They routinely gathered in an empty lot just south of the market, and played while some parents or guardians watched on from afar. Usually the little hybrid tried to stay close to her sister's side, but for once Ani wasn't there, leaving little Adenah alone. At first it hadn't been such a big deal; she knew these kids, had played with them several times and was even a friend to some. It was the newer, bigger kids that didn't sit well with her.
They picked at her pointed ears, her dusky skin and the shape of her crystals. "Look at them, they're too small to be real!" Some of her 'friends' tried to stick up for her, but the bigger kids pushed them away. And when Adenah tried to fight them...
Well, there was a reason she was now sitting by herself, in the corner of the little lot with a black eye and a busted lip.
Occasionally the kids she thought were her friends would look at her while they played, but inevitably they went along with whatever the bigger kids wanted to do.
Peppermint Coffee
