One last time. After this, I'm done with this life.

These words, which kept replaying in Luna’s head, as she walked away from the loading dock after witnessing the final shipment of drugs be transported. She had promised herself this after realizing she didn’t want any more of the fast life. There was nothing here for her anymore. Her throat tightened as she tried to stop the tears threatening to run down her cheeks. Just keep walking, Luna…

… and never look back.

-

A few weeks had passed and Luna’s outlook on life had changed. She also moved to Philadelphia for a new start.

She forgot how much she had missed just being a normal person. Normal as in, being able to walk into a shop and not having to worry about which direction you needed to walk in just to avoid the scary mob of guys hanging around in aisle three. Being able to walk to and from the local post office without carrying a pocketknife. Her life was starting to get good now, but somewhere deep down in her mind was the hurtful truth that you can’t simply just walk away from the criminal underground. Luna knew too much about the ins and outs of the mafia. She was surprised that she was even still alive. At any second now, someone could be waiting for her in an alleyway.

Luna looked at her reflection in the broken and lipstick-stained mirror, muffled bar music blasting her ears, and contemplated just going home. But she was having too much fun. And some guy just gave her his number. Though it was a bit unusual because he never gave a name. Now that she was thinking about it – he didn’t even say hello. Luna sighed and threw the paper with the guy’s number in the bin. She didn’t want to go into dating. Not yet. She needed to be sure that she wasn’t going to get killed anytime soon.

-

Months rolled around and Luna was in a real bad situation. Well, not super bad, but the kind of bad where she would rather sleep on the streets rather than her own apartment due to the ceiling starting to crack. The landlord was a total asshole who wasn’t much help. He saw Luna as the filth on the bottom of his shoe. She kind of started to miss being a part of the mafia. At least then, people knew who you were and didn’t want to start any problems in fear of having a run in with the mob. More days seemed to just pass by, and Luna felt like was losing track of time. Slowly but surely, depression started to settle in, and she couldn’t even bring herself to take a shower most nights. The apartment smelled like an unopened can of tuna and the clothes on her back had been unwashed for days. Food became scarce. Her body felt so weak and thin.

She resorted to stealing, dipping her hand in whatever goodie basket she could find. The department stores were her best friend. That went on for a while. It was only temporary, Luna promised herself. But that was until someone caught her trying to steal a bunch of clothes at the boutique.

“That dress doesn’t seem your style,” a low voice whispered in her ear.

Luna turned around and gasped. She was completely caught off guard and somehow managed to reply, though she was sure it came out like gibberish. “Wai-..wha? Oh, hi! Um.. I’m actuallyingbuyingthisforenadifrnfsieof…..”

The man gave her a weird look. Then a smirk started to make its way onto his face. Luna was beyond confused. Was there something funny that she missed? Luna started to feel awkwardness in the silence between them, but it only lasted for a few seconds as the man started talking again. “You could’ve at least made it less obvious that you’re trying to steal,” the mysterious stranger let out a deep chuckle.

First of all, he was standing way too close, pretty much in a perfect position to stab her in the neck. Luna moved cautiously as she turned around, clearing her throat, making sure to not let any more gibberish sounds come out of her mouth. “Do you have anything of importance to say? Otherwise, I’d like to move on with my day thank you. And mind your business,” she furiously spat out. Luckily, there seemed to be no one around. From the outside, Luna sounded tough, but the reality was that she was scared shitless and had no idea what this guy was capable of. Her guess was that he was mafia. She knew. And the next words that came out of his mouth confirmed it.

“Why don’t you come work for us? I know you don’t want this life. Stealing, whatever it is you do… You could be earning so much more. Don’t waste this opportunity.”

This life…

The life she used to live…

Luna stared into space, her grip on the several hangers of clothes loosening. She thought really hard about whether she wanted to return to the lifestyle she had so desperately wanted to leave months ago. It was too tempting. She knew that the petty crimes she was doing wasn’t going to keep her financially stable and most *normal* jobs would turn a blind eye to… criminals like her. Plus, she had wronged so many people in the past and she lived with the constant guilt, which is why she wanted to leave in the first place. A war broke out in her mind as she struggled to see the good in all this. Luna looked around, trying her best to look anywhere but in the eyes of the man standing in front of her. So, the saying was really true. You can run, but you can’t hide.

The funny thing is, she said yes.

She didn’t want to keep running away. She was born into the life, so might as well finish what she started. As she went back to her dusty apartment that night, she contemplated what the next few weeks might be like. And she made a new promise to herself: Whatever the outcome is, continue to be strong and confident even when faced with uncertainty.

