Dedicated to Teefabulous for always being the first to vote and comment. She has been with me since the first book, and never stopped until the book ended. Thank you so much, sweetie.❤️

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*****

The wind howled in the distance, echoing as a choir of singers, and dogs barked to the howls. Dominique's legs spluttered against the dried and empty road as she sauntered down the street. Her feet were dusty, and so were the rest of her. She had not come to rest ever since she had left. Her legs had goaded her to the paths of a cool and sparse neighborhood. Her mind was impassive, and she perambulated like a lost sheep.

What was she thinking? 

It would not be easy to forget him so soon. She wasn't strong; she thought she was. It wasn't about the lies. It was not Matthew's words. Neither was it Vincent, Madison, Abigail, or Andrew. It was all about him. He had been the most important thing she had hankered for. How stupid she was to have left her heart open and unguarded, and she had fallen deeply for his words, that she failed to notice he had come into her heart? And now, she will never be the same. She craved to be close to him and to feel his heartbeat. Without him, she was incomplete. He was all she ever needed, and she had just let him go.

For the umpteenth time, she dried her face with the back of her palm, and the wet sensation of teardrops that had rolled from her eyes reminded her of the many memories she bolted in her mind.

If she was going to survive, then she had to forget about them. All the memories; sweet or bitter, had to be destroyed. It was all a farce, after all. She had imagined the impossible. How could they ever be together? She was filth, and he was saintly. This never happens, and hers would not be an exception.

Anyhow, all she built were dreams in the air, and now, reality had surged in, and to keep sane, it was noblest she left. Where she'll head to and what she'll do? Those would work out, somehow. She always found a way around situations; this won't be different.

A pointy object came into her face, and she jumped back in shock rather than fear, which her attackers had presumed. Her eyes met with the man who held the knife, and soon scanned around to find he wasn't alone, and she had once again found herself in a mess bigger than her.

"Well, what is a beautiful thing like you doing here?" The one with the knife asked. She kept her gaze on his weapon as she clenched and unclenched her fists momentarily.

"It's none of your freaking business!"

The man laughed; his voice echoing in the silence of the dawning night.

Despite his humor, Dominique remained alert, and she kept her alarmed eyes on his weapon and the other men. The man took a few steps toward her, and suddenly, he moved toward her.

She blanched as he brought the sharp end of his knife to her neck. Her heart paused as the fear of the weapon piercing her skin came over her.

"Please, let me go."

The man laughed once more; this time more fearsome. He trailed the knife over her skin, and she shirked.

"That I can't do, princess," He sassed as his knife explored the open parts of her shoulder; trailing over her skin.

A deliberate cough came from the man's back, and this distracted him enough for Dominique to slip from his grip and grab his weapon, and before he could comprehend what had happened, circumstances had changed. Dominique was the one with the upper hand as she held the knife against the man's neck. His brows were raised and beads of sweat had hurriedly formed on his face; at that moment he looked like he was going to pee in his shorts.

She had expected his colleagues to come after her, but they stood afar. Then, a laugh came from behind her, and a young man walked toward them. He was stout, not too lanky, but he was well built and rogued.

He appeared to be one of them, and so, she held the knife against her scapegoat to scare the new man. He laughed and did not seem moved by her actions.

"I don't give a damn about him." The young man said amidst his laugh, and the man under her knife scowled at him.

"Really, man?"

The young man stopped laughing and firmed up. "Alright, Victor, my apologies."

Dominique stiffened, as this meant they knew each other, and he must be part of them. She pushed the man and moved back with the knife still pointed at them.

"Stay away from me!" She yelled at them.

The new man raised his hands to calm her. "Hey, look, we aren't going to hurt you."

Yes, like she could believe that.

She laughed. "Well, that's hard to believe, right?"

With his hands still raised, he approached her cautiously, counting his steps as he did. "We don't have a reason to hurt you."

She laughed again, as her grip on the knife became firmer. "Yeah, I believe y'all." She sarcastically said.

"Look, I'm serious." The young man said. "I apologize for the sad move by my friend, but he certainly would not hurt you."

She stared at him for a while, before cackling in disbelief. "That's a big lie."

"He's not lying." A female voice came from behind the men.

Dominique swiftly turned towards the direction of the voice with her weapon held confidently in front of her, and her eyes watchful over the rest. A much younger woman came into view, and Dominique noticed she had colored bob hair along with piercings which seemed a little too much, but still, made her more beautiful.

