The cold December air nips at my skin as I run across the busy intersection, carrying all my belongings in the backpack hoisted over my shoulder. Even though I've managed to escape halfway across the world, I still constantly look over my shoulder expecting that I will be found and taken. I quickly realize that Germany is significantly colder than California in the winter, which I stupidly did not prepare for. I was too busy fleeing my catastrophic fate. I walk with my arms crossed against my chest, hoping to provide some warmth to my frozen skin. I'm wearing a thin long-sleeve turtleneck, with a baggy tee over it. The outfit is completed with thin jeans, combat boots, and a beanie. I always wear all black, I like to think it helps me shrink further into the nonexistence that I so desperately crave. I have to keep my head facing down because my eyes tend to draw attention, one a golden hazel and the other a cerulean blue. My straight jet-black hair spills over my shoulders and further conceals my face from strangers walking by.

I wasn't always so terrified to be seen. I used to be like a sparrow, small but powerful. But the night I escaped stole all my power from me. Now I live only to survive and much like a bird with clipped wings, I am flightless. I can't waste time being sad about it, because time wasted means time that I am letting my guard down. And I can't afford to do that. I stole all the money I could fit into my backpack and pockets from my father's safe before disappearing into the night. He ran a pretty profitable drug business up until 12 days ago. Which gives me even more of a reason to watch my back. I wouldn't say that I'm rich, but I definitely have enough money to get me through my first year here. I chose Germany because my mother always told me about it when I was a little girl. She would tell me stories about the beautiful lanscapes and forests, the breathtaking and complex architecture. She even taught me a few words before she died.

Despite my financial security, I still have to lay low. Which means that I'll be living with some girl that I found online. A girl who is renting out a room of her apartment in a more questionable part of Berlin, apparently known as Marzahn. The more questionable the better, I think to myself. I pull out the wrinkled map from my pocket that I can't even read, because it's in German. I decide to grab my prepaid phone instead and use Whatsapp to call my new roommate. I'm hoping that she can help me find the place because I'm definitely lost.

"Hallo" I hear a chirp on the other line.

"Is this...Hanna?" I ask awkardly. She laughs at my pronunciation before correcting me.

"Ja, this is Hanna." She says it like haw-nuh instead of han-uh. "Is this Skye?" she asks in a friendly tone.

"Yes, I was actually calling because I'm having trouble finding the apartment."

"Ah, where are you?" she asks, her thick accent coming through with each syllable.

I risk raising my head for a brief moment. "Um...I think...Poelchaustraße" I'm sure I butchered that word. I continue, "and...Amanlisweg?"

"Oh, you are so close Liebling." I know that means darling because it's what my mother used to call me. "Let me come to get you, don't move, I will be there quickly."

I bide my time fidgeting with the holes in my t-shirt and trying to keep my gaze low. I hear a car honk and I jolt to attention, before looking up at the blonde girl waving at me from her car across the street. Her sleek, matte black, BMW makes me wonder why she lives in the shabby little apartment I saw in the photos she posted online.

"Uh...danke?" I say as I climb into her car. She throws her head back in laughter.

"Oh girl, you should probably just stick to English. We all know how to speak it here and you will be made fun of if you try to speak German with that accent."

In another life, I would've wanted to be her friend. I would've laughed along with her and asked what she did for a living, or if she was dating anyone. But I can't make friends and I can't get attached. I haven't even decided if, or how long, I can stay here. "Noted" I finally decide to respond with.

"What's with all the black?" she asks, wrinkling her nose at me comically. That's one question too many already.

"I don't like to be seen" I reply softly, turning my head to look out the window.

She must get the hint that I'm not too chatty because she doesn't say much else for the rest of the short car ride. She parks the car in a stacked parking garage, like the ones you would find at a mall in America. We get out of the car and Hanna motions for me to follow her to the elevators. When we step on, there is an older gentlemen who eyes me suspiciously. I look away and pray that we get off soon.

When we walk into the apartment, I notice that it's much nicer than it appeared online. I find it odd and make a mental note to ask more about this later. Right now, I'm too jetlagged from my last minute redeye and I desperately need to sleep. But Hanna has other plans for us apparently.

"Come, Liebling, I'm going to show you around. You can meet my friends" she declares enthusiastically before grabbing my arm. An internal battle errupts in my mind, because I really don't want to meet anyone. At the same time, I can't afford to have a roommate that thinks I'm a total bitch. So I reluctantly allow her to tug me along, showing me the whole apartment first. The living room is all industrial and artsy, with one side of the wall made of brick. The kitchen is fairly large and even has an island. My room is also pretty big and already has a queen sized bed, which is more than enough space for my small frame. There's also a walk-in closet and a TV hung on the wall across from the bed.

