5:07 am cold sky still dark the city was already loud but not the good kind of loud the kind that made ren grip his shirt tighter
ren was eight his sister mai five their parents were gone no graves no photos just gone now he woke up under concrete stairs beside a rusted pipe that leaked when it rained
mai slept curled up inside a box wrapped in torn jackets and rags she coughed sometimes in her sleep ren hated that
he stood up stomach empty again he knew the plan get food fast quiet clean
the neighborhood store was familiar clerk always looked left when he scratched his chin mirror above the drinks section was cracked blind spot near the freezer he'd used it three times before
today was different
he slipped in grabbed a small pack of bread slid it into his jacket then paused
he felt it
someone was watching not the clerk someone else behind calm
he dropped the bread walked out normal heart slow but head fast he didn't look back just walked turned left then right then crossed the street checked behind
still there someone not close but following
he walked faster then ran
he ducked through a narrow alley slid under a broken fence jumped a ditch he knew every shortcut but the steps behind him never stopped steady fast
he made it back to the hiding spot mai was still there awake now
"you got food" she asked
"no" he said "someone's following me"
"who"
"i don't know"
then the girl appeared from the shadows
older maybe fifteen black boots leather jacket calm eyes
"yo" she said "you want money"
ren narrowed his eyes his stance shifted protective cautious
"what do you want" he asked
"i said you want money right food shelter something better"
he looked at mai then back at the girl
"yeah"
she smirked pulled a deck of cards from her pocket and sat on a nearby crate
"then sit and gamble"
ren stayed still
"i don't know how to play" he said
"then i'll teach you" she said already laying cards down "you'll learn fast"
she spread the deck
"first poker learn the hands pair two pair three of a kind straight flush full house four of a kind straight flush remember the order"
she showed him combinations explained how betting works how bluffing works
"now patience" she said "you play solo test your focus not about beating someone it's about beating the clock and your own thoughts"
then came trick-taking games "this one's about memory pattern timing"
she mentioned bridge
"bridge is different" she said "teams four players complex rules but you'll learn that later if you can master bridge you can read multiple people at once their rhythm their lies their confidence"
ren said nothing he watched listened memorized
he didn't just hear rules he saw movements breathing hesitations he was learning more than cards
"you got potential" the girl said
ren stayed quiet but inside something clicked
cards weren't just games
they were survival
they were war
and he would win