It was hard to miss the peeling paint on the walls, and although the bed is large, it is fully made up with shiny black linen, making me think that they rent the rooms by the hour. And after skimming through the paperwork this morning when I arrived, I felt like an idiot as I realized that they do just that. Lovely.

The damp smell of my new dingy room still lingers in my nostrils as I try to take deep breaths into my lungs, pushing my legs to go faster, only the waft of garbage from the streetscape around me makes me nearly stop and gag.

I am a country girl in the city for the first time, so my expectations may have been a little high considering my accommodation choice was limited. It is my own fault, really. I didn’t research this trip at all, and this was one of the only hotels in New York I could afford. I’m already stretching my dollars far enough.

So, I decided not to stick around in the shabby room for any longer than I had to. I left my small duffle bag that contains my entire life in the small wardrobe, then quickly changed into my active wear, and now I am running my stress and fears away down the streets of the Big Apple.

I look down at my emerald-green crop top and matching leggings, proud of the look I pulled from the top of my bag. They were a generous gift from my old neighbor Lilly. They were a Christmas gift she didn’t like, so she passed them over the fence to me. She has watched me go running every morning for the past five years, usually in baggy sweats and old, beaten shoes. She said green wasn’t her color, but that it would suit my flaming red hair and pale complexion, which I thought was really sweet. I thanked her eagerly, always wanting such an outfit but never having the money to spend on such frivolous things.

Aside from this outfit and a few other tops and pairs of jeans, there really is nothing else. After mom died two months ago, I sold everything, and by the time I paid all our debts, there wasn't much left over.

I slow my pace to catch my breath, my hand involuntarily resting on my chest, rubbing the small lump in my breast. My fate is no doubt going to be the same as my mother’s, but unlike her, I have decided to live the rest of my life to the fullest instead of in a drug haze. No matter how short that life now may be.

Looking around, I realize that I only have a little time left of the darkness before the morning breaks, and although my body is weary, my mind is alert.