• CHAPTER ONE
    Pulling my feet closer to my body, I hugged my legs and coughed. My toes were basically frozen and my hands felt as cold as the Arctic Ocean. I leaned forward, poking my head out of the window and scanning the cold alleyway that was in front of me. The rain was coming down harder than I had thought. It landed with loud thuds on the ground and the roof of my "house". Well, it wasn't really a house. It was more like a giant, upside-down garbage dump. There were many large holes all over it, but I managed to cover them up poorly with pieces of scrap metal. The door was a hole in the ground, that if you crawled on your stomach, could make your way into my house. I looked out my window (which was just a hole in the side covered by a dirty piece of cloth), spying the end of the alley where it met the busy streets of New York. People rushed back and forth so fast, it was amazing. Living a normal life seems so tantalizing, but so busy. I zipped up the zipper on my dirt-matted coat and shivered. "Where is she?" I wondered, "Kairi should be back soon with our food" Suddenly, as if I had predicted the future, Kairi came clawing in from outside my house. She let out a soft bark and pulled the rest of her body through the small indent in the ground. She stood up, her large hazel eyes filled with joy. She then turned her back to me and began pulling something through the door. It turned out to be a large, grocery bag. A great lump sat in the bag. I looked at Kairi. She was in the corner, shaking her slate grey fur free of rain. She met my gaze and wagged her tail. Barking, she nudged towards the bag. I dragged it towards me. Eyeing Kairi once more, I torn the covering off. Inside was a small white box. Like a delightful punch in the face, the sweet smell of cherry filled the musty air. A grin spread over my face. Kairi barked again and pounced onto my lap. I continued to open the box. The second the lid was open, my jaw hit the ground. There in the box, I found a small, pretty-looking cake. Light pink frosting was slipping down the sides and little white roses covered the surface. I gasped, throwing my arms around Kairi in a sympathetic hug. "Kairi, it's so beautiful!" I cooed, stroking her soft fur, "Thank you" I looked out my window again, and sighed.
    "Happy Birthday, Navine..." I whispered.