The old, dilapidated building could have been located in any major modern city. There was nothing remotely distinguishing about its chipped paint, soot-covered exterior, or trash filled alley. Most likely once a grand apartment building filled with childish shouts, women's gossip and men's sports talk, the long, forgotten building was now home to long, forgotten people.

Even the residents inside could have been found in any other major city - the grandmother abandoned by her grown children living in apartment 111 or the teenage mother in apartment 305, trying to make ends meet. Their stories have been told a thousands times over so that no one seemed to care any more. Indignation for these people's trial and tribulations were usurped in the wake of a rocky economy and the language of 'perestroika' and 'glasnost.' The residents no longer made an impact on the world nor did the world on them.

However, an exception did exist - a seven-year-old child who, somehow, managed to stand out among the lost souls retreating within the faceless building.

In apartment 201, a young, precocious girl had unwittingly united the haphazard members of this lost community with her bright personality. Mrs. Parker in apartment 402 made sure that the child had a sandwich and milk for school everyday. The building's manager Mr. Wang served as a part time babysitter, teaching the girl the 'in's and out's' of building maintenance. Then there was Simon - the starving artist in 207 - who taught her the magic of color, texture, and design in painting. Her unassuming charm, beauty, and intelligence were an irresistible oasis for these souls in desperate need of a touch of goodness.

Tonight though the young girl was left to her own devices. Nikita sat alone, buried deep in her bedroom closet with her most prized possessions - a copy of Beauty and the Beast, a pink and white calico baby blanket, and a beautiful blue satin pillow an old neighbor had handmade for her.

Being Friday night, most people in the building were out for the evening and those who had decided to stay in had long since bolted their doors from the descending darkness. As usual, Nikita's mother Roberta was out cruising the bars and clubs downtown. She knew her mother would be out extra late tonight since Roberta was in between men at the moment.

Her mother had a bad habit of picking the worst of the worst in men, thus explaining Nikita's need for sanctuary in her closet. She had learned her lesson early on to stay out of Roberta's way when a man was around. Eventually, disappearing into the closet became a habit for Nikita whether one of Roberta's men was around or not.

Over the years closets had become Nikita's sanctuary. No matter what city they were in or what type of placed they lived in, Nikita knew she could always find a closet to retreat to.

This closet had become a particular favorite of hers merely because Mr. Wang had put a new light bulb in when she and her mother had moved into the apartment. Previously, most of the lighting in Nikita's closets was dim at best and she usually had to squint in order to read. Additionally, the closet had a nice smell too. The old woman who lived in the apartment before them had accidentally left a lavender scented cache in the closet.

The smell of lavender reminded Nikita of the one time she and her mother had gone to the country. They spent almost the entire day out in a field picking wild flowers, having a picnic and playing games. Sometimes when she sat in the closet late at night, Nikita could feel the warmth of the sun on her face as they lay on the ground watching the clouds drift by.

Wiggling slightly, she adjusted her bottom on the pillow, beginning to feel the numbness set in from sitting so long. Nikita had scurried into her sanctuary as soon as her mother headed out for the clubs. Following tradition she used her satin pillow as a cushion from the hard floor and then covered herself with the baby blanket to keep warm. The final ritual was to read the book from cover to cover and then reread just her favorite parts of the story. She had been there for several hours now, enjoying the silence of the night.

Beauty and the Beast was Nikita's favorite story. Most people assumed it was because Beauty finds her prince in the end. However, Nikita's real reason was because of the Beast. From the first time she heard the story she fell in love with the idea that such an incredible beauty could live beneath such an ugly exterior. She believed that if Beauty could love the Beast despite his ugliness, then one day someone just might love her.

This was her most secretive of secret hopes - for someone to love her despite her ugliness. In her childlike innocence Nikita figured that that must be the reason her mother chose to love all those men over her - she was too ugly to be loved.

Still, a part of her knew she must not be completely horrible since Mrs. Parker and Mr. Wang seemed to really like her. Then there was Ms. Larson, her teacher, who treated her pretty nice as well. She usually chose Nikita to stay after school to help clean up the classroom and take care of the class pet. Plus, Danny who worked at the local drugstore was always giving her pieces of candy - telling her it was because he liked to see her smile.

So if all these people seemed to like her, Nikita could not understand why her mother did not. No matter how good she was or how quiet, her mother still preferred to either go out to the bars or stay in the bedroom with one of her male 'friends.'

Suddenly, Nikita was startled out of her musings by the apartment door opening. She quickly reached up and pulled on the light chain, plunging the closet into darkness. Wiggling deeper into the corner, Nikita listened as her mother entered the apartment. From the way Roberta futz around the living room and then went to the kitchen for a glass of water, it was apparent she had returned home 'manless.'

After endless moments, Roberta shut the main room's lights off and staggered slightly down the hall to her bedroom. Five minutes later silence once again filled the apartment and Nikita breathed a small sigh of relief. Pushing herself down to stretch out on the closet floor, she pulled the blanket tight. Even though Roberta had returned solo, Nikita knew it would still probably be safer to sleep in the closet tonight. There was always the chance that Robert would have one of her nightmares and freak out.

Just before she drifted off to sleep in her little sanctuary, Nikita wondered if one day she would find a love who could find the 'Beauty' in her.

