It was small hostel, nothing fancy.

A woman led Naja to a small room, and there was another girl there.

Naja looked at her new roommate, she had eye bags, and there was faint smell of smoke in the room.

The woman showed her the bed and asked her if she have any questions.

Naja said: yes, I want a refund, what is needed to be done to get the money back?.

The woman was upset and said: we dont do that, its all in the contract, sleep here or you can leave but you wont get anything back.

Then she left.

Naja took her bag, and walked out from the hostel, looking around her wondering where to sleep.

There was no way she would start her life in a place like that, it would be the worst start ever.

She kept walking and dragging her bag behind her around the area for four hours.

She asked few shops owners if they knows any empty apartment or room around this area, there was few places but all were way out of the budget, she only had the money which Mrs. Artis gave her before she leaves.

She kept walking until she stopped near a building that caught her attention.

There wasnt anything special with the building itself, but one of the apartments in the ground floor have a small garden, which was surrounded by a very high fence.

There was no way someone from the outside can see what is behind the fence, even the gate was covered with plants.

Naja's curiosity woke up, she just wanted to see what is behind the fence, it felt like it was well hidden.

The gate was already open, so she bent over and checked out the garden.

It was really beautiful, the ground in middle was covered with white and black tiles, making a chessboard design, surrounded by rock benches.

Around all the garden there was plant pots, the kind of plants that climbs the walls, then another row of flowers pots different kinds but all red, it looked really beautiful.

Or to be more accurate it looked like it used to be very beautiful, half of the plants were dead, and the floor was full of dirt and dust, it looked like it was abounded.

Naja curiosity level was at it's peak, she even forgot about being homeless, all what she wanted was to know, why such a garden was left to become like this.

She entered the garden, walked towards the door of the apartment, rang the bell, but she didn't hear any sound of it, so in case it was broken, she knocked on the door.

No one answered, she was getting tired, so she sat on one of the rock benches resting and waiting for the owner of the apartment to appear.

She thought of asking the neighbors about the owner, but if they asked her why she is asking or who is she, what to say to them, they will look at her as being so silly, because she is interested just because of curiosity.

She had enough already from people looking at her being weird in their opinions, and standards, it was so tiring.

It was starting to get darker, she opened the chocolate box that Mrs. Artis gave her and ate three pieces of chocolate, it was very delicious.

She waited for three hours, but no one came, and it's night now, the apartment window was dark, so she knew no one was there.

She decided to come back later, as for where to sleep this night, she had no idea at all, she decided to search for any alley around this place to spend the night.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

She grabbed her bag, stood up, started walking and dragging her bag until she reached the gate, when she heard a voice yelling at her : stop don't move, you are under arrest.

A strong light was lit in her face, so she closed her eyes, someone grabbed her hands and put cuffs on it.

She was dragged into a car, it was definitely a police car, but why she was arrested?, she didn't do anything wrong, or did she?.

It seems she have to call Mrs. Artis once they arrive to the station.

Indeed Mrs. Artis did say to call her in case of emergency, but to call her at the very first night outside of the orphanage, it was too much but she have no choice, thought Naja.

In the police station they searched her bag, found her papers, then they put her im closed small room with two chairs and table.

Naja wasn't scared nor upset of the situation, she was thinking that maybe it's not bad, because after all, there is no safer place to spend the night more than the police station.

After all she did nothing wrong, and whatever they think they did, it will be cleared soon, so there was no need for worrying.

She was only thinking about the garden, it was her new obsession to investigate, she really wants to know more about it.

After a while a policeman was waking her up, told her to follow him.

They entered a small office, there was two men sitting there, one was wearing police uniform, while the other was wearing casual clothes.

The man with police uniform ordered the one who was with Naja to leave and close the door behind him.

He grabbed a pen and looked at Naja, then asked: what is you name?.

Naja. She answered.

What you were doing in the building at night? Asked the policeman.

Naja didn't answer.

Who sent you there? Asked again.

And again Naja didn't say anything.

So the policeman said: if you don't answer, you might become a suspect of a murder.

A murder thought Naja, was the apartment owner murdered?, this does explain alot.

But how he or she was murdered? Why? Who killed him or her? A new questions popped inside Naja's head.

The policeman was getting upset, and said again: it seems you will have to spend few days here, this might help you start talking.

Naja asked for phone call, she saw many movies and she knew that she is allowed to get a phone call.

Mrs. Artis came after half an hour, she looked very worried, and once she knew that Naja was caught because she was wondering at night in a place that a murdered happened in it, and her behavior was suspicious, which led her to became a suspect of a murder case, her face became very pale.

She explained how this was the first day for Naja outside the orphanage, then she asked Naja what she was doing in the building?

This time Naja answered: I was waiting for the apartment owner to ask about the garden.

All three of them, the policeman, the man wearing casual clothes, and Mrs. Artis were speechless.

The policeman asked Mrs. Artis if Naja have any mental or psychological problems?

But Mrs. Artis assured him that she is perfectly fine, its just she have a unique personality.

The man in the casual clothes couldn't stop himself from laughing.

After releasing Naja, Mrs. Artis insisted on taking her to the hostel to sleep there, but Naja refused to go, which made Mrs. Artis furious.

She was talking in loud voice: if you don't want to sleep in the hostel, where you will sleep? , do you intend to sleep in streets and become homeless? Didn't you learn from what just happened to you? Just stop being so picky.

The man wearing casual clothes was standing near them outside the station, while they were waiting for a taxi.

The man approached them, then he said: Im sorry to interfere, but I couldn't help but to hear you talking about sleeping, Im Mike Darsen the owner of the building that Miss Naja was admiring, and I have an empty cheap apartment for renting, if she likes.

Mrs. Artis said: thank you for you generosity but we are good, she have a place to sleep in.

But Naja ignored her and asked him: how cheap it is?

He smiled and said: how much you can pay monthly?

Naja said: seventy.

He said: alright, but this offer will only be for a year, after that you will have to pay 200.

Mrs.Artis couldn't stop her self and asked: why you are accepting such price? What's wrong with the apartment you are offering?.

He smiled and said: nothing its really good one, the only thing bad about it, is a man was found murdered almost a year ago, so people are afraid of living there, if I get someone to live there for a year, then people wont mind to rent it after that.

Mrs. Artis was scared and looked really worried, she said: of course not, Naja come on, let go back to the hostel.

She grabbed Naja's hand pulling her to move away from the man.

But Naja didn't move, and asked the man: is it the same one, with the garden that have chessboard in it?

The man laughed and said: it is the very same one.

When I can move? Asked Naja.

You can move any time you want, you can even move now if you like, but you have to understand that this offer will work only if you stayed a whole year, if you leave before that you will have to pay me 2000, here is the keys.

He took the keys from his pocket, there was many keys in the same Keychain, he searched for a seconds for the keys, removed it from the Keychain and gave it to Naja.

Mr. Artis was again speechless, and wondering for real this time, if Naja will really be able to survive outside of the orphanage?