Prologue

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"What's your name?"

I stayed silent as the stranger in front of me spoke. He was handsome. I could tell even behind his black rimmed glasses and soaked hair.

He cornered me in a deserted alley. Well I shouldn't say cornered. He tried to take my house. And by house I mean the make shift fort I made out of cardboard boxes behind a dumpster. I ran away two days ago with only the clothes I was wearing, my backpack and twenty dollars and forty five cents in my pocket. Despite my ill planning tonight was the first night I had considered going back home.

Back to that monster.

Everyday the abuse would continue. I couldn't do anything right. When I was young the punishments were simple; sitting on a stool for hours at a time or kneeling on rice. Even drinking lemon and vinegar until I vomited.

Once I hit my teen years the punishments increased in severity. Beatings with wooden spoons, belts or hair brushes--anything that would be painful and leave a mark. At fifteen years old I had had enough. After a beating that left me with a broken tooth, black eye, swollen lip, dislocated shoulder and sprained ankle - not even counting the number of bruises on the rest of my body - I was done. I stayed in my room trying to recover when my step mother came back with a look on her face that said she was disgusted with me.

"Sang!" My mother says as the door bangs against the wall.

"Yes Mother?"

"I am so sick of looking at you! I told your father it was a bad idea, you are a whore just like your mother!!"

I knew she wasn't my real mother, but I never understood why she could call me a whore when I haven't even kissed a boy!

"You have two options, Sang." She drags the stool out from behind her. "You can leave and never come back or I can tie you to this stool and leave you in the shower with the water running."

"For how long?" I ask her because I'm thinking it's better than leaving with no place to go.

"For as long as it takes." She says with her glassy eyes and a crooked smirk.

I take a gulp at the thought of what she is implying. She turns to leave, but before she does she calls over her shoulder, "Either way I won't have to look at your ugly face. The choice is yours, Sang."

This is the choice I made. Homeless, starving, no hope, no future. I think I only bought myself a few extra days of life and it looks like today is the day I die-- a couple weeks before my sixteenth birthday.

I avoided all people, stayed in the shadows because a young petite girl like me would be an easy target. The minute I stepped foot outside my home the clock was ticking for the time I would be taken advantage of and it looks like my time has run out.

I look up from the puddle I was staring at. I notice the stranger has the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen. They make him look trustworthy, but I would be a fool to trust anyone out here. What does he want? The shelter I made? The remaining money in my pocket? To rape me? Murder me?

If I ran would he catch me? If he didn't where would I go?

"Do you need help?" He asks. I continue to stare and stay silent. It doesn't deter him.

"I have a better place to sleep if you want. It's not much, but it's dry."

Is he telling the truth? Why would a stranger offer to help me? I look towards him and brush my hair out of my face. Not a good idea because the alley light reveals the bruises on my face.

"Who did that to you?" The stranger asks while reaching towards me. I flinch back away from his hand. He leans back a little, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Was it a boyfriend?"

I don't answer.

"A parent?"

I look into his eyes and it's all the confirmation he needs. He sighs, "Look, I don't feel right leaving you here alone. So if you don't want to come with me I'll stay here with you. I'll even sleep on the other side of the alley."

I continue to stare at him silently while he gets up and gathers some cardboard and newspaper to make a bed for himself. There's no cover and it's still raining. He's going to sleep there? He said he didn't want to leave me alone. This must be some sort of trick. He seems so nice though, I'm leary of strangers, but I didn't get a bad feeling about him. I'm actually kind of relieved to have someone to talk to. Not that I've done any talking.

I decide to take a chance and stand up to start gathering my things; my backpack and a ratty old blanket I found in the dumpster. The stranger hears my movement and sits up watching me. I finish collecting my things and turn towards him.

"Ready?" He asks me and I nod.

We start walking in the rain and about fifteen minutes later we arrive at a small space under a bridge. It's dry and has multiple blankets. When the blankets start moving I jump back afraid.

"Don't worry that's just Max, my dog. I'm Dakota by the way, but you can call me Kota." He tells me as he gives his dog a good scratch on the back of his neck.

I offer a small smile, but nothing more as I enter the small space. He gives me the corner on the left side with the most blankets and takes the opposite end. I set my stuff down and curl up to fall asleep. Just as I drift off I offer him one thing.

"Thank you. I'm Sang."

I hear him repeat my name on a whisper just as I fall asleep.

From that moment on we were inseparable. Kota, also homeless, due to being kicked out of his own house by his father, helped me survive. We survived year after year. Not under the best conditions, but we had food and shelter and most of all we had each other.

I fell in love with Kota, I never told him though. I think we kind of had an understanding. We would be together forever. He was my first and he would be my last...or so I thought.

Two years on the streets we met a doctor. Well not a real doctor. He was kicked out of medical school, but being a genius he knew everything a doctor did. Before we knew it. Dr. Sean Green recruited us to work for him. Dr. Green worked illegally treating patients for next to nothing for those who had no insurance and couldn't get help elsewhere.

At times I was his nurse, other times I handled patient files while Kota made "runs". Stealing or buying off the black market: equipment, prescriptions drugs and any supplies Dr. Green needed.

It was dangerous, it was illegal, but it gave us a small apartment. A real home, not a cardboard box, not a space under a bridge, but a safe haven.

I grew to love Dr. Green too; as he did me. All three of us found ourselves in a relationship together. At first I was worried Kota would be upset with the feelings I had for Sean, but when we discussed it he told me he loves me and he only wants me to be happy.

Somehow it worked; the three of us together and I had never been happier. I should have known it was too good to be true. We got busted. The FBI raided our apartment and escorted the three of us out in handcuffs.

We didn't get sent to prison though. Instead the head of the organization Phil Roberts recruited us to be his agents. Dr. Green could continue practicing medicine, but only on FBI agents injured in the field. While Kota and I were given assignments ranging from undercover jobs to intel.

We got off easy and I was grateful.  


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