Choice

Prologue

It was a normal day, like any other, when I met that man...

I was sitting on the pavement in a small alley in the outskirts of the city, resting my back against the wall; I looked up at the sky, a few white clouds were scattered, it wasn't going to rain anytime soon. I looked back down and stared at my ripped jeans, "Disgusting" I thought. My stomach started to growl and I felt like the gastric juices in it were starting to eat my stomach walls slowly and painfully. It was hard to find food nowadays and I wasn't that desperate to search in the trash. I placed my hands over my stomach and tried to advert my mind from the hunger. I looked at my right and gazed at the street. Few people walked around there, they didn't talk to each other and had a straight face. They walked in a fast pace as if they wanted to leave as soon as possible, indeed they were. They feared to be attacked in those dangerous streets. I wasn't scared, never was. I kept looking for an hour, maybe less, I didn't know. I rested my head in the hard gray wall and closed my eyes. I inhaled deeply and slowly drifted into a peaceful sleep.

When I woke up, the sun was about to set, the sky was in an orange, purple tone; I would say it was beautiful if I was in a better condition. My stomach growled again and reminded me of how hungry I was. "It's time to get some food" I thought. I stood up and slowly stretched myself. With my hands, I wrapped my long brown hair into a bun and put my hood on. I walked outside the alley and mixed myself with the people walking, my green emerald eyes searched for a cafe or some people carrying food that I could steal easily, without having to fight. Suddenly, I distinguished a scent of fresh bread and brewed coffee, like an alarm, my stomach growled loudly. Using my nose as a guide, I tracked from where the smell cam from. My "prey"- I like to think of myself as a hunter, not a thief- was a middle-aged man, tall and skinny with short gray hair and beard. He was wearing a black coat and scarf, white gloves protected his pale, slender fingers that clutched the packet of goods. I fastened my pace to catch up to him, I was agile and it wasn't my first time doing this, but that man made me feel threatened. I glanced at the bag and calculated when was the perfect time to reach for the food. I was losing time, we were getting closer and closer to the city and more people seemed to sprout from the floor, which made my task more difficult. All of a sudden, the sun shined brightly and I had to squint, I imagined I wasn't the only one that reacted like that, so that was the time. I approached the bag, but when I was almost there, the man looked into my eyes and I froze in fear. We both stopped walking in the middle of the street, people continued walking past us, some gave us curious looks, but kept strolling.

For the first time in a long time, I was scared. The man had a blue eye and a green eye, sharp eyes, like the ones of a feline. I felt a chill run through my spine and I gulped hard.

"May I help you, Miss?"- Asked the man in a dreadful tone, almost making fun of me. His acute voice cut through the air and I felt like his words slapped me. The blood was sucked out from my face. The man asked again and I placed my hands on my sides and clenched my shirt, my palms were sweaty. This could be the end for me, no, I was sure it was the end. He was surely calling the cops.

"N-No, I'm fine. Sorry for the inconvenience."- I decided to dart away from there. I turned around and placed my foot in front of me, ready to run, but the feline-like man grasped my wrist.

"Come with me, Miss"- He dragged me through the streets, I looked around with an unreadable face. I couldn't let anyone find out about my situation. The street lamps began to illuminate the atmosphere, and shiny signs appeared in front of stores and buildings. The city looked busy as ever, mothers kept their children next to them and walked hurriedly through the crowds, young woman walked in high heels carrying dozens of bags with brand names, executive men and women strutted in their suits and looked at their watches as if they were late for an important meeting, couples in love everywhere. One, two, three blocks... Where was he taking me?! I panicked and took deep breaths, trying to calm my heartbeat, that seemed like it was going to come out of my chest. Abruptly he stopped and I bumped into his back. He turned to look at me and I looked up to him, waiting for him to talk. He had let me to a small alley that was mostly dark it was similar to the one I was in a few hours ago. The alley was between two tall buildings, and I felt like it could fall on me anytime soon. His voice startled me.

"I have an offer"- From all of the things I imagined he would say, I never thought of that one. I remained silent and waited for him to continue.-"I want you to work for me, you will get paid, you could buy a house, clothes..."- I stopped listening and started to dream. "Work with this guy? Get paid? Buy clothes? Is this a dream? How..." I heard him calling my name.- "What do you think?"

Without a doubt, I stared into his blue and green eyes and replied confidently:

"I accept."- The man smiled with his perfect white teeth, and extended his hand towards me, I shook it and looked forward to my new life.

I, Diana, 14 years old (at that time), am no longer alone. I am an adult now.

I had no idea of what did I get myself into.