Madison wiped her sweaty palms on the faded jeans she was wearing, as she tried to reassure herself that she could do this. She could leave her house, go outside, and get some things done, after all it was broad daylight. She had nothing to be scared of, she decided, but the more she kept convincing herself that she could make it, the more afraid she felt. Ever since Gina had told her about those people monitoring her, Madison couldn't help but feel paranoid about the whole thing. She could remember how she had ran home that day, forgetting everything she had come to do, and it was not until she was safely locked up in her house that she realized that she had not even done what she had went out to do. The main reason why she had gone to the bakery had escaped her memory after Gina had given her that upsetting news, and slumping on her bed tears filling her eyes, she had chided herself when she realized that after all the money she had spent on a cab, the enthusiasm and excitement she had felt, nothing had come out if it. Which was why was off to the bakery again today. She wanted to try her luck, and also she really needed a job, to make sure she could take care of herself, pay her rent, and most importantly, keep herself sane. She would go crazy if she stayed cooped up in this four walled room, and also she needed to inquire about the employment vacancy, stalker or no stalker. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her small purse and walked out of her house, making sure the lock was secured tightly before leaving. She didn’t have enough money for a taxi so she decided to take a bus which would drop her halfway, and then she would walk the rest of the short distance to the bakery. Soon she got to her destination with the public bus dropping her of as planned, and then she began the short walk to the bakery. Suddenly, while she was walking, she felt herself go cold all over. It felt like someone was watching her, and unable to shake off the feeling that someone was following her, she increased her pace, walking faster. She could already see the entrance of the bakery, and just as she took another step she heard the soft but recognizable sound of a camera clicking and instantly she made a turn. Right there before he could disappear into the bushes, Madison caught a slight glimpse of a man dressed in black. She blinked her eyes twice telling herself that she must be dreaming, but the camera flash had been as clear as day and she had seen that bright white light before he ran away. Instinctively, already feeling cold all over and afraid she quickened her steps the more as she fled towards the bakery, her hands clutching the sides of her jacket as she tried to calm herself down. The moment she got into the bakery, she stared behind her to see if anyone had followed her into the building, but the entrance was empty and looking round she could see that there wasn't a strange person present. What she was seeing instead, were the workers moving around the bakery and engrossed in their chores. Fear gripping Madison immediately, she tried her possible best to blend into the crowd just in case the person outside tried anything like following her or what not. She walked up to one of the workers, already deciding that she had to get on with her life. "Good morning, how may I help you today?" The worker recited their customer service mantra, plastering a smile on her face, but Madison was not listening, and her eyes continued to roam around the room. "Ma'am?" She quickly turned around, “I-I'm so sorry," She blurted out, "I was just wondering if…sorry, I got some information from a friend of mine. She said there was a vacancy here, and I was just wondering if it was still available?" "Oh.” The worker nodded, looking through something on the computer close to her and finally after some time she looked up at Madison, "Yes, it says there's a vacancy here. What position would you like to apply for?" "What positions are there? Meanwhile, I have worked as a pastry chef and as a waitress, so anything similar would be perfect." As Madison spoke, she slipped out a copy of her resume and some other qualifications, and handed to the clerk. She added, "This is a copy of my resume and my employment certification from my previous jobs." The lady nodded, looking through them, "Okay then, thank you for coming in. I'll take these to my supervisor. We'll need you to come in this Tuesday for an interview." Madison breathed out in relief. The worker was nice, also sounding positive and this gave her a little bit of hope. If she got this job it would be really helpful, and it would help take her mind off some things that worried and nagged at the back of my mind. "Thank you," She said, offering a smile as she turned around and headed out. She still had that eerie feeling from earlier, and she still did not feel safe in any way so she quickly made her way through the crowd in the room heading straight towards the exit. At least she had done what she came for, and the money spent was not in vain. All she hoped for now was that it worked out for her. "Madison!" Stopping in her tracks, Madison turned to see Gina her friend running up to her. Gina placed a hand on her knees as she got to where Madison was standing, head slightly bent as she tried to catch her breath, "Madison…I've been calling out for you but I guess you couldn't hear me. You're here again?" Madison gave a polite smile and nodded. "Oh, I see. Well, I just wanted to say hi. And I brought you this.” Gina added, stretching her hand out to place the plastic bag that contained a loaf of bread to Madison. On a regular day, the scent of freshly baked bread would have tingled Madison's nose and even put her in a good mood, but today she was too distracted to feel giddy. "Thank you so much.” She muttered, a polite smile on her face as she took the bread from her. "Anytime. I thought you might like some bread, that's all." "I do appreciate this, thanks." "Um, about the last time… you just upped and left without saying anything. Does it have something to do with the men asking about your family? The ones I told you about?" This question only reminded Madison of the man that had been following her, increasing her worry and sighing she said gently not trying to sound rude, “Look Gina, I'm really grateful for your concern, but I'll have to take my leave now. See you around." "But Madison…" She turned on her heels swiftly and without saying another word she walked out of the bakery. She knew Gina cared, but right now she did not have the time to start giving her the details of everything. She would apologize some other time, and maybe explain but for now she had to go home, her safe haven. The man who had been clad in black clothes was nowhere to be found to Madison's relief, as she looked around but still her heart didn’t stop racing with fear. With no time to waste, she quickly began to walk, as she had no money left to take a taxi back home so he still had quite a long way to go. At intervals, her head would snap over to the sides of the road, and when she came into a lonely area she would walk even faster being more alert than ever.She didn't feel safe anymore, and she had no idea what to do about it. She didn’t like this at all, and she also had a strong intuition that whatever this was about, it had something to do with her stay in New York. Yes! Taking deep breaths, she made a mental note to call Alvarez as soon as she got home. She needed to talk to someone who would understand, and since he was also aware of everything that went on in New York, he might have an inkling on what this was about. That settled, she hurried forward, breathing out in relief when she saw a group of people she recognized around her neighborhood, walking with her. Luckily for her they were going the same way, and trying her best to remain calm, Madison joined them and began to make conversation to distract her from the thought of a possible stalker.