She searched every nook and cranny of West Street but found no sign of another kid looking for a job.
There were plenty of homeless children and stray animals in town, but most were huddled together just trying to survive the winter, scrounging for food and clothes—much like she had been a few days ago.
But it was easy to tell the difference between someone with hope and a plan versus someone simply drifting from day to day.
A boy with black flames flickering from the ends of his hair passed by, and Rita grabbed him by the sleeve.
He clutched a pack of biscuits to his chest and tried to look fierce. "What do you want?!"
But his soft features made his bark worse than his bite, rendering him entirely unthreatening.
There were at least seven or eight kids and a meerkat hanging around nearby—if he'd looked the least bit tougher, Rita wouldn't have picked him.
He just looked easier to talk to than Rick.
