The midday sun beat down on Koba, Central Bangka, a familiar warmth that did little to thaw the chill in Venus's heart. She trudged towards her house, backpack slung low, the gnawing emptiness in her stomach mirroring the void inside her. Community service at school had left her famished, and the canteen's unexpected closure was just another petty annoyance in a life full of them.

She pushed open the front door, the familiar scent of disinfectant and stale air filling her nostrils. Relief, brief and fleeting, washed over her; Sella, her stepmother, wasn't immediately visible. Venus made a beeline for the kitchen, her eyes scanning the cupboards for anything edible. Her friend swore she'd seen Sella driving off, but with Sella, one could never be too sure. A faint hope flickered within her – a quiet afternoon, a chance to eat in peace. It was a foolish hope, she knew, but she clung to it anyway.

Just as her fingers brushed against a cupboard door, a saccharine voice cut through the silence, dripping with false concern. “Ah, honey. What are you doing?”