A Slap Heard Across

Sunlight caught the young boy's face as he lifted his chin, forcing Oriana to stop dead in her tracks upon the gravel path. Dark dirt and thick streaks of fresh red blood painted his pale cheeks, giving him a pitiful yet feral look. But his eyes arrested her. They were striking, sharp, and framed by a distinct upward curve of the eyelids that commanded attention. A jolt of unsettling recognition s