I felt his palm come down harshly on my right cheek and my head flung to the left. I could taste the bitter iron pooling at the bottom of mouth at my lower gums and I snapped my head back to look at him, livid. When I met his icy pair, my eyes immediately softened as I cowered in fear. He looked crazed, as if he was just about ready to rip the veins right out of my neck. I pressed my lips together, holding in my words.

"I might sound crazy, but if you want to live you'll shut up and listen to me. You said you dropped out of school to come here, right?"

I nodded my head.

"Isn't that strange? Your parents wanted you to finish college, right? Why would they let you just quit school and come out to live in such a place with limited opportunities? They wanted you to have options, right?"

He leaned in closer until I could see the steamy breaths escape from in between his lips. "What are your parents?" I thought he was waiting for me to respond, but it seemed that he knew the answer perfectly well.