I AM THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER FIVE 

One perk that I incorporated into this world was my own favorite things. All the dishes, even the peasant dishes, were my comfort foods, and even better - the gambling games - tic tac toe, snake, and pea-shooters had all been incorporated into the lore of the book. All of which I was a master in. Which meant that I could simply bankrupt a casino wherever I needed money. But, I didn't know where the gambling den even was. But one thing was clear. 

Cordelia! You have the most amazing stamina I've ever seen for a malnourished eight-year-old! After running around on full sprint for fine minutes and crossing 10 different streets, I wasn't even tired yet. The old me would be gasping on the street by now. "Uh, where is the gambling den, sir…?" I asked, turning to a random shopkeeper, who was busy counting coins on his palm. "3 lefts." the shopkeeper said, not looking up. "Thanks! Good luck on counting, by the way!"I said joyfully, scampering off yet again. You have no idea how hyped I am for this. I was the tic-tac-toe champion back in middle school. Hopefully, I'm not too rusty now. 

If I was, that would be the end for me. I didn't have any money to gamble anyway, but I'd worry about that when I got there. After three lefts, I reached the gambling den. It was a lot more… noisy… than I had expected. I had also never gambled before, but I had played tic-tac-toe a lot. 

Hup! Deep breath, Seanae! Compared to what is about to come in the book, this is easy. I opened the door, and instantly everyone turned to me. "Hi. Any on you think you can beat an eight-year-old?" 

Instantly 5 people lined up. Easy money, they probably thought. I internally squealed at the familiar 3x3 grid of tic tac toe. Easy. One circle in the middle, one on each side to make a triangle. after that, there were three spots open to score - an easy win for me. After I made the first line of three, I reached over to grab the small pouch of coins and put it on my side of the table. "Next." I said confidently. After seeing 5 other people's skills, the pile of coins was growing, and the line was too. More and more people were curious about this speeding eight-year-old, which, I get it. To them, I probably looked like a genius or someone with mad luck. Turns out I was neither, but they didn't know that.

Soon, a large pile of coins was in a sack. And the sack was very heavy. My head was heavy too. I guess eight-year-olds need more sleep than me, who easily stayed up till 3 AM and woke up again at 5 AM. That's two hours of sleep, by the way. 

But, all that aside, I set off into the streets. After all, this chubby eight-year-old had things to do. And not all of them were legal things.