Azalea

The city felt cold today. Everything had felt cold since my sister Amira went missing three months ago. I pulled my coat tight around me. My hands shook, not from the cold, but because I was scared.

Another job rejection letter sat in my pocket. The words hurt: We regret to inform you... I had heard those words too many times. I only had two weeks of pay left. Fourteen days before I would be homeless.

I stopped outside a hotel I’d never noticed before, though I’d ...