It wasn't long after waking Sunday morning that Sarah found herself stuffing more than her share of dope into her pockets. Her flight was set to leave at 10 pm that night and she had to make sure to sell it all before that. But the dealer kept handing her little plastic baggies of eight balls. Far more than the previous days.

"Oi, hold on a sec." Sarah didn't find a place for the next few baggies Pouchy's thug shoved into her hands, she just stood there a moment, "This is too much. About, twice the load I've been selling the last two nights." Vic hesitated for a moment and then stuffed his remaining baggies into the inner pocket of his jacket. The thug just looked at Sarah, face expressionless. "Oi! I can't sell all this, take it back."

"Well if you can't sell it. I'm not sure how you're going to pay for it." A voice echoed from the back of the alley. Looking behind the dealer, a town car was sitting just out of sight and a man got out. It took Sarah a second to place the voice. "That is your share, that is what I am hiring you to sell and if you can't do it then you'll have to cover it." The noon sun finally cut across the voice's face and Pouchy stepped out of the shadows. Vic did mention that he had a flair for the dramatic. Flying half way across a continent just to step out into the midday sun like Batman sneaking up predatorily. Sarah glanced at Vic and he was staring back at her. His face was pinched at the top of his forehead as his mouth curled downward. Pouchy just smiled. He most likely interpreted the dire expressions on both of their faces. Holding up his hands he continued, "No need to worry. I'm not here to chastise anyone. Simply here to congratulate some of my best sellers." Sarah studied his face for a moment. The smile was still plastered on his lips, but his eyes read something different. A soulless quality that Sarah felt she could sink into and fall forever. Something was etched in the previous words and there were others to be said that hung loosely on Pouchy's lips, but instead he licked them. "The extra is for you to sell any way you can. If you do well, we'll keep you on a bit longer. If not, you can sell the last of the shipments and be done."

Sarah squinted her eyes first at Pouchy and then turned to Vic who held a strikingly similar expression. She took a step forward, "Sorry, I'm not interested in staying in back in Toronto. Thanks, but no thanks Pouch."

Pouchy's brows dropped as an attempted smile turned sour instantaneously. Vic read this and held an arm out in front of Sarah, "What she means Pouchy is that, she—we thought we had this worked out. Sarah goes home to her kid and I'll stay on back in Toronto."

A breath of air past between them before Pouchy's face relaxed and broke into another smug grin, "Yes. As I recall that was what we discussed. But things have changed. I have better product coming in, actually it's what you have right now and I need sellers on the streets. If you prove yourself again tonight, you'll be allowed to stay on longer."

Sarah spit, "Longer?! I'm not taking this business back to Toronto, back to my daughter. She can't be around this."

"Oh no, no, no." Pouchy said, "You misunderstand me. This will never touch your daughter. She'll be safe in Canada and you'll stay on in Myrtle Beach."

Sarah couldn't breathe. For a second her thought processes completely broke down unable to even decide on what to consider first. She had her daughter staying with a most likely enraged Mrs. S. Then there was Felix who had to deal with their chaos. Vic standing next to her breathing more heavily with each passing second. And then there was herself stuck in an unimaginable situation surrounding a Toronto based drug dealer that decided to spread his reach to the East Coast.

Sarah snapped back to reality in time to see the jacket of the dealer pulled open as a sidearm revealed itself. His opposite hand twitched towards the gun. Stay calm, breathe Sarah, breathe. "So—" There was a way to remedy the situation, there had to be, "If I sell this stash tonight, I'll stay down here in the states. If I don't sell the stash tonight, I still have to stay here and continue selling?"

Pouchy's face didn't let any hint as to his thoughts, "If I were to reward you for doing a poor job and letting you leave after failing to sell my product, well that wouldn't make a very good business model, would it? So in a way I guess you're right. Myrtle Beach is going to be your home until my product sells regardless."

"How long's that gonna be?" Sarah was done with diplomacy. Her words fell from her mouth venomous and spiteful. Her days working on the streets came back to her as her heavy British accent doused the words unapologetically.

"About a year."

"A year?!"

"Like I said, it's a lot of product. Do your job well and you might be home to your daughter in 8 months, maybe 6 if you're lucky."

Sarah heard Vic clear his throat, finally he was going to contribute something, anything, "Yo Pouchy, look I'll take Sarah's stash and I'll stay on for two years. It's cool." Sarah looked at him for a moment. It was something he never would have offered another living soul, it was for Sarah and her daughter. Sarah smiled and then heard Pouchy speak up for the last time.

"Hmmm no. That won't work. I like you two together." He paused before turning away back towards his town car. "And Sarah don't think there won't be any repercussions if you catch that flight tonight, ten o'clock was it? Good luck selling."

Sarah and Vic walked about of the alley speechless. Sarah was frozen in time and Vic attempted to look for a silver lining. He was talking about the money and how much they would make working for Pouchy for a solid year. Sarah didn't care. She had to make that flight, she couldn't leave Kira without a mother. "Vic, shut up. Let's just sell this shit and get going."

"Wait. Are you thinking about catching that flight tonight? Sarah cancel it. It's done. Pouchy's serious when he says he'll retaliate. You're his until his stash is gone and that's that."

"Yeah Vic and whose fault is that?" She turned towards him, heat searing through her eyes, onto his. Sarah's eyes stayed sharp as Vic's fell to the ground. That was unfair. She had asked for the extra work, begged for it actually. She was the one who got on the plane. Vic never dragged her anywhere, he only helped her out in what she had initiated. "Mine. It's my fault." The realization struck her as she felt her legs fall out from underneath her. Grabbing the nearest curb, Sarah rested her head in her hands. A soft hand caressed her shoulders, Sarah relaxed and fell into Vic. "What am I gonna do?"

She could feel Vic's chest expand and retract, "You don't have a choice Sarah. Do it for Kira."

Vic had left her long before Sarah rose to start slinging her share of the dope. Sarah had wanted to be alone. Pushing the thoughts of missing her flight and seeing Kira again by morning from her mind, Sarah sold more dope than she had either of the previous nights. But there was no longer a sense of accomplishment. The empty feeling of her jacket and the roll of twenties in her pocket didn't give her any sort of hope. It was gone. As seven thirty rolled around, Sarah couldn't find Vic and decided to turn in her profits to Pouchy's dealer without him. Handing him the money she threw the remaining baggies of cocaine at his chest, "I told you it was too much." Without another word she headed back to the apartment. Vic would catch up soon.

A sense of defeat had hovered over Sarah's head all night. Even after selling an immense amount of cocaine and making some money for herself Sarah couldn't breathe. There were no more customers to coordinate with. There were no more rich frat boys to casually approach, flirt with and subsequently sell to. Just Sarah and the thought of a little girl in Canada who wouldn't see her mother for over a year. That girl wasn't her daughter anymore. Sarah didn't deserve to be a mother. Mrs. S was Kira's mother now. More responsible, someone to trust. Sarah almost laughed, someone with an income that didn't come from arson and dope.

A lightning bolt struck Sarah shocking her clouded mind into something more manageable. No, that couldn't happen. Mrs. S was not Kira's mother and she never would be. Sarah was her mother and that was that. Screw Pouchy. Screw his dealer and his make things up as we go along attitude. He had to learn that Sarah Manning wasn't going to fall for his crap. Sarah Manning was better than that. She wasn't Vic, she wasn't some low life that only had Pouchy to make her life feel like it was worth anything. She was catching that plane tonight and not even Pouchy's thugs were going to stop her.