Chapter 23

Wrinkles now adorned her face and streaks of gray could be seen her still thick head of hair but I knew it was her. It knew if was the same lady who had shown me kindness all those years ago. At night, I would cuddle a pillow and pretend it was her. Imagine that her fingers were running through my hair and the smell of chocolate chip cookies clung to her. I used to look up at the moon through my window and pray she would come back and take me with her. I went back to the house a few days later but to my dismay, it was empty but she didn't forget about me. Sitting on the kitchen counter was a first aid kit, a bag with new clothes, a stack of money and a container filled with chocolate chip cookies. Alpha took the bag when I got home, stole the money, ate my cookies and burned my clothes but I did not care. Somewhere, out there in the world someone cared about me and I held on to that for years. It's what kept me going. Through the punches and the screams, the beating and th