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Chapter One

The whole city of New York stank

Boulevards, vacant due to poor weather, crusted with a slush of htly packed houses, drinking coffee by their radios, snoring in their beds, that stung Pearl’s nostrils

She could hear the and breaths Worse she could smell them

Every last one reeked under cheap perfu

Patchy fur collar hitched up to cover cold ears, cloche hat doing little to keep the snow off her face, she kept her arht streets Under the threadbare coat, a fringed dress too short for co to keep out the winter chill Each draft up her he a hiss

Even with the s

So far, life in the big city was grand

She’d had a busy night in the sht Her neck arette box’s strap, but she’d ht before, and the night before that, Pearl was set to have a little extra for New Year’s

Maybe she’d get a new dress, or a nice lamp to spruce up her apartment Better yet, sole —so pretty that would fraht on her body when she slept beneath it

She’d never had so fine a place to sleep The walls were papered in fading floral ribbons, linoleum floors showed previous tenants’ wear, but the one rooht hours, it would be hbors even noticed she lived there She ht continue to enjoy her view of the busy street, remain sheltered, while decades crept by

Small town life had been much more co cities, no matter how bad the inhabitants inside their borders reeked, were a boon

If she played her cards right, no one would know that that there was so with her

All Pearl had to do was stay out of trouble

“Hey, girly”