Inhale: Book 1 & 2

Prologue: Book 1

Sabrina never thought she would live her life like, especially after she graduated high school. It's Christmas Eve, a day where you're supposed to be with your family and friends, being thankful for everything. But Sabrina just wanted to die instead. The only person that was keeping her alive is her nine-year-old sister Dakota.

Sabrina is supposed to be attending, and finishing her first term at NYU (New York University), majoring in Journalism, enjoying her college years. But she never got the chance to even go to her dream school. Two years ago, Sabrina's mom died from cancer after she graduated high school. Her mom saved her and her Dakota an inheritance. When Sabrina turned 18, she could take her portion of the money to start school or start their life. Because Sabrina would turn 18 in July, she wasn't able to receive money right away. But Sabrina's older sister, Keisha, and her boyfriend, Dre, had other plans with their money. Keisha and Dre used the money for drugs and their personal needs, meaning Sabrina would never go to school and/or get her and Dakota out of this house of Hell.

Finally escaping the small and crowded apartment, Sabrina walks to the neighborhood corner store to get something to eat for dinner with only five dollars to her name. Besides Sabrina, Dakota, Dre and Keisha, Dre's six kids stay with them; one of the kid, Sabrina's sister birth, the rest his flings birth and just didn't want to deal with them. Since Dre and Keshia are always gone, Sabrina is always the main person who must take care of them and feed them, some nights she would go to bed hungry because there would only be enough food for the kids. Before Keshia was on drugs, Sabrina and her used to be so closed, before Dre stepped in the picture. But now the only thing she cares about is herself, Dre, and her daily fix.

Good thing she caught Dre lying in bed, strung out, before he could go back out. Sabrina snuck out to get something to eat since she hasn't eating for two days.

Walking inside the store, Sabrina greets herself to the cashier up front. "Hey Nick," She smiles. He looks up at her and smile. "Yo Sabrina! How you doing?" He asks. "I've been better. How bout you?" She answers.

"I'm good. So, what are getting today?"

Sabrina shrugs, "Just something to eat."

"There are some TV dinners in the back."

Sabrina walks to the back of the store grabbing a Hot Pocket, a Pepsi, and a bag of chips; it wasn't much but she needed something to kill her hungry pains. She place the Hot Pocket in the store microwave and let it cook for a while. After the Hot Pocket was done, Sabrina paid for her things. Nick put her food in a bag, "I'll see you later Nick."

"Alright, have a good night." He smiles and waves Sabrina off, while I walk out of the store.

Walking back home, it was dark and cold. To make it even better, it starts to rain. Fuck my life. She thought to herself. Sabrina continues to finish her food as she was quickly walking home before Dre woke and noticed she wasn't there.

As Sabrina walks down the alley, which is a shortcut back home, and throws away her trash, she hears a loud clang down an alley. Sabrina stops her tracks and quickly presses her back against the building brick wall.

She slightly turns her head around, peeking to see what's happening. It was two men in the middle of the alley fighting. Well not really fighting per say, more like one guy was whooping the other guy's ass. She tiptoes into the alley, not trying to draw attention to herself. She hides behind a dumpster to get a closer look of the fight, not knowing her life is about to change after tonight for the good and the bad.

Just a few minutes prior, while Sabrina was sneaking out to the bodega, before the fight even happened, a man by the name of Gabriel Renzo was already annoyed by the man he sat across the table the from; none other than Jason Mills. Mills was one of the new members of his father's Mafia crew. Gabriel never liked when his father brought in new people. Who's is why Gabriel would always keep a close eye on the newcomers and try to see if they have any dirty work on them.