Everyone noticed Renee had stopped, her gaze fixed on a few small birds. They understood without a word and stood quietly beside her, not rushing her.
"How could you not know? You've heard it before!"
"I forgot. Which bad human was it?"
"It's that female human with the long, curly hair, who wears pointy shoes every day!"
"Oh, I know now! That female human is using her mom to make money!"
"Not her real mom. I heard it's her later mom. The humans call that a 'stepmom.'"
"So who is she trying to trick this time?"
"She's tricking her friend! Her friend has long hair too, but it's not curly. And she's prettier than the bad human and doesn't yell at people."
As Renee listened to the birds' conversation, her lips slowly tightened, and her expression grew grave.
She tilted her head up and asked softly, "Hello there. Could you tell me who that bad human is?"
The moment she finished speaking, the system's voice sounded in her mind.
