity, judgment, or indifference; some of the kids carried themselves like real troublemakers, sticking in tight groups that no one questioned, while other groups kept to themselves in their own messy social circles, and across the room Aurora locked eyes with river , who stood with her group, watching just as closely as everyone else, not welcoming, not smiling—just observing—and in that moment Aurora felt it clearly, this place wasn’t about fitting in, it was about figuring out where you stood, and river and her friends were part of something that went far deeper and more dangerous than it first seemed.