The walk around town with Nis is peaceful, maybe it's because of her childlike curiosity, or maybe it's because she doesn't seem to treat me as less than human. We walk to a better side of town, making sure to stay close together.

"What's Christmas?" She asks, looking up at me and pointing to a Christmas store sign.

"You haven't heard of Christmas before?" I ask, and she shakes her head.

"Christmas is a holiday, a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but other people who aren't Christians celebrate it too; it's a time to gather the family under one roof and connect," I respond.

She smiles and looks at the shop. A bright Christmas tree shines in the windowsill, it's fully decorated with shiny ornaments and adorned with an angel holding a star. Out of all the Christmas trees I've had (Which, to be fair, was only two), this one is the only one that has felt real.

"It's so pretty, do you think we can have a Christmas together?" She asks.

I look down at her, taken aback by the request, thinking about it now. It's been a long time since I've celebrated; the last Christmas I had was the one before my parents died. It was a great day, I was thirteen...

"Kyne! Come down!" My mother called out to me.

I walk down the stairs, my small feet pattering down the steps. I arrive in the living room, the Christmas tree shining over me. I run up to them and throw my arms around both of them, causing my father to spill his eggnog over his shirt. Mom laughed, and so did I.

I smile at the memory. I took days like those for granted as a kid. If I knew what the future would've held, I would've spent more time with them, and I would've made sure to tell them both how much I loved them. I rub Nis's head; she deserves what I couldn't have.

"Yes, let's have Christmas together, I think that's a wonderful idea," I say, still rubbing her head.

"Really? We can?" She beams.

"Of course we can! Your parents and uncle can join us too!" I respond, causing her smile to dim and turn into a frown.

"Can it just be us?" She asks.

"Definitely, just us then," I say, quickly nodding.

She smiles and continues walking with me, staring down at the snow as if she's contemplating something. She stops in her tracks and stares down at her gloved hands, raising them in front of her face before speaking.

"I never knew my parents, I've only known him," She says.

The revelation is a shock to me. I frown and become hyper aware of the pain in my finger, thinking about the Patron.

"The Patron? Your uncle?" I ask.

She shakes her head.

"He's not my uncle, not really. He just says that to whoever asks, he found me on the street when I was little, I was homeless, just fighting for scraps," She says solemnly.

"I'm sorry, that's tragic," I respond.

"It's okay, I'm better now, but sometimes he's scary. He'll answer phone calls and shout, throwing things across the room. I sneak out when he's like that, but he eventually finds me and drags me back," She confesses.

"Does he ever hurt you?" I ask, carefully.

"No, but I watch what he does to others, like you, like your nail. It's my fault you met him, you should've stolen that five dollars and told me to get lost," She says, starting to tear up.

"Hey, no. I'm grateful to you, trust me. I'm deep in debt, and if it weren't for him, the people I owe would kill me. So you saved my life, Nis, no matter what happens, just remember that you didn't do anything wrong, okay?" I ask.

Nis looks up at me in surprise and smiles, the tears flowing down her face as she hugs my leg. She nods and squeezes tight, but not enough to cause any pain. What a poor child, to be put through all this at such a young age. I guess I can relate, misery strengthens the character, as unfortunate as that is, that's why she's so smart, she's been through too much pain.

"Nis, if you ever need to sneak out again, you can come to my place, I'll make sure you're safe, okay?" I say.

"Ok...where is that?" She asks.

I smile and start leading her to my place. We pass Sinbad Park on the way, and I feel her tense up, no doubt because of the thought of the Patron being there. I give her a reassuring pat on the head and smile. She relaxes and smiles up at me. We reach the shop door, and Mr. Giles is standing outside smoking a cigar. He sees us approach and raises his eyebrow.

"Kid, who's this child?" He asks.

"This is Nis, a friend, I'm helping her out," I respond.

Nis looks up at me at the word friend. She looks back at the ground and smiles, swaying in place. Mr. Giles sighs, and his stern demeanor softens. He steps aside and pushes the door open, looking to the side and ensuring to blow the smoke away from her.

"Thank you," I say to him.

"Piss off," He mutters, blushing slightly.

I smile, that's a side to him I've never seen before. I guess beneath all that bark, he's a sweetheart, but I guess I've always known that, throughout all these years, he's never put his hands on me and has looked after me, even when I was sick.

