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CHAPTER ONE
Skyla
This isn’t how I thought my life would turn out. At the age of twenty, I thought I’d already be married to a strapping handsome young man who’d relentlessly work day and night to put a bun in my oven. We’d live in a nice little house and enjoy very practical and comfortable things such as heat and running water.
I have none of that. Instead, I’m sitting on a park bench in the middle of the night and shivering like a pathetic little leaf in my rags. Turning myself into a pretzel to keep the warmth, I blow on my hands and rub them together to get the circulation going.
I’ve been on the streets for a month now and it doesn’t look like there’s a silver lining coming my way anytime soon.
I lost my job and then I got kicked out by my greedy landlord because I couldn’t pay the rent. I promised him I’d scrape together the money if he gave me some time but he just barked that he didn’t give a damn.
And alas, here I am now.
Tragic is what it is and I wrap my jacket tighter around my body and shiver again. Why is it so damn cold? I tense when I see something fluttering in the light of the lamppost and I reach out with my hand to see if it is what I think it is.
When the snowflake melts in the heat of my palm, I groan.Great. As if things couldn’t get any worse. I won’t be able to survive a night out if it’s going to be that cold and I get up.
I don’t want to go to the shelter because I don’t like some of the people working there and the only living relative I have is an uncle whom I’ve never really gotten to know. He was my mother’s brother but they never got along and she never spoke about him.
All I have is an old photo of him and her, crumpled in my pocket.
I took it, thinking that maybe I’d seek him out if push comes to shove. Now though, I realize what a dumb idea that was. I don’t even know how to find him. When I searched for his name, nothing came up.
Guess that means this unlucky bird’s on her own then.
Oh well, whatever...I’m sure I’ll manage.
But I still walk through the streets and alleys with a lump in my throat, sulking because of how quickly things changed. Just one month ago, I was like any other girl, putting up silly dance videos on social media and eating ice cream right out of the bucket whenever I got the lady blues but now...
Now everything’s a hassle.
Trying to search for a place to stay over the night, I shiver when I see some shadowy figures moving behind me and I break out into mild panic. I better get off the streetsnow. Cutting into an alley, I jog and look around in surprise when I realize how far from the city center I’ve gotten...
This is...creepy.
I hesitate by a building that looks like a deserted warehouse. What’s a girl to do? Either I stay out on the streets where anything can happen to me or I seek shelter in a creepy, old warehouse. Both options suck but when I hear nearing footsteps, I sneak in through a rectangular window that leads to a basement.
Shivers crawl down my spine because of how forsaken it is but at least it’s empty and warm. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. And it seems pretty safe. I walk farther down the hall, feeling a pinch of relief when I see a couple of cardboard boxes in the corner.
There’s an entire pile and I flatten out a couple of them to make myself a bed. Feeling pretty good about my little shelter, I reach into my pocket and pick out a raspberry swirl caramel. My lips curl in an excited smile. I’ve been saving this all day and I carefully unwrap the pink paper and put it in my mouth.
It tastes delicious and the inside’s all gooey and I’m already in a better mood. I have a place to sleep, I’ve had my little dinner and most importantly I’m not on the street anymore. Yawning, I stare up at the ceiling, trying not to think of all the spiders and rats that could be crawling around...
Wait, rats?
Ooh...I really don’t like those and I stiffen when I hear a scraping sound in the distance. Please don’t let it be a rat. Let it be a cute little mouse that can be my little friend. But it’s not a rat or a mouse and my blood freezes when I hear coughing.
Someone’s here.
Peeking behind the boxes, I swallow a whimper when I see three men. Two of them are ridiculously tall with pale hair and the third is smaller with a red mop on his head. My heart pounds as the redhead pleads,
“Guys I swear, this is where I put the money.”
“You’re lying Leno,” one of the pale haired giants curses and I hide a gasp when he grabs him around the collar. “Where the fuck’s the cash?”
“I don’t know. Someone must’ve taken them...”
“Yeah, your accomplice took them! Don’t fuck around with us, Leno. You know the consequences.”
