A/N Thanks for those following me and giving me reviews! So far it's just back story, all will be revealed in the next chapter or two. Keep faith. Hope you enjoy and all reviews welcome!

I found Miah again. I was about twenty minutes from my alleyway when I spotted her. She was in some form of trouble. I was on an old rusty escape ladder watching a lorry of food being unloaded. I was peeling flecks of dried paint from the rusted metal while awaiting for my opportunity. I was waiting for the food to be unattended so I could get in, take what I needed and go. The white lorry was new, clean. The whiteness shining through like some forgotten snow. It was well guarded as the precious boxes left the cool dry back into the warm dry building. I didn't know what they had in this lorry, but I wanted some. So here I was sat. Waiting. And that was where I saw Miah running from two men. They had a dog with them. It wasn't a big dog, but it barked and snarled as they all ran after her. She was scrambling to stay on her feet. Looking behind her scared.

Leave her. My mind chanted. You need food. Delivery will be for another five days otherwise. How would you survive then? But I couldn't help it as I watched the men disappeared and cursed. What kind of person was I? I was a good person. And I had to prove it.

I swung from the exit ladder and landed softly on the ground. The creaking barely heard as the New York city drowned the sound out. I ran forwards following the men, listening for the dog. I felt my body weaken from the lack of food lately, but I had to be strong. I couldn't survive if I wasn't strong.

I realised where they were running and took a short cut, running through the streets, attracting attention. I hated that, but I had no choice, not if I wanted to get to Miah. I ran down another alley way and turned to the right and came out before them. I narrowly missed piles of rubbish as I swung by the corner. I skipped to the side just catching one of the bin liners with my are when I saw Miah turn the corner running. She ran straight into me. She looked at me panicked as she fell backwards. I helped her up and she tugged on my hand.

"We have to run." She urged me. I looked at her. She was sweating, the summer months bringing heat. Last night's rain was no longer evident on the ground as I heard them thundering up it. She pushed her hair back with one hand while the other tugged.

No, I'm sick of running. I'm sick of waiting to be caught. She said I had to be strong, I had to be wise, to be persistent, well I was. But I was also pissed off that people took advantage of others. Here she was, thin and petite and these men were going to hurt her? For what? Probably their own sick gain and that riled me in a way I hated feeling.

"Oi!" The men spotted me and I let go of Miah. She hid behind me. "She's ours."

"I didn't know a person belonged to another."

"Well she does. To us." They both were matched in weight, in coloured skin and coloured hair, but one's eyes were a dark brown, glaring at me. The other was a pale watery brown that seemed more interested than angry. They wore some denim with trainers. Their tops bulging over their muscles, trying to intimidate. But all that muscle meant nothing when you could see it was for show, not strength.

"You seem so sure. Alright, come get her." I said softly. The man called me some shameful names and then released the dog on his lead. The chain clattered to the floor as the dog burst from his confinement and ran at me. He barked and growled, snapping and drooling. His nails made little noise on the concrete. I stood staring at the dog before I knelt down. I carried on staring at the dog as he neared, but then he noticed I wasn't moving. It slowed him down nervously until he stopped a meter from me completely. He barked and growled, his short hackles raised. He looked more unsure with each passing second, the growls turning to pathetic barks. Animals were easy to keep in order, if you applied to right field to it.

I wagged my finger at him and he went silent. The small yips had died down and eventually his heckles smothered out again in his deep black coat. Then I pointed my finger to the floor, the dog sat obediently and without hesitation. I flattened my palm down and bent it to the floor. The dog laid. I stood upright, Miah clinging to me. The dog rested his head on his paws, not moving and somewhat content to lie there at this precise moment.

"Well done." I mocked openly. I think I was doing it right. "A person does not belong to another human."

"We will take you both." The taller of the two, with his short hair and pale skin grinned at me, like he had some trick up his sleeve. His dark brown eyes just seemed constantly angry at me. What I had done to anger this man so had escaped me.

The shorter one jut waited for something. I don't know what, as it never happened. But then they charged at me, a blade whistling through the air. I pushed Miah as we moved and it flew by. I then swung round knocking one of them straight out cold. The taller guy kept on going, ploughing his fist into my chin; knocking me to the ground. The ground grazed my elbows and arms, grit getting into my open cuts. I looked up just in time to see his foot move in an attempt to come in contact with my stomach. Seizing the moment I grabbed it. I twisted so I heard a crack, drowned out by his screaming, and then I pushed so he fell over. His head hit the ground, the crack resounding, and he fell unconscious.

I stood upright brushing some dirt from me. I didn't attempt to push the gravel out of my wounds, figuring it was an attempt that would result in futile results. I moved swiftly away, back through the alley away from the evidence of my abuse.

