I woke up from my power nap on auto-pilot, having done this same routine every day for the last year or so of my life, my kid was screeching at me as usual – not that that woke me, I'd grown accustomed to it, and years of sleeping in cramped dog crates at the school taught me to sleep through anything. Her cot stank of something nasty but I didn't have time to check it out, I had to get to work downstairs and hastily dressing into this evening's getup, I threw her a bottle of only half-warmed milk and went on my way, locking the door behind me.

Now don't get me wrong, if I thought she couldn't cope then I'd maybe think twice about this. But right now I couldn't really give a crap about anything in my life, it was like I had a big bubble round me that horded off any ill-feeling – or indeed feeling at all, and left me as more of a robot than a bird kid.

And looking at that kids face didn't help, it just conjured up thoughts of what I had to do later this evening, it was the same every night – and I would rather not think about it at any time other than when it happened, and even then I'd be more concerned about the time or my next meal. And the illegitimate thing looked more like her father than me, I couldn't bear the thought that she didn't have wings, it left me as the only one left, so I locked down all these feelings, I couldn't afford to let them out and risk a breakdown.

So when I got down to the bar, I jumped straight to work – heading for some awaiting men, their eyes popping way too far out of their pathetic heads. Huh – newcomers, you can always tell around here.

"So what can I get you boys?" I asked alluringly, setting my accent thick and unrecognisable, it changed on a regular basis, all things we had to be aware of round here in this business, never get recognised, stay as low key as possible.

I watched their eyes pop further out of their faces, as their gaze dropped about 10 inches south of my face, more towards my pushed-up; already oversized chest, getting a little bored of waiting until one of them piped up and started reeling off an order, which I got with no trouble, not actually paying attention to what I was doing, I did it so often I didn't have to. The man who spoke was hanging around, watching me closely, something that might have bothered me two years ago, and made the old Max punch him in the face, but now I ignored his ogling and went about my business.

After a few hours, when the temperature in the club had raised to within human boiling point, actually not a thing that bothered me that much, but that's recombinant non-human DNA for you, and it had started to get its stank stale sweat taste to the air, something I'd grown accustomed and immune to as well. It was time to step out of my already revealing dress, into an even more revealing outfit – the only thing it really covered well was my wings, which no one knows about round here but my dress-fitter, I mean, there are rumours, its hard to stop the stray feathers every now and then, but I put them off the scent.

I sighed and swung myself onto the greasy pole, sliding down it as easily as if I were flying – only there's nothing majestic or graceful about what I was doing. Later I would allow these sleazy sliming drooling men to go into the back room with me, and let's just say have their way with me for money, I've even been paid to do this for a woman before. If I ever stopped to think about what I was doing, I wouldn't do it, but that's exactly why I couldn't, I couldn't afford to be out on the street. I'd end up in worse circumstances than these, there wouldn't be rules about protection or anything, though it still doesn't stop the occasional mistakes to be made, when things don't quite go as planned - hence the birth of my daughter, and the reason I can never love her.

Later that night, when all physical energy in me was lost and all that was left in the club was the men's dignity, I went to lock up, only to discover that the man that had spoken earlier and then watched me, was still observing me with that smirk on his face.

"Hey! You - It's out time!" I called with enough force to make him leave, but not enough to show any emotion. He willingly obliged and sauntered towards me, then headed out the door, not taking his eyes off me the whole time, such an act that again – if I had any fight left in me – would once have ended in a punch.

I sighed and headed up to my room, where I found one of the girls, Sarah, sneaking out down the corridor. She thinks I don't know that she goes in there and looks after my daughter while I'm on my shift, but I don't care. If it means I don't have to look after her then its fine by me, call me what you want – dodging my responsibilities and being a bad mother, but you try going through what I have.

I unlocked the door and headed in. At least it didn't smell as bad now - and she was sleeping and was probably clean and fed. I wolfed down seven microwavable meals and dropped like a stone in my bed. Tomorrow wouldn't be any different and I needed some rest.

In the morning, I got up early as usual and had a quick cold shower before even the cold water ran out. Then headed to the fast-food place down the road and stuffed myself with sausages and pancakes from breakfast, not sparing a minute to think of Iggy's cooking – I wouldn't be able to stand remembering things like that.

Only to put a minor twist on this morning, to set it aside from all my other mornings, I found the man from last night still staring at me from across the restaurant – funny, how did he still recognise me? Remember what I said about us having to be careful? I came out most mornings with wet hair, much darker than natural and wearing baggy t shirts, jeans and converse shoes, along with the lack of make-up smeared on my face – I didn't tend to look anything like my evening self.

I ignored him an went about my way – rushing on to my other job, cleaning litter round the park – another mindless repetitive task that didn't allow any thought for reflecting on the past, and yet I kept seeing him around that day. He didn't think I could see him, trying to stay hidden in trees and stuff, but I have acute eyesight and hearing, with my bird senses and all, I don't know why, but for the first time in two years, this of all things was starting to bother me, not just that I have a stalker, that I could probably handle, but there was just something about him – about his gaze, his silence most of the time, his smirk. It all seemed…familiar somehow – but I couldn't place it. And I refused to dig up any memories from my past to try and figure it out – so I was lost.

Finally I went back to the fast food place for lunch and managed to eat nearly my whole weight in burgers, before heading back to the club for a power nap before this evening and relieve Sarah of her duty, she knew better than to be in my room when I was there. I didn't make friends anymore. She was probably a nice girl, and you only had to look at her to tell that she wanted a daughter of her own, so I allowed It – the other mothers in the place tended to look after their own and be untrusting, but I left a spare key on top of the door frame for Sarah – there that's one act of almost compassion in my emotionless shell of a life.

A/N: Again let me know what you think of this one. I wrote it because I couldn't be bothered to revise and have an English Lit. exam tomorrow – so this was my way of keeping English fresh in my mind.