I don't like to think of myself as useless, or that things are hopeless. I was once a proud woman, I'm smart, educated to the highest levels. But when I'm sat here, spooning unidentified cold meat out of a tin can, trying not to gag at the gristly parts, I can't help but feel despair.
A coin falls to my feet, wobbles in a slow circle before falling flat down. Fifty cents.
"Thanks, stranger…" I mutter, glancing upwards to see the back of a long brown trench coat as it ruffles in the wind. So very few of them bother to meet my eyes. I can't blame them, I was the same.
I finish off my exquisite lunch, placing the can to one side, trying to ignore the nausea after such a terrible meal. A shiver runs up my spine, all the way from my toes to my chin. I tug my thin blanket up, try to cocoon myself inside. It's definitely getting colder, no two ways about it.
I'm thirsty. Fifty cents will get me a cheap bottle of water in the store down the road, but then I'd lose my spot. It took me a long time to get this spot, it's a nice spot, I'm sheltered under an arch, at least partially, and the ground's smooth here, plus it doesn't flood. I've seen other people, lurkers, waiting to take my spot away, and the last one to try take it by force almost got his ear bitten off… most of the others have learnt to leave me be since then.
Thankfully, the homeless around here don't resort to group warfare, otherwise I'd be screwed. I have no friends. There's Marcy, a young, nervous girl who helps me out occasionally. I haven't seen her for a few weeks now, though. Maybe she left town… shame, I liked the coffees she gave me.
I pick the coin up, twirl it around in my fingers. What now? It's a thought I have every day. It wasn't always like this. I was… someone. I was successful. Now, I'm nothing, I'm the piece of shit left behind by my father's mistakes. The world hates him, hates me. The second people hear my name, they turn their heads, make a polite excuse to leave.
I'm Asami Sato, the daughter of the bastard that almost caused world war three. And the world has no place for me anymore. I close my eyes, ignore my thirst, and beckon sleep for the third time today. Winter can't come fast enough… I'll welcome its cold, final embrace.