Five Years Later
After half a decade on the streets, Melody was nothing like the person she had been before. Once a warm, sensitive girl, she had become a cold and unfeeling child of the streets. Begging, stealing, and starving had become part of her life. She learned how to defend herself and how to take care of herself. Years ago, she had left her home too absorbed in her own misery to live, and found a life elsewhere. Today, she found herself still wondering where she went wrong.
Realizing she hadn't had anything to eat in about a day and a half she set out in search of some nourishment. Eyeing a cart of bread, she slowly grabbed a sample and began to slip away, but she didn't count on the owner being wary of such tricks. Just as she thought she had gotten away, she heard him call out to the police. That was her cue to disappear. Melody took off down an alley, but didn't know this part of the city and had no idea where to go. Taking her chances, she slipped around the corner and weaved through a maze of carts and people, intent on finding someplace safe, but the police were hot after her.
Just when she was going to give up, she felt an arm go around her waist and pull her into an alley. When she was going to scream, she felt a hand go over her mouth. Not new to situations like this, she bit the hand that held her and elbowed her attacker in the stomach. After Melody had finally struggled away, she got a look at her attacker. He was laughing.
"You'se a feisty one, ain't ya?" Her attacker said between laughs, his eye glinting in amusement, but a patch covered his other eye.
"What da hell do you want?" Melody was definitely not in the mood to be laughed at.
"I'se gonna see if you'se needed help gettin' 'way from them bulls, but –"
Melody cut him off, "I could. Let's go." She didn't normally let her guard down this easily, but she needed his help and knew it.