I own these characters so there's no disclaimer!

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At school the next day I couldn't keep my mind off what had happened the night before. I felt amazed and rather shocked that I had survived my first encounter with an actual drug dealer. The adrenaline rush had been almost as good as the heroin and I looked forward to going back to that house again on Tuesday. Three days. Three days to imagine what my life would be like working for... actually, I had no idea who I would be working for. Just as I was beginning to enter my own little world, the one brought on by drugs and imagination, Helen nudged me and said "Look. I drew a picture of the breakfast monkey."

The breakfast monkey.

I had just been drawn back from that misty and painless world for the fucking breakfast monkey.

"That's great Helen."

Helen gave me a confused look. Then realization dawned on her face.

"You're high again."

This was not a question, it was a statement. The Civics classroom was very clear and bright. The walls were a whitish color, made slightly more interesting due to the various maps and posters of past presidents on them. It was a small room, only about twenty people would be able to fit there comfortably. Only a moment ago it had been starting to fade into a world of gray shapes and formless figures that both terrified and amazed me. A world of nothing that held everything that mattered to me. The only thing that matters was the nothing. There was no pain. There was no fear. Just a gray nothing that filled me up and embraced me. Sometimes I saw things, horrible, ugly things. But only if I took a higher amount. I was careful not to take that much. I didn't want fear. That's why I took the heroin in the first place, to escape the fear. It's funny how everything in life has a perfect balance.

The bell rang.

The whole class practically ran for the door, with the exception of me of course. By this time, I was lucky to be able to stand. The room swirled fuzzily in front of me. I managed to take about 3 steps before the floor vanished from under my feet. Helen helped me to pick up my books and she guided me towards the door rather disapprovingly.

"It's going to kill you. I hope you know that."

"You've said this before."

"Only because I don't think you get that part of it."

I shrugged at this and made to walk off on my own. I didn't get very far before the floor lurched and I fell into the wall. The narrow gray hallway was beginning to fade in and out. That beautiful misty place was beginning to creep in on the hallways. The numbness was coming on again and I knew that the rest of the day would be a whirl of vague colors and muted sounds. I don't remember anything past this and it wasn't until I got home that afternoon that things started to make sense again.

Maybe, just maybe, Helen could have been right.

Tuesday night finally came. I snuck out of my window on the fire escape ladder my mother had given me as a birthday present last year. We lived in town, not far from the address I was headed to. It was farther than I would have liked to walk, but the night air was pleasantly cool and there was a slight breeze that played with my long, brown hair. The street lamps offered some light, but the moon put them all to shame. I liked the night. It was beautiful and, as I would soon learn, deadly.

I arrived at the house where I had bought the heroin. My palms began to sweat as I walked towards the door. I took a deep breath and knocked.

Nothing happened.

What was I expecting? A guy to open the door and shoot me? I felt foolish for letting my imagination run away with me. Just as I was about to turn and leave, the door opened. It was the same guy as before. Except this hair was different. It appeared recently washed. He smiled and said, "You came back. I was afraid you wouldn't. You're a bit late I'm afraid so, if we may proceed." At this he made a rather elegant flourish and started walking quickly towards wherever we were headed.

I caught up with him and he made an attempt at what I suppose was conversation.

"I'm Cai Dawson. What's the name you go by? In other words, don't give me your real one. You'll be too easy to track down if you do that. If you've ever wished you could pick your own name, now's your chance."

I thought about what he said for a few moments and tried to decide on a name. I looked into my past to see if there was something, anything, to give me inspiration. When I was younger I had a friend named Amelia who killed herself. Then I thought of my last name: Carley. I decided to do something close to it so that if I slipped, it would be close enough that I could catch myself. I found exactly what I was looking for.

"It's Amelia Carroway."

"That's a good one. Don't forget it. Now, back to business, when we get where we're going, don't look anyone in the eye unless you want your head bitten off. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't give anyone lip. That one's important, if you do, you could get killed and that's a pretty stupid reason to die."

Cai had a point. We walked in silence for a bit and I tried to absorb all of what he had said. Apparently we had reached our destination, because he stopped suddenly in front of an old and falling apart warehouse. The roof was tin and rusted, while the walls looked like they could use a new coat of paint. He looked at me for a moment and his eyes suddenly were dangerously cold and serious where only moments before had been playful, good humor. Finally he looked me in the eyes and said, "And don't let anyone walk all over you. You may be new, but you need to show that you're not afraid of them. If you don't, they'll only take advantage of you.I know you're nervous but, chin up, shoulders straight." I adjusted my position until I stood reasonably straight and did my best not to look at my shoes. The well- natured light returned to his eyes as he said, "Much better. That's the way to make a good impression."

Cai opened the door and I discovered who "they" were.

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please review tell me what you think. I'll post the 3rd chapter tomarrow and the 4 th chapter next weekend.