I am hungry.

What a thought for Kiara to have, as the realization that she couldn’t solve this dawned upon her. Last week she could have dealt with such a small thought easily. Now, it was no longer a small thought. People went hungry all the time, but that had seemed so different from anything that could happen to her.

Until it had happened to her.

“I haven’t seen you in weeks.” Mikhos sounded concerned, but he’d always sounded concerned.

Kiara swallowed. “I… um…” She looked down at the papers in her hands. She never understood how this had worked, but she’d gotten used to it, when she didn’t think about it. Mikhos ate paper. Or stories. She didn’t think he ate blank papers. She hadn’t thought too much about it. Which was why she’d spent hours filling up these pages, hoping it would be enough.

Mikhos looked at what she held. “Are those for me?”

She bit her lower lip. “I’ll sell them to you. They’re one of a kind.”

She hated saying it. She hated how it sounded. Mikhos was staring at her. Kiara could have run away.

“Come on in.”

She followed him in, hoping this would work out.