Gray kept his eyes on Eli. Something in the boy's quietness felt heavy. He remembered his past self. It was the kind of emptiness someone carried when life had pushed them too hard.
Gray rested his arms on his knees and asked softly,
"How long have you been here?"
Eli picked at the fabric of his shorts before answering in a tiny voice. "3 years."
"3 years? You've been here that long?" Gray blinked.
The boy nodded.
"Where were you before this?" Gray asked.
"Different places." Eli shrugged.
"What kind of places?"
"Where they put kids like me." Eli hugged his knees tighter.
Gray felt a tiny crack in his chest. He was about to say something, but when he noticed that Eli seemed still not done, he just let him finish first.