I let Nis enter first, and she holds the door for me. I smile and walk in, thanking her and leading her to the stairs. She holds onto my crutches as I climb the stairs to my place, opening the door and leading her inside.

"Here's my palace," I say.

"Oh, it's awful," She giggles, holding her hand to her mouth.

"Hey! I'll have you know it's quite roomy and beautiful here," I joke, playing along.

We talk for a while, I show her the Bible, explaining Christmas more in depth, and she tells me stories of the Patron, or as she calls him, Unk. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at that nickname; she gave me a pouty face, of course. Sometime in the evening, Mr. Giles came up with some grilled cheese and fruit. It was a good night. But all things end. It was time to take her back.

I help her get her coat and shoes on, Mr. Giles waves goodbye, and we venture off into the night, the sun fully disappearing from the sky. We make our way back to the park, and the Patron sits at the bench, turning and waving.

"Hey, buddy! Welcome back!" He beams, standing up and walking over to us. Nis tenses up slightly but stays by my side.

"As promised, the cash is here, and we can discuss the other half you need," He says, setting down a briefcase, holding another in his other hand.

"Nis was great, I'd be willing to look after her whenever needed, even if you don't pay me to do so," I say, and the Patron gives me a blank stare.

His look makes me squirm in my own skin. I've never seen a human make such a face before. It's nothing, it's like I'm staring into a void. Is such a feeling even possible? Can a human make such an expression? He eventually smiles again.

"Splendid! That's wonderful! I'll make sure to inform you," He clasps his hands together and looks over at Nis, nodding his head to the North. Noted. Nis looks up at me and smiles.

"Bye, Kyne, see you around!" She waves, running off.

"Bye, Nis!" I call out to her.

The Patron sets down the other briefcase and looks at me. I wait for his next twisted demand. I hold my breath and my pinky finger, waiting for him to speak. He looks at my finger and reaches into his suitcase by the bench.

"Hurts?" He asks.

"Yeah, I still feel the pain there, but it's not as bad anymore, though.

"Good," He pulls out two items, making my stomach sink.

One is the same sharp pair of pliers he gave me to remove my fingernail, and the other is a long, skinning knife with a polished shine to it. He walks up to me and holds out his hands, offering me one of them.

"Pick the pliers or the knife. You need another five hundred thousand, right? That's about seventeen nails, so I'll call it fifteen to be nice, otherwise you can take the knife and remove the top layer of your skin from your wrist to your armpit," He says, emotionless.

I gulp, two impossible choices. If I do the nails, I'll have to take some toenails too; the skinning will probably be more painful, but it will be quicker overall. I know he has medication and bandages, an awful choice either way. I pick up the knife.

I press the cold metal to my skin, gently guiding it underneath. The Patron holds on to my other hand, offering a strange sense of comfort. The blade digs in easily; it was made for this. I guide it up, the slicing of flesh echoing in my mind, mixing with my screams, and blood pours from the wound as I drag it higher and eventually all the way through. The skin falls off with a squelching sound.

The Patron reaches down for it and puts it in a baggie. I drop to my knees, screaming in pain, not caring who hears. He quickly rushes to my side and places my arm on his knee, pulling out a syringe and sticking it in.

"This will ease the pain, buddy," He says, now disinfecting the injury and wrapping it masterfully.

The pain gradually goes away, and he pats me on the back, comforting me and slowly rubbing my back. I breathe heavily and pull away, nodding, and standing up with the support of my crutches. He hands me the briefcases, and I awkwardly hold onto them with the crutches. He sighs and steps up.

"Alright, buddy, you should get back, give them that money, it's one million, should be good for now, we can meet back here tomorrow," He says, standing up and tipping his hat.

I stagger back to the shop, my vision fuzzy from the drugs and the pain. I stumble through the front door of the shop, and Mr. Giles looks over at me, rushing to my side.

"What the hell?" He says, looking at my new bandages.

"Here..." I wheeze out, handing over the briefcases.

"Kid...you..." He starts but bites his tongue, opening the briefcases and nodding solemnly.

I stagger upstairs, and Mr. Giles helps me up, throwing my crutches by my bedside and laying me down. He frowns over me and sighs, mumbling something. Through my dazed state and my consciousness fading in and out, I hear one sentence he mumbles out.

"You finally met the Patron, huh?"