𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐄 | 𝐁𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐘 𝐗 𝐎𝐂

00

EARLY CHILDHOOD

Diane unlocks the front door, walks in and drops her backpack by the door, and pulls out her homework. She hears her parents in the kitchen, arguing, so she goes straight upstairs to her bedroom. She sits at her desk, turning on the light and starting her homework.

The more of her homework she does, the more she hears her parents. The longer they argue, the louder they get. Diane doesn't want to pay attention to what they're arguing about. Usually, it's about her. How she's being disciplined, how she's being raised.

When Diane finishes her homework, she goes back downstairs to put it back in her bag. She walks into her kitchen, her parents not even noticing her, and let's the dog in.

She grabs his bowl, red with large, white letters reading B E N N Y, and fills it with food, placing it back on the ground and giving him a few pats on the back.

She grabs herself a snack, knowing her parents probably weren't going to make dinner, and retreats back to her bedroom.

When Benny finishes his food, he runs up the stairs, joining Diane in her bedroom, laying by her feet on the bed.

It took Diane a while to fall asleep, her parents yelling loud enough for the neighbors to hear. But, after some waiting, she is able to sleep.

《◇》

LEAVING HOME

Diane finishes packing her things, slinging the duffel over her shoulder. Her father was passed out on the couch, having drunken too much the night before. Her mother was leaned over several bills in the kitchen. Diane could easily sneak out as long as Benny was quiet.

She clips on Benny's leash, walking downstairs quietly. She puts on her winter boots and pulls her puffy jacket over her sweater.

She stashed away enough money to afford the train rides from Kassel, Austria to Kölgn, Germany in her backpack, which she had packed with some food for herself and Benny. She assumed she would get a simple job once she got to Kölgn and would soon make enough money to get herself food and a home.

She slipped out of the house, her backpack on, and the duffel bag she packed slung over her shoulder. The money was stuffed in her backpack, safely stashed away where it wouldn't get wet or lost.

When she gets to the train station, she buys her ticket, getting on the train and putting her things aside under her seat, Benny sitting directly in front of her.

She turned 18 a week before graduation, and that was when she started planning all the aspects of her leave. On the day of her graduation, her parents weren't even there. When she got back from graduation, she saw her father drinking in the kitchen. He had probably caused another fight with her mother, who left in a rage.

Diane had assumed that she would be able to walk a distance as it would be around summertime, but the winter had run long, and there was still a layer of snow on the ground. This prohibited her from walking, as it would be too cold to take shelter outside.

《◇》

LIFE IN KÖLGN

Diane walks down the street, a new bruise on her eye and fresh rips in her clothes. She slips down the alley way, finding Benny sitting patiently outside her box, looking tired.

She smiles at him, giving him a few pets before pulling out a coin. 3€, just enough to buy a small bag of dog food. She found the coin on her walk home. The rain had made it shine a bit.

She pulls on her only decent clothes to hide the grime of her shirt. She clips on Benny's leash and walks to a corner store, grabbing a bag of dry food and checking out.

When she gets back to the alley, she pours the food out onto a small plate. She moves aside, letting Benny start to eat. She was officially out of money again, and she doubts any of the people she interacts with will actually pay her.

Just like the most recent man, they'd have their way and beat her, rather than pay her any money.

Meaning she spent most of her days hungry and broke, or hungry and feeding Benny. Sometimes, she'd get paid, never more than 30€. Which happened to be enough for her to buy her and Benny food, which was nice. She relied on the few euros she found every day to keep both her and Benny alive. And it wasn't nearly enough. But she figured it out.

《◇》

BEFORE THE EVENTS OF THE STORY
(IMMEDIATE)

Diane looks at herself in the mirror. She looks at her curves. The slit in her maroon dress. It might be a bit much to wear to a bar, but she was trying to draw people in. Specific people. So, she had to be tailored to their desires.

Deep red lips, a backless dress, black pumps. She even wore contact lenses so she would fit more into the type of woman her target audience has been seen with.

Her hair was pulled back into a bun, 2 singular pieces out in the front to frame her face. She had to model herself after the women her target has been seen with. Her personality, actions, and appearance have to be mixed from every other woman he has been seen with.

Which means she has to be obedient. She has to look and act innocent. Just so that he likes her and takes her home and she can weasel information out of him.

She sighs, fixing her posture and expression, and walks out of the bathroom, going to sit at the bar. She finds a stool across from him, where she's in his line of sight. She orders a vodka spritz, crossing her legs.

Soon enough, he walks over, leaning on the bar next to her, smiling.

"So, you come here often?"

Classic. Simple. She laughs, shaking her head, "No, it's my first time."

She has to play this up. Make her truly seem ditzy. The more simple she made herself seem, the more interest he would have in her.

He takes a deep breath, eyeing her drink. He grabs it, taking a sip while maintaining eye contact.

"Ah, I see."

She tilts her head, smiling a bit, "You see what?"

"A vodka spritz."

She laughs, making it as delicate as she can.

"Anyone could guess that."

He shrugs, sending her a half smile.

"Well, I'm Mark," he extends his hand, waiting for her to take it. Which, she does, "Diane."

His hands were rough and calloused, and he held her hand firmly.

~

She walks out of the bar with a breath, rolling her eyes and getting into the car that was sent for her. He was sitting in the back seat, staring out the window.

"Well?"

"We have a date for the 18th."

He nods, satisfied, and she buckles her seatbelt, taking off her heels.

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A/N - This might be a long chapter, but I can't promise the rest of them will be. Nor can I promise how many chapters there will be. I honestly have no clue. I will TRY to upload every Saturday (the day this is originally published), but I'm not very reliable with thag kind of thing, plus I have 2 stories going right now technically, so there might not be a new chapter every Saturday. Sometimes, it might be delayed to Sunday.