I knew the drill too well. I’d do some time and then I’d be back on the streets using, turning tricks just so I could get another hit of sweet rel...ef. I hated myself for not being able to stop almost as much as I hated Diego for getting me hooked. For the last month or two I kept hoping, whenever I shot up, that he’d given me a little more than I could handle and that my heart would stop. And then, god, I just would get lost in pure bliss. It wasn’t the drug that was so addicting. It was. They gambled and lost.Pinchot kept trying to pass, but our defense blitzed on nearly every down. They couldn't move the ball. The final score of the game was 52-33. I ended up with 10 receptions, 3 touchdowns and 138 yards. Ed completed 67% of his passes for 295 yards. It was his and my best game of the year. Our team's slim play-off hopes weren't dead yet.When I was done changing, I went outside to meet my Dad for the ride home. To my surprise, Will and Abby were there with Dad and Andy. Will. She gave him one last punch to the jaw, knocking him out.Stopping to catch her breath, she looked around at the battlefield. Over half of the red-eyes were down, and the rest were already engaged. Then she saw two more approaching from the other side of the village. She squared her shoulders and ran toward them, but stopped suddenly.She knew them. They were dirty and gaunt, but still recognizable. One had brown hair and a missing front tooth; the other had long blond hair and a bushy beard. All. "Listen girl, we do not know your debt with the landlord. But it has not been paid, and your family in debt has taken you as say, collateral until it is paid. You are no longer a girl. And you will come to realize this, you are property. A beast, you are lower than the steed I ride on, and even lower than the dirt I walk on. You have no rights and will obey every command you are told." As he said this he tossed off the heavy metal armor that he wore over his chest. Yanking off the sashes around.