"What do you think?" she asks nervously.

"It's nice" I reply quietly, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Ok, good! Now come, I want to show you where all the magic happens" she winks at me. Her blonde hair is long like mine and her eyes are a bluish gray color. She's wearing a chunky gray knitted sweater, French-tucked into high-waisted black leather shorts. Black nylon covers her legs all the way down to her heeled boots. Of course, she's wearing a lot of black too. However, her look is less miniature armed robber and more chic. She drags me back into the elevator outside the door to our apartment and presses the bottom button, sending us to the...basement? I can't really read what the word says but that's what it looks like. When the car comes to a halt, the doors don't budge and I'm struck with panic at the potential that we might be trapped in here. That would mean that someone would have to come rescue us, maybe even police. Which I can't risk. But my fears are instantly erased when Hanna presses various buttons, almost like a code of some sort, causing the doors to slide open again. I wonder what that is about, but I can't let myself care enough to ask.

I step out behind Hanna into what seems like an underground gang arena. The walls surrounding the concrete parking lot are covered in graffiti. There are about 13 cars parked close together in a tight circle and a group of people huddled in the center of all the cars. The space is dimly lit and some of the car's headlights are turned on, casting neon shadows across the group. Hanna calls to them in German and about 20 heads snap my way. I instantly try to shrink myself, which doesn't work, especially because I'm already the size of a garden gnome. A few of the girls look me up and down and smirk. They're all dressed in chains, short skirts, boots, and various sorts of crop-tops. Each girl has thick makeup caked on their face and they all look like they have something to prove. I must seem so strange, a small and pale ghost girl hiding behind baggy clothes and heterochrome eyes.

Most of the boys are dressed in plain t-shirts and jeans. Almost all of them, boys and girls included, have an endless slew of tattoos across their bodies. I lose count of how many they each have when I take in the next new body. I don't know why Hanna brought me here, this seems to be a pretty exclusive "club" of sorts and that's the last thing I need right now. She motions for me to follow her, but when I refuse to budge she wraps her arm around mine and tugs me forward.

"Hello new girl" a tall blonde guy with blue eyes says to me before wrapping me in a hug. Normally hugging strangers is a huge no on my list, but his presence is actually calming and the hug makes me feel secure in the few seconds that it lasts. He has the least amount of tattoos and consequently appears to be the least intimidating of the group.

"Hi" I squeak. Causing the girls to snicker.

"What brings you here to our...sanctuary?" he asks, motioning his hands towards the expansive parking lot with a smile.

"I uh...-" I'm cut off by a loud screeching noise coming from a level above us. Shortly after, a car barrels around the corner and guns toward us. I think it's going to smack into all of us, so I quickly jump back. But the driver drifts in a clean line, missing me by a few feet. The small black Audi whips around like a go-kart before snapping into place in the last open spot in the ring. The shirtless driver gets out of the car and I roll my eyes, I can already tell that he's full of himself by his performance and lack of clothing. I spot a tattoo of angel wings covering both sides of his neck. As I lower my eyes, I see that he's also tattooed his year of birth across his abs. You know, in case he forgets. As he steps forward, a thick chain that's connected to his hand hits the ground and a massive pitbull jumps out of the car. The dog follows closely behind it's owner. It feels like the whole world spins in slow motion as the stranger saunters towards the group. The neon lights coming from some of the cars dance across his tattoos, making them appear alive. He throws the shirt he has in his right hand to one of the girls and she snatches it up quick, holding it to her chest and looking around smugly at all the other girls.

I lean into Hanna as the stranger clasps hands with all the other guys in the group, briefly greeting them one by one. "Who is that?" I whisper. I don't know why I ask, because I don't care. I can't care. But I'm still human. Still curious.

A knowing smile plays across her lips. "That, is Wolf Williams. He's the leader of the pack. Nobody knows anything about him or where he comes from. He just came one day and took over, nobody tried to fight him on it." I glance back up at the stranger and his eyes bore into mine. I've never seen eyes as dark as his, almost black. He looks at me so intently that I eventually have to look away. The girl who caught his shirt throws a dirty look my way as the mood in the room shifts. Everyone notices that Wolf is watching me. He has absolutely no emotion on his face, which is unnerving. Even for ghost girl.

"Wer ist sie?" he asks to the group, his deep voice calm and his expression blank. He keeps his eyes trained on me as he waits for an explanation I'm assuming.

"This is my new roommate, Skye. She's American" Hanna pipes up nervously, twisting her hands together. Shirt girl rolls her eyes again. It's too bad she's got such a shitty attitude. She could be pretty without the permanent sneer on her face. She flicks her short brown hair over her shoulder and her small brown eyes flit back and forth from me to Wolf.

"What are you doing here, Läuferin?" he asks flatly. His German accent is more subtle than the others. Hanna shoots a worried expression my way.

"Look at her, Wolf" the brunette scoffs with disgust. "She does not belong here."

"Lena" he snaps abruptly, motioning for her to stop talking with his hand, still not taking his eyes off me. She drops the spiteful look on her face and looks down at her feet, obviously embarrassed.

Hanna anxiously cuts in. "I just wanted to introduce her to the group, but she has a lot of unpacking to do, so we will head back now." She spins on her heels and grabs me to leave.

"Hanna" Wolf calls. She stops in her tracks and winces before looking back at him. "Komm morgen mit dem Mädchen." She nods her head quickly before pulling me back to the elevator.

Once we get inside safely and the doors shut, I turn to her. "Why did you bring me down there?" I ask quietly, biting my the skin around my thumb.

"I don't know honestly. When I saw you, you looked like a misfit. That's what we are. Misfits. We all have no place to go. So we come together."

"You don't look like you have nowhere to go" I retort, judging by how expensive her clothing looks and how nice the apartment is.

She sighs. "Listen, Liebling. My parents have a lot of money. But it's dirty money and I don't want to be a part of that. So I tell them I'm here in Berlin at school. But really, I spend my time racing with the crew and we all sleep happy at night." For once I feel like we actually have something in common. I'm not sure if that will help me or make my life worse. Either way, she knows what it's like to have corrupt parents. At least I'm not alone in that. I nod and she smiles.

"What did you mean by racing?" Her eyes light up at my question.

"Street racing. By the way, Wolf asked me to bring you with me tomorrow. To the race."

"No!" I bark, instantly regretting how harsh it sounds coming out of my mouth. I can't get mixed up in all of this though.

Her eyes widen. "My dear girl, nobody says no to Wolf" she sighs as she looks me over sympathetically. "Besides, what else will you do? Sit in this apartment and watch TV all day?"

That actually sounds nice, I think to myself. "Ok fine, I'll go tomorrow. But I have to stay lowkey. I'm...hiding from someone and it's important for my safety that I not be found." I decide it's safe enough to share that much with her.

She nods as if she understands me completely. "Of course" she says with sincerity. "We are extremely lowkey as a group anyway. We have never had a run in with the Polizei. Wolf makes sure of that" she adds with a wink. "Besides...we are all hiding from something" she finishes, looking as if she wants to say more.

"What's his story anyway?" I ask, peering down at my nails to feign disinterest.

She bites her lip in careful thought before responding. "Honestly, I don't think anyone knows. He is very secretive. He didn't come with any friends or family. Like I said, he just showed up one day with his dog. He keeps Kobra by his side at all times. The dog won't move more than five feet away from Wolf, even without a leash." I laugh and she continues. "All the other girls like him. Me, I find him to be boring. He barely speaks and he always seems so moody. I like Lucas, the one who greeted you. He is kind and funny." She smiles to herself.

I'm warming up to Hanna already and it's making me uncomfortable so I awkwardly thank her for showing me around and mumble something about needing to finally go to sleep. I'm not lying because when I close the door and collapse on the bed, I pass out in seconds.

_______________________________________________________________

Hours later, I wake up to the feeling of someone's hand moving up my thigh. Is that Liam? No it can't be. I left him behind with the rest of my life in California. The stranger gently pulls my underwear down and starts rubbing on my sensitive area, which is ripe with wetness. I should be alarmed, but somehow my body is eerily calm and I welcome the touch, gently pushing my hips up to meet their fingers. The stranger picks up the pace and I moan loudly. He places his free hand firmly over my mouth, muffling my moans. Which I find oddly erotic. I open my eyes and come face to face with Wolf hovering over me with his two rose tattoos displayed across each of his pecs. I notice that he has the letter "K" tattooed under one eye and a word that I can't decipher under the other. He flashes a criminal smile, displaying his vampire-like canine teeth.

"What are you hiding from, Läuferin?" he whispers, centimeters away from my lips.

His words startle me awake and I sit up rapidly, panting. My eyes dart around the room and I find that I'm alone. The clock next to my bed reads 3 AM. Tonight was the first in years that I didn't have a nightmare. Instead, I had a sex dream, about a guy who has said all of three words to me. Great. I pull a pillow over my head and drift back to sleep.