Chapter One The Customer I could feel the cold wind on the back of my neck as I fumbled, trying to find the keys to the shop. I had visited 'Tina's Curiosities' every Tuesday and Friday since I was a girl. I now owned it. It was the best antique store for miles, and this shop is what made my life in this village worth while. 'Tina's Curiosities' was the only good thing about my life. I was home schooled, and had no friends, and grew up with my older brother, Kenan. One winter, we had a lot of snow, crops were failing, and livestock dying. We were only poor and didn't have much, and one day, Kenan grew ill. Very ill. Doctors were confused. They didn't know what to do. As time progressed, Kenan got worse. His kidney failed, followed by his liver, then the other kidney. He died. He died a slow, and painful death. We all saw it coming, but we didn't expect it so soon. From then on, I was raised by my Malaysian grandmother, Fatin. Her nickname was Tina, and she owned 'Tina's Curiosities'. I visited the shop every Tuesday and Wednesday. I soon grew to know the place of every single item in the shop, what it was worth, and how old it was. Time passed, and Fatin died as well. I inherited the shop at just the age of fourteen, I was her next of kin. Every time I sold an item, I would look up to the sky, and pray for Fatin. I'd pray for her happiness, and joy in the afterlife. I knew she was watching. She always was.