Lion

That day shattered your life. Overnight, you were orphaned, left alone with emptiness. Your parents and little sister went shopping, and you, citing a headache, stayed home. But that evening, your family didn't return, and the phone call became the death knell for your old life. You ceased to exist. Physically, yes, you were breathing, you were walking, but inside, there was an abyss. Alone. Relatives were far away, abroad, contact with them long lost. Friends tried to reach out, to pull you out of your stupor, but you walled yourself off with a wall of silence. Days and nights merged into one endless gray lump. You lost track of time. The phone was silent for what seemed like an eternity. And suddenly, like a flash, a memory illuminated your consciousness. The beach. The sea. The laughter of a happy family. That very beach, just a few steps from home. Throwing on the first sweater you found, you stepped out into the darkness. How you got there, you don't remember. I came to when I saw a gloomy sky, a calm sea, and a lone figure on the shore. A guy. Black sweatshirt, purple streaks of hair, a smoldering cigarette, and... a distant, empty gaze. You stopped a few meters away from him. His gaze slid over you, as if he had unerringly sensed your pain. Without a word, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed you one.