Diamond in the Slums

“Kid, instead of staying out here in this dump—why not come with me?

You can play all the tennis you want. Live in a better place without having to worry about not having enough food on the table or clothes on your back”

I looked up at him, eyes narrowing.

Disbelief.

Suspicion.

This wasn’t normal.

Nothing about this was normal.

A stranger in rich clothes shows up out of nowhere, offers me a golden ticket out of this dump, and expects me to just say yes?

Yeah, right.

Every instinct I had was screaming. My gut twisted with a familiar tension—one I knew better than to ignore.

So I did the only thing I know how to do when the world gets too close.

I ran.