"Miss, you should believe them. They are all noting but petty thieves, and I must say they are also sloppy attackers." The young woman added as she walked toward Dominique. Honestly, the lady was right. Dominique knew she would have never been able to wring herself out from a specialized attacker, and her actions against them were too easy to have been achieved.

So, the young woman was making some sense, and Dominique felt the need to trust her words.

The young woman smiled slightly as she saw that Dominique had lowered the knife. She moved to Dominique with a stretched arm, introducing herself.

"I'm Genesis; Genesis Othman."

Dominique stared at the woman's outstretched arm, reluctantly.

"C'mon, I don't bite." The young woman added.

Even though Dominique knew best to trust the looks on faces, she somehow believed the lady. She dropped the knife, but still kept it close to herself.

"Alright, but I'm keeping this," She said, "Just in case."

The lady nodded with a smile. "Sure, anything that makes you comfortable."

Becoming less threatened, Dominique pulled her lips into a thin smile. "Thanks, Genesis."

The young lady pouted.

"I never fancied that name. Just call me Gen." She said.

She turned to the shocked man who had earlier attacked Dominique, and she almost laughed at how shaken he looked.

"This is Victor," She proceeded to introduce him, even though the look in his eyes suggested that he did not like it a bit, but did she care? No.

Dominique followed her eyes to the man who had almost ripped her neck off her body and forced a fake smile on.

"Nice to meet you, Victor."

Victor huffed. "Even I know that's fake and evil too."

Dominique's smile stretched into a smooth smirk. "Well, that's true. Thank God your trivial mind comprehended that."

Victor's face flushed, embarrassed. Genesis and the other guys set into a mocking laugh. He shot them a warning look, and they stopped.

"This is my brother, Justin." She introduced the younger-looking man who threw her a wink, and she acknowledged him with a nod. "Finally, these are our dear friends; Shem, Drake, Fermi, Monday, and Mike." She hurriedly introduced the others.

Dominique's hazy eyes rushed over the other men as she tried to follow Genesis' introduction, but she was well aware she would have a hard time recalling who was who later.

"So, what is your nomenclature?" Gen asked.

"I'm Dominique."

As soon as her name left her lips, the men turned to each other in hushed murmurs, while Victor and Justin exchanged glances. Dominique was not surprised at their reaction, but she turned her lips into a frown.

"What?"

Gen smiled. "Such a unique one, I must say. It's a pleasure meeting you, Dominique."

Dominique reciprocated the gesture.

"Same here, Gen."

Justin coughed in.

"Sorry to disrupt your intros, but we've got a match to watch, and we aren't missing it for the world." He said as he walked on, and the others followed, but Gen remained with her eyes on Dominique.

Minnie noticed this and asked, "Aren't you going with them?"

Gen shrugged. "I should."

Minnie nodded, as she realized that she ought to also continue her journey. "Alright, I guess this is goodbye."

Gen stared at her for a while, before saying, "Sure."

She turned and began walking on towards the direction her brother and the others went. Minnie's face fell as she became confused as to where to go. The night was fast approaching, and she needed to find somewhere to unwind after walking all those miles with nothing but her feet.

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

Dominique sprang out of her thoughts when Gen's voice came to her, and she looked up to see Gen staring at her. She wanted to lie, after all the least she wanted was to be a burden to another person, or even greater, a betrayal. After Alex, she wasn't sure she'd be capable of trusting another person or letting another innocent person get caught up in her lies.

Yet, she found herself admitting the truth to Gen.

"No."

Gen was taken aback. Probably, she had thought that Dominique would deny it, but she was nevertheless glad she opened up to her even if they barely knew each other. She had no idea about the lady in her front, but she would rather help than be judgmental like everyone else. She could not do this, after all, she had been in the same position, and so, she knew how it felt to be alone, lonely, and helpless.

"There's a home nearby. It's a foster care shelter home for homeless and displaced girls. I stay there too." Gen said, before adding, "Would you care to check it out?"

Minnie gaped. She couldn't believe her ears but was she just offered a home. This was heavenly, and she would not refuse such a generous offer.

"I would love that." She replied.

Gen smiled and nodded.

"Then, let's go." She said as she turned to the road, and walked on. Dominique sighed as she looked up to the heavens. If there was someone up there in the heavens then she was grateful for this chance to start o'er.

"Coming?" Gen asked.

Minnie smiled brightly. "Definitely."

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*****

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