Chapter 2 - The Price of Viral Kindness
Lily held her breath, pressing her back against the wooden floorboards with Mia tucked beneath her arm. The landlord’s heavy footsteps lingered for another agonizing minute before fading down the stairwell. Lily let out a shuddering exhale, her heart hammering against her ribs. She looked down at the glowing screen in her hand. The digital balance had jumped again: seven hundred dollars, then a thousand.
By morning, the deli sandwich video had amassed four million views. Lily walked down the narrow street holding Mia’s sticky hand, heading back toward the corner store to buy breakfast. The crisp autumn air bit at their bare ankles, but Lily held her head high, carrying a newfound sense of security. She had money now—or at least, the phone did.
As soon as the deli’s bell jingled above the door, the atmosphere shifted. Arthur, the cashier from yesterday, was standing behind the counter, but he wasn’t alone. Two teenagers were leaning over the glass display, recording Arthur on their phones. When Arthur spotted Lily entering, his eyes widened with theatrical enthusiasm.
""There she is!"" Arthur boomed, instantly pulling out his smartphone and pointing the camera directly at Lily’s tired face. ""The little hero who melted the internet's heart!""
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Lily froze mid-step, shielding Mia instinctively. Customers turned, whispering, their eyes dissecting every rip in her faded sneakers and every knot in Mia’s messy curls. Arthur knelt down, shoving a cardboard box filled with pastries into Lily's arms while holding his phone at arm's length. ""Tell everyone how much this means to you, sweetie,"" Arthur coached through a tight, beaming grin.
Lily looked into the unblinking lens, her throat constricting. Through the deli window, parked across the street, an unmarked black sedan was idling, its dark tinted window slowly rolling down.
