The alarm tinkled on the bedside table and Hope gradually opened her eyes. She hadn't dreamt last night and wondered if she'd been asleep at all.

Hope squinted at her phone and shot up in bed. She'd been asleep for twelve hours! How many times had she hit snooze on the alarm?!

She quickly dressed and armed herself with her résumés, which she'd printed off and put in transparent folders. It would make things easier. And that's the way she liked it.

Stepping out into her brand new city, she felt the light breeze in her blonde hair. It was so much warmer than she was used to, so she draped her yellow hooded jumper over her arm. She donned her favourite dungarees, the unclasped straps dangling behind her. It felt weird for her to be outside in the afternoon with just a purple strapped top on, but she began to enjoy the breeze against her skin.

Hope wasn't the sort of girl to care about fashion or makeup. She had her long hair tied up in a loose bun for convenience. She didn't even own any makeup; it was way too much effort to bother putting on every day.

Heading down the street, Hope found a few offices and handed in her résumé where she could. People were intrigued by her strange accent and asked lots of questions. She hoped that and her bubbly personality would be enough to get her a job in this city.

Once she'd handed out of her résumés, Hope started to wander home. She was taking in all the scenery, buildings and general atmosphere.

Might as well get a bite to eat, she thought to herself. Entering a small café, she settled down with a hot chocolate and peanut butter toastie and sifted through the many leaflets that she'd acquired on her roaming. There were night clubs, book shops, dog walkers, all sorts. One in particular caught her eye.

Martial Arts training.

Now, growing up with an older brother meant that Hope had a lot of experience with fighting. She'd studied martial arts for many years of her life and achieved her second degree black belt in Thai Kwan Do. Even though the training was still etched into her mind, it had been years since she'd practiced it.

"Might give that a go." She said out loud.

Hope had now been out for hours and it was getting late. She still needed to update her laptop and read her superhero comics from last week.

She tucked the leaflet into her pocket, collected her shoulder bag from the table and headed back out into the city. It was getting cold now, so she clasped up her dungarees, slipped on her jumper and put up her hood.

She was sure she could find her way back to her apartment, even if it meant getting a little lost. She didn't mind that.

"It's all part of the adventure." She sighed as she hit another dead end. She turned on her heal to leave the alleyway, but stopped in her tracks when she heard the tinkle of a kicked can. Hope hadn't underestimated the crime rate in New York, but she also didn't think anything like that would ever happen to her.

She started to walk forward when a tall, stocky man blocked her path. He had a strange look about him, like he was scared, yet confident at the same time. He had a small smirk etched on his face.

Hope knew she was in trouble. How she would react to the situation would change her life. It was fight or flight time.

The man advanced, his shaking hand edged forward and Hope saw that he wielded a long, thin knife. Blood pumping in her head, heart in her throat, she took a step back and took a deep breath.