"Drat."

With the weather like this, there was no way he could make it back to his tree-side shelter and survive the night without getting hypothermia.

Zhou had been planning on returning to the park, having just left the home of an elderly couple who kindly paid him a generous wage to clean their yard regularly. They probably didn't really need the services, but when his pitiful self turned up on their doorstep months ago, asking if there was anything he could do to earn a bit of money, half begging—he'd been desperate then—they offered him a few odd jobs.

He sighed, the warm air from his breathe visible in the sharp chill. The snow was coming down harder now, and he walked faster to slip into the nearby shopping mall for refuge from the falling crystals.

Quickly he entered, wincing a little at the overly bright lights that were a stark contrast from the darkness of the night outside. Indoors, it was a bustle of activity, shoppers being blasted by garishly loud music and flashing neon signs obnoxiously announcing the latest new products.

There was quite a crowd in front of the Oasis headset store, due to the recent release of their newest model. Zhou wandered there as well. With the lines, he doubted he would get a chance at using the sample headsets they had on display, but in the meantime he might as well watch the advertisements on the screens that showed clips from the Oasis, even if it wasn't quite the same as virtual reality.

Slowly, the crowd trickled away as closing time approached. When only a few customers remained, he left too as to avoid drawing attention to himself. Considering how he was planning to camp out at the mall overnight, staying inconspicuous might be wise. Without much to do, he walked along the row of stores as the closing time came, watching the employees inside finish up and shut down for the night.

"Hey, kid, what are you still doing here alone? Mall hours are over." Zhou spun around to see a security guard, jerking his thumb toward the nearest exit.

"Sorry. I just had to use the restroom before we left. My parents are outside; I'll go find them now." At the security guard's affirmative shrug, Zhou started toward the direction of the exit. Once the guard stopped paying attention, though, Zhou stepped into a side hallway that branched off from the main route.

Within a few minutes, however, footsteps indicated that the security guard was still coming this way. If the guard caught him, he'd probably get escorted outside and kicked out to freeze in the snow, which would not be ideal. To avoid this fate, he desperately tried the doors lining the corridor, jerking each doorknob in vain. Finally, one opened, and he ducked inside.

It must have been something of a storage for cleaning supplies that someone had, thankfully, forgotten to lock. In the dark, he couldn't see much, but feeling around, he guessed it was around the size of a closet. Pretty small.

No, oh no.

Breathe. Zhou told himself, but it was difficult. He tried to stable his trembling hands. It's just for a moment. Then you can go out.

But... but...

"You naughty child! Can't you do anything right?" Numb, he heard the slap more than he felt it, and barely registered the push until he tumbled over and the closet door slammed. And it was all dark. So, so dark.

"Lin-jie says you aren't to have any dinner." The other child looked down, almost embarrassed, as she stopped him from entering the door to the orphanage canteen.

"Oh. I see." Zhou made no effort to protest, and simply walked away, ignoring the grumbling in his stomach. It's okay. He'd get used to it after a few hours—

His luck ran out, however, as the orphanage director spotted him, and forcibly returned him to the cell in the wardrobe. The punishment was extended to overnight.

He—

Zhou clenched his eyes, willing the thoughts to go away. Think of something else. Remember being in the Oasis, being Sho. You're in control, you're powerful. You don't get hurt.

He breathed in, still shaking. Eventually, after the footsteps faded away, he carefully eased open the door. Upon seeing no one there, he slipped back into the hallway, and risked giving himself ten seconds to recover. 

Then, he willed himself to get up and relocate to a more sheltered location, where he slumped against the wall, worn out, for the rest of the night.