"Wait, wait!" I heard Miah run to catch me up. "Thank you." She said. I ignored her and she grabbed my arm. "Thank you." I looked at her. "Thank you." She kept repeating.

"Ok, fine." I snapped confused to why she kept thanking me.

"You saved my life."

"I doubt that." I attempted to carry on moving, but she held tight to my arm.

"They were going to kill me." She squeezed my arm tighter and then looked to me as I stopped frowning to give her a somewhat bewildered look. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't mean to hurt them."

"Sometimes it is you or them. They were going to kill us. You didn't kill them. That's a gift for their pain; that they live."

"Why are you wise?" I asked randomly.

"I have to be. My younger sister is a fool." I looked to her and waited for her to expand. She didn't.

"Can you let go?"

"What about the dog? He's loyal to you now."

"I can't feed myself, let alone a dog."

"I'll feed you tonight. Bring the dog." I stared at her, then sighed and whistled. The dog came running towards me, before standing next to me, trained. Miah set off without another word and I followed her through the alleyways, through a broken garden fence panel, the wood rotting slowly anyways. We ambled along past more streets and an abandoned house. All windows and intact oddly. To a little dark shed in some alley. She opened the door and nervously I followed her in. If it was a trap, it might as well be now.

It was dark but she called out the name Pauline and a lantern lit up. A small blonde with shoulder length hair looked up at us. She grinned when she saw Miah and moved to hug her. "Safe?"

"Yes, this is, urm, this is my friend. She saved me."

"Thank you." She said to me. I nodded noticing she was really grateful. They chatted a few minutes while I looked around. It wasn't much, two beds had been made up; both attached to the shed wall. One was higher than the other. They didn't look stable and I was unsure if they could hold their weights, as petite as they were, I didn't like their odds. The wood seemed stable, Miah seemed to know what she was doing. Even if it was just some wood jammed in with some yellow sponge and a sheet. The sponge looked like it had seen better days, and the sheet was a little grungy, but it seemed like they were proud of their achievements.

There was a little old wood cabinet with one drawer. Its handle was broken and the top was chipped and had holes in. Pen scribbles were down one side, in random circles. There was little bits and pieces on the cabinet, a ticking clock, a cracked bowl and a rag. Under the drawer was an open space, where there was some meagre clothes folded on top of each other. They didn't have much, probably another item each. I should get them some more, so they had clothes that actually could be worn. That fit too.

I noticed some wires piled around the cabinet, little pieces of wood, nails and wires all crammed on top of each other. It looked as though they kept everything in case it came into need. Some of the metal scrapings and wooden pieces could come in useful, especially with my knife and some of those wires.

There was a red faded carpet fashioned into a rug. The edges were badly frayed and there was small faded indents where it had looked like something rested on those patches more often than not. This rug covered most of the floor, giving something warm for the girls to sit on. The bed took all the back wall, the cabinet placed next to it. There was nothing on the shed walls to indicate any possessions and besides the wooden cabinet there was a large dark grey metal container to the left. The door touched it as it opened.

"How did you find me?" Miah drew my attention to her. I shrugged opening the drawers to find random pieces of string, tape and some knives. There was more cloth rags and two forks. I closed the drawer seeing a pair of shoes peaking from next to the metal container. Pauline didn't have any on her feet, so they must have had one pair each too. I couldn't find me shoes, let alone them, but maybe I could try? I opened the metal container and saw piles of food in there. I noticed Pauline watching me, as if I may be ready to steal their food, but I was more than capable of getting my own. I looked at their stash, they did well. There was boxes and can and packets. They did well to contain so much and not eat it all. I was so hungry by the first day it felt like I could have eaten the lot.

"I was waiting for a lorry to be unattended. I saw you and the men." I answered slowly.

"Why did you save me?"

"Because although the world is nasty, people don't have to be." I shut the container looking around. "This is where you live?" I asked.

"We make do. People think it is next doors shed, it isn't. But they leave it alone. So they leave us alone. It's taken us a while. We had to move a lot because we kept getting moved, harassed or everything kept getting stolen. We don't have much, but then it's easier not to lose something of value." I nodded understanding. "Sit down, I'll make us something." I sat down, Pauline moving up and the dog coming towards me, sitting on my lap. I looked at the thing in confusion.

"Have you never had a dog?" Pauline asked me. I shook my head. Pauline stroked the dog behind the ears and he started wagging his tail. "All he wants is some love and fuss and some care. They are more loyal that way." She nodded to me and I stroked the dog gingerly. He looked up to me and I felt some emotion inside that I knew was potentially dangerous. "What's your name?"