CHAPTER 1

"Just a few more days sir, I'm begging you!" Elena cried. She was out of options, she did not know where to go and what to do now.

"I have given you enough time, Elena! Pack your things in two days or else!" Her landlord did not wait for another word, he stormed out of the apartment.

Elena sunk to the floor, her eyes watery with tears. She was exhausted, she had spent the night at the hospital after her 12-hour shift and she had come home to her quick notice. She did not blame her landlord, Mr. Blain, he had been very kind to her. He had given her extended dates but her bills were piling up and he was losing money; he had no choice.

She had tried her best to meet up with the deadline, she had worked too many extra shifts her boss had told her there were no extra shifts left for her to fill. But no matter how many times she worked it was never enough to pay her bills.

She had to look into other options, her sister's health was quickly deteriorating and she needed to raise the money to pay for her surgery, so far she had gotten only twenty-five per cent of what was required, and the doctors had already begun the process.

Elena looked around her house, one large sofa, a beat-up television, and some pictures holding family memories. The living room was not much, it was just a small space that led to the even smaller kitchen and then the one room she had shared with her sister. How could she not afford a place so small?

She stood up, a pounding headache taking its course, but she stood up nevertheless and walked towards the pictures that were hung on the wall, it was the only part of the small space that made it home.

The pictures consisted of her late parents smiling at the camera, some of her and her sister from toddlers to adults. The picture she loved the most was the one taken of just her and Emily a few years ago, it was too painful to look at their smiling faces when Emily was battling for life. Elena looked tired in the picture but she was smiling nonetheless, she looked exhausted and relieved at the same time; her little sister Emily was all smiles, she had the biggest grin. From the picture, you could see their similarities, dark hair, brown eyes and similar figures but Elena was much taller while Emily was short and looked a lot younger.

Elena looked away from the picture, holding back tears and headed to the kitchen, she had to find something to eat or she could faint any moment from then. She had only taken a bagel more than ten hours ago, and she had been working intensely, but her kitchen was empty.

She dug through her purse and found her last ten-dollar bill, after that she would be broke but she had to find something to eat and fast. She made her way out of her apartment, down the creaking stairs and outside to the cold Chicago air and bustling city.

It was six in the evening, and the sun was fading into the horizon and creating a beautiful effect on the environment. Normally, Elena would have stopped to acknowledge it, she loved looking at beautiful landscapes but now she had way too much to worry about.

As she made her way to the cafe down the street, her mind was working a mile a minute. If she worked some extra shifts and sold her car she would be able to pay her rent by the next day and raise a bit more for the hospital bill. She was still calculating her losses when she entered the cafe.

It was a bit cold, the air conditioning was on full blast even if the weather outside was cool. Elena was a regular customer there, she picked up a cup of coffee every day before she went to work but she had never bothered to socialise with anyone.

"Hey, what can I get you?" The man behind the counter could have been two or three years older than her, she was familiar with his face but she did not know his name.

"Um," Elena looked up at the menu on display, even if she knew exactly what she wanted to get she knew she could not afford it.

"Oh uh, your usual? A cappuccino and a puff pastry, right?" The man asked, a familiar smile on his face.

"Uh, yes… that's what I usually get but I'm a bit short today." Elena shyly pulled out her ten-dollar bill. "Do you have anything under ten?"

"Don't worry about it, it's on the house. You're a regular." Elena could not have been more grateful, she was slowly spiralling into more debt and saving her last ten dollars meant a lot. "Thank you so much," the man smiled at her and then started making her espresso.

Elena took her order when it was ready and left the coffee shop, heading for her house to do more calculations and decide whether or not her car was going to the market. As she started on her path, her mind was elsewhere, a different place entirely, she was not paying attention to anything or anyone around her. The honking of cars, the murmuring of pedestrians, the screaming children, the barking dogs and everything else that contributed to the loud city all faded into the background.

She was so deep in her world that she did not notice the car heading in her direction, and she did not hear the honking and screaming of cars and passengers, she only snapped back to reality when the headlights were so close and blinking directly her but it was too late, and she was too in shock to move.

She felt her life flash before her eyes as the car came closer, from her happy memories to her sad ones, she thought about her late parents, and then her sister…was this how she was going to go too?