Luna had been out of work for months, so as expected, she needed a bit more time to get her skills up to par. Luckily the man who had introduced himself to her, the one who recruited her mouthy ass, agreed to help her every step of the way. First, she started doing small, petty crimes to familiarize herself with the sort of jobs she’d be doing again. Which she had no problem with, but after a while it was getting boring.

She then tried to up her game by getting more side hustles on her own, whether that was initiating drug deals in the dark alleyways of the Philly streets, or bootlegging whiskey. The money was just enough to keep her fridge filled and enough to lessen her worries of monthly bills. Her closet had also experienced a drastic change, from wearing ripped up sweatpants to classy flare pants. Whenever Luna accepted a job that involved shoplifting, she always made sure to add an extra something for her recruiter. Today was no different. She walked into the HQ, moments after she had just stolen some merchandise. At the sound of her footsteps, he looked up and said, “… judging by the smile on your face, I’m guessing the job was a success?”

Luna gazed at him cheerfully and nodded, but her excitement was more directed towards what gift she had brought him this time. “Oh, you bet. Also, I got you this,” moving her hands to the front she showed off a glass ash tray, its worth probably more than Luna’s life. She had seen it displayed in the window of the store she robbed, and thought – why not? She remembered that he told her once about missing his old ash tray which unfortunately broke a while back. Luna gave him time to look and touch before a smile slowly appeared on his face. He was just about to say a quick thank you when one of his men came through the door alerting him of an emergency. His face was an apologetic one. Luna nodded and waved a dismissive hand, “go. It’s important. We can talk later!”

She watched him walk out of his office, thinking to herself if there was anything left to do for the day. Of course. There always is because the grind never stops. Not for one second.

-

After coming out of Coco & Lulu with a thousand dollars’ worth of goods, Luna started to feel like she was doing this for fun. Heck, some days it felt like the police were getting soft on her. But there was also the fact that the cops weren’t properly trained and most of them corrupt out of their minds, so perhaps that added to the lack of thrill Luna got from it. She took home all the merchandise. Before heading inside her home, a letter in her mailbox caught her attention. There was a family dinner happening. Luna was curious and excited at the same time, she wanted to get to know more people and also have a good feast while she’s at it. She gladly accepted the invitation, and the dinner was due to happen tomorrow…

When Luna dressed properly, her looks were deceiving. One second of eye contact and she could pull you in. Her fancy midi dress and her hair styled in effortless waves was definitely a look. As she held a glass of wine in her hand and stood around, she felt very relaxed to be in a sea of unknown yet familiar faces. The night was still young, and more wine to be drank. The family dinner was like an introductory meeting. A literal eye opener of what was to come for the next few weeks.

Luna stood and listened carefully as everyone was seated around the table. She almost didn’t hear what was being said due to being distracted by all the delicious food tempting her. “We will start expanding our operations,” they said. Luna became focused. This was going to be one hell of a ride; a lot of competition simply meant more bloodshed. You must do what you gotta do, Luna thought to herself.

At the end of the night, Luna was ready to go home. Her social battery was on low, and the wine was really starting to make her tipsy. She caught a taxi back to her apartment, made small talk with the driver, letting her eyes dance over the buildings as they passed through many different streets. Luna wasn’t too good with directions – yet. This was becoming a concern as she soon would need to get a car in order to help out more in the family. She had been doing fine getting lifts from family members but deep down she felt like a bother whenever she asked.

The driver suddenly stopped and parked the vehicle beside the sidewalk. “Have a nice night, ma’am,” the man announced to her in a tone that almost sounded rushed. Well, of course. He probably needed to attend to another passenger. In respect of letting the taxi driver get to his next client, Luna quickly unbuckled herself and stepped out of the car while trying not to trip over her own steps. “Thank you,” she replied hastily and waved before slipping him an additional tip.

Luna sighed in relief as she walked up the stairs of her front porch. Finally, at the comfort of her own home, she threw her heels off and slipped her dress down. She filled up the tub, letting it warm up before stepping in, washing away the worries of her world.

-

Apparently, there is gonna be more heat coming down on the mafia. A new captain of Philly’s police force is… a little more arrogant than the last and thinks he can take them all down. Luna wasn’t ready yet on taking a shot, but she offered her protection to those who needed it. First, she needed to take a trip to the HQs armory and acquire a gun. She had been consistently going to the shooting range, trying to make perfect aim each time. There was a still long way to go but any progress is still progress.