Episode One: A sweet smell

I sat alone in the rain, I hadn't eaten in weeks. I looked like I was all skin and bones. The only thing that was clothing me was a baggy sweater filled with holes from the rats that sat next to me. And a pair of loose fitting sweatpants, also filled with holes from the rats that roamed around here.

I was alone in a sad cardboard box for a home. I don't know how I got here.... Ah... Yes. My mother kicked me out when I was four, with no one to feed me or care for me. I looked to stealing food for my survival, which led to brutal beatings by the bakery shop owner, but now he just gives me food out of pity.

There was always this one man, he always had his hair back, a few loose curls in front of his face from time to time, he'd always look down at me with disgust, but there was something else in his eyes, I couldn't tell what it was. I never really knew if he looked at me with disgust or not, it's all confusing to me. Emotions? I don't know what they are.

He would always walk into the bakery I live in a cardboard box behind, whenever he walked out he would be holding a box of something sweet, I could always smell strawberries.

Not that I know what they look like. Are they blue? Are they purple? Perhaps green? I don't know if they taste sweet or bitter... It's all confusing.

II heard the bakery bell jingle. He must've walked in again. I glanced back at him, in the pouring rain, he had an umbrella? What is that? It looks like a spider... What is he carrying? The thing in his hand looked almost foreign. I'd never seen something like that before. He was wearing a nice gray suit, without the...what's it called? .... The jacket. He wasn't wearing the jacket.

A few moments later of me just sitting on the bakery corner, in the pouring rain, it started to snow. Oh... Snow? Why isn't it cold? What does it even mean to be cold? I could hear them talking inside. The man with the blonde pushed back hair and suit. I felt the heater turn on. I didn't flinch, not even move.

A few people walked by me, looking down at me, some threw coins at e out of pity. I looked at the quarter and nickel. What in the world is that? I moved my slender fingers to pick it up, until the woman who had thrown it at me, kicked it and laughed, walking away. Why did she kick it? Why did she give it to me?

I heard the bakery's doorbell jingle again, the tall man's footsteps I could hear crunching in the snow towards me. I looked up at him.

"Aren't you cold?" He had an Italian accent, I tilted my head and spoke quietly, which I didn't really know how to speak. "Cod...?" He looked down at me and tilted my head up. "No, no. Cold." Did he want me to repeat his words? I guess I'll try.

"Cold...?" I said softly, he smiled softly and nodded. He kneeled down next to me, holding his box, in which I presumed another sweet? "Are you cold?" He asked me, once again in his Italian accent.

I looked at him, I looked totally dazed. "Hut is cod?" I said softly, mispronouncing the words. "Do you not know how to speak?" He asked softly, his hand on my light red hair. I nodded softly.

He sighed. "Well..." He looked like he was at a loss of words. He looks confused? What is confused?

"You know who I am?" He said softly, I shook my head like a small kitten. He chuckled softly. "I'm a Mafia boss, do you know what that is?" He put his hand back on my chin, rubbing it softly. I shook my head.

"Well, a Mafia boss is a person, man or woman, who deals with evil guys." He smiled softly. I nodded. "Can you say, Mafia for me?" I nodded softly as he asked his question.

"Maia..." I mispronounced again. "No, no. Ma-fi-a." He said slower, in his Italian accent. "Mafia..." I said softly, looking up at him again. He smiled and nodded.

"I'm going to tell you something, ok?' He continued rubbing my chin, I nodded.

"How would you feel if I brought you home with me?"

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