Part I

Every street and corner in the heart of the town was covered in thick layers of fine snow, contrasting against the dark skies and blending out the environment.

Henry had read a storm was approaching tonight and dreaded to think about everyone who was going to be caught in the middle of it. The temperature outside was a few degrees south from freezing to death and he was lucky to be seated on the expensive leather of his heated up car.

He was currently driving home from work. Since his co-worker at the office had called in sick today, Henry was forced to preform some extra hours past his usual time. He ended up leaving with a sore knot in his neck which made him all the more relieved about the upcoming weekend. He would pick his son Alex up from his ex-wife tomorrow and then they could go out for pizza and bowling. Even though his schedule was often restrained, Henry wanted to be a good father to his son.

The traffic lights turned red and he decided to glance out of the foggy car window for a second.

The street was all empty save for one person sitting on the pavement next to a black fence in a dark hoodie with their face tucked into their elbows. Henry frowned at the sight but like most people, the concern lasted for merely a moment before it was completely forgotten as soon as the lights turned green.

As he pulled up to his driveway, Henry suddenly got an inkling feeling like he had forgotten something.

The cold was biting and stung against his skin when he arrived at the front door. He spent a whole five minutes fishing for the house keys until it dawned to him that he had left them in his office. Cursing under his breath, Henry kicked at the snow in front of him and then ventured back to his car.

The drive back was frustrating but luckily it was past rush hour so Henry reached the familiar building quicker than expected.

Now with the damn keys tucked safely in his jeans pockets, Henry restarted the engine with a sigh, hoping there weren't any more surprises to prolong this unexpected trip.

Again as he was stopped by the traffic lights, he looked out the window. He recognized the fence from earlier and peered down at the unconscious body underneath.

Henry frowned, remembering just how painfully cold it was outside and how there was little to no chance this person would survive in these horrendous conditions. He could choose to ignore the nagging feeling but something about the hopeless view made him want to take action this time around. What if this had been him? Wouldn't he have wanted someone to help him?

Finally making up his mind, he took a U-turn and stopped the car right next to where the homeless stranger was sprawled out on a couple of cardboards.

Stepping closer, he could make out a young girl beneath the dirt and dust. Henry sighed, second guessing himself for a moment before bending down to lift her up in his arms. He ended up placing her in the backseat and grimaced over the fact he would most likely have to clean these seats later on. Homeless people weren't exactly known for their good hygiene.

He felt slightly nervous over what he was doing. What if this girl was a drug addict or even worse, a prostitute? But then he mentally scowled at himself. It still did not mean this individual deserved to freeze to death.

She was still human before anything else, and hopefully she would only be staying for a day or two.

Astrid squeezed her eyes open and squinted at the bright light surrounding her. The last thing she remembered was losing the feeling in her entire body and then falling into a deep sleep. She had not expected to wake up again after that. Much less on a soft mattress smelling of green apple.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, her limbs still wobbly, numb and aching. Astrid sniffled and looked around the room which appeared to be decorated with Power Rangers merchandise and Star Wars wallpaper. It was definitely not a sight she was used to seeing but she welcomed it. It was infinitely better than all the graffiti on the sidewalk.

Astrid didn't want to leave the comfort of her space and risk waking up on the street again, but curiosity got the better of her so she stood up with the spiderman-sheet wrapped tightly around her and stepped barefoot down the corridor.

There she was met by a tall man with auburn hair and green eyes. He didn't notice her presence right away, too busy lacing or maybe unlacing his shoes. Nevertheless, she stood frozen on her spot until he looked up and blinked at her.

"You are awake," he stated.

Astrid could only nod, suddenly feeling deeply baffled by her whereabouts and the stranger before her.

He cleared his throat and pointed at the door across. "The bathroom is over there, if you like to.. take a shower or something."

Astrid bit her lip and nodded.

"Okay," the man said and led her into the room, pulling out a clean towel from the cabinet, an unused toothbrush and some other toiletries he had laying around. He turned to regard her again, although still not seeing her eye to eye. Not that she could blame him. She was probably a ghastly sight. "Leave your dirty clothes and the sheet you are carrying in the basket over there. My son is coming over and I need that washed."

He left before she could respond, silently closing the door behind him.

Astrid turned to glance at the large mirror above the sink and winced. Ghastly indeed. Nine months on the streets had made her unrecognizable. Even her hair was stained with dirt and whatnot.

She started by washing and scrubbing every inch of her skin, followed by shaving her pits and legs before focusing on her hair, using more shampoo than she probably should. Once thoroughly clean from head to toe, she brushed her teeth and clipped her nails. She didn't know if she would get such a generous opportunity again so she took it for all it was worth.

The man had also laid out a moisturizing skin lotion for her to use. It was a luxurious item that had been unavailable to her for some time now. She had mostly stuck to basic necessities for the the last two years.

After towel-drying her long blonde strands, she wrapped the towel around her body and then paused.

The man had asked her to leave her clothes by the washer to be washed but had not provided her with anything else to wear. She found herself in a dilemma over what to do next.

What if this man expected something from her in return?

Astrid was still a virgin but not completely oblivious to how the world worked. She knew what most men sought from young girls such as herself and this man had just saved her life. It wouldn't be out of the realms of possibility that he was expecting some kind of repayment.

Deciding to be optimistic despite her usual mistrusting nature, Astrid cautiously unlocked the bathroom door and stepped outside.