4 Sleeping in the Snow

[January 13th, 2017]

[12:23 P. M]

Every couple days, Ivy will clean and pack a new room in her apartment. Her living room took two days to complete because it had the biggest mess.

Knock!

Ivy stood at the door on her neighbors in apartment 11. In there lived an old couple, but they have been the kindest to Ivy and made her feel like she was their daughter.

After waiting around five minutes, an old lady came to the door. The lady was in a pink blouse and skinny jeans; she had blond curly hair because the lady continued to dye it so she won't look old. She was also quite alethic, so she wasn't hunched over, unlike Mr. Sauvé and many other old people.

The lady offered a sweet, caring smile towards Ivy and Ivy couldn't do anything but return the same smile.

"Hello Mrs. Clair."

"Hello Ivy, do you need anything?"

"Yes, actually I was wondering if I can store some of my boxes here while I look for a new place to live?" Ivy asked in a sweet tone.

The lady that went by the name Mrs. Clair knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "Are you moving out dear?"

Ivy nodded her head with a sad expression, "Yea, I'm getting evicted." Ivy said while handing the lady the eviction notice.

Mrs. Clair looked at the notice and felt pity for the young girl.

"Of course you can dear, I am so sorry that this is happening. Ever since you moved here, Mr. Sauvé had been trying to do anything to kick you out. Poor girl." Mrs. Clair sympathized.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Clair, you have done so much for me. Please tell me how to repay you for your kindness." Ivy begged while hugging the old lady.

She shook her head while hugging Ivy back, "For the millionth time, dear, you have been through a hard life… there is no need to pay me back."

"But I insist, it's not everyday meeting someone like you."

Mrs. Clair shook her head. She already knew that she lost this game, "Fine dear, promise that when you find a new place, you will visit me and my husband. We will miss seeing your beautiful dresses."

Ivy nodded assertively before letting go of Mrs. Clair, "I promise."

Even if Mrs. Clair didn't make Ivy Promise, Ivy would have visited Mrs. Clair and Mr. Clair once she moved.

Mrs. Clair offered Ivy another smile before saying, "just bring your stuff here when you are ready and we will help you with moving it into our storage room."

None of the apartments had enough space for a storage room, but what Mrs. Clair ad Mr. Clair used for their storage room was the small closet in their bedroom.

Ivy nodded.

After saying their goodbyes, Mrs. Clair closed her door and Ivy left back to her apartment. Now that she had a place for her belongings to stay, she just needed a spot for her to stay before she needed to go find a job to earn enough money for her to find a new apartment and preferably one with a nicer owner instead of an old cranky man.

[January 17th, 2017]

[10:45 A. M]

After her five-day break, she borrowed a black, partially rusted trolly from the laundry room. Putting all the boxes that needed to be stored away on it, she brought it to Mrs. Clair's door and knocked.

It was Mr. Clair who answered the door this time. Giving a confused face on why there was a pile of boxes on a trolly and no one there to tell him why, Ivy popped out from behind the trolly, almost giving the old man a heart attack.

Mr. Clair was a fit old man. He wore a plaid shirt with the bottom of it tucked into his faded blue jeans, which were being held up with a black belt.

"Ah, Ivy!" The man exclaimed in relief, when he saw the young girl jump out, "don't do that, I swear I almost had a heart attack."

"Sorry, Mr. Clair." She said apologetically, giving him a look that could melt someone's heart.

He chucked, shaking his head with a smile, "It's alright Ivy. Just don't do it again, I'm not ready to go to the hospital."

Ivy nodded.

"And I heard what happened Ivy, I am so sorry to hear that." Mr. Clair continued.

"It's fine, I knew it was going to happen eventually, with my fashion business falling and whatever."

With a sigh, the old man looked at the pile of boxes that Ivy brought with her, "let me help you with those boxes." He offered.

Ivy nodded, and then the two of them started putting the boxes in the closet, Mrs. Clair would have helped as well, but she was out grocery shopping.

[January 17th, 2017]

[11:01 A. M]

They were soon finished and Mr. Clair offered her to stay and keep him some company while his wife was gone. Of course, Ivy agreed to show her appreciation and gratitude for their kindness.

[January 17th, 2017]

[12:01 P. M]

As the time hit noon, Mrs. Clair walked in with a few bags of groceries. Looking around, she smiled to see Ivy sitting on the couch talking to her husband before she would need to leave the building to find a new place.

"I'm back." Announced Mrs. Clair, placing the bags on the ground of the kitchen before walking over to the two and sat down beside her husband.

"So dear, have you found a place to stay while you go house searching?" Wondered Mrs. Clair.

"Well, I am going to be visiting a few shelters to ask if they have enough room for me." Answered Ivy. Mrs. Clair nodded.

"Well, do remember that if you ever need to stay somewhere, we will always welcome you to stay here for a few nights."

Ivy nodded, "Alright, anyway, I think that I should get going. I don't think that I want to be stuck wandering around in the dark in search of a shelter to stay in," The couple nodded in understanding as Ivy stood up.

"Bye and thank you so much. I promise to alert you guys when I find a place to stay." With that, Ivy left.

Ivy went back to her apartment and grabbed a bag that she stuffed with her blankets and pillows and the suitcase that had the box of her valuable stuff duct taped on.

With a small envelope that had the key to the apartment and a small hate letter, she taped it onto the door and left the building.

[January 17th, 2017]

[10:45 P. M]

All the shelters that Ivy visited had said they were full. Ivy was about to give up as the sun was sleeping and the moon was now awake. When she was about to give up hope, she remembered her fashion studio.

Taking a five-minute walk from where she was, the studio was all locked up with a new lock on it. There was a note on the glass door that she looked closely to read.

[Dear Miss Ivy Alexander,

We have locked your studio due to you failing to pay your lease. Please pay it by February 14th or we will permanently lock up the studio and you will no longer have access to it.

Sincerely Morgan Brown]

With a sigh, Ivy looked down as teardrop by teardrop, tears slowly started to fall down Ivy's face before the teardrops turned into tears.

This was the first time that Ivy felt useless, everything just disappeared from her like that! First her biological family when she was born, slowly her adoptive father hated her. She got kicked out of her safe place and her fashion business just slipped through her fingers.

Not wanting to become a slave again at her adoptive family's home, her only place to live now was on the streets.

This night was chilly, and it started snowing. First starting as a small flurry, moving to a blizzard.

Ivy found herself in a small sheltered area behind her old fashion studio, sleeping on a small bed of snow she made for herself and tightly wrapped in her big comforter. Even through the harsh, violent winds slapping her in the face, darkness slowly took over her. No dreams came to her, she was just sitting in a void of darkness and nothingness.

[January 18th, 2017]

[12:30 A. M]

Crunch!

A tall man walked up to the young pale female who was wrapped up in her blankets covered in snow. He slowly crouched in front of the girl and placed a warm hand gently on her forehead.

Feeling the warm hand, Ivy came from her slumber and her emerald green eyes started into his warm brown eyes.

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