Chapter 3

On that sweltering, suffocating afternoon, Mabel put a price on me and handed me over to the store as compensation.

I stood in the store, feeling awkward and helpless.

The store was small, and the shelves were filled with various snacks, school supplies, and toys.

The air carried a weird mix of spicy snacks, bubblegum, and the scent of fresh books.

Every kid would dream of a place like this.

But for me, this place was a more terrifying and unknown hell.

I thought I would face harsher scolding and punishment than I was at home.

I lowered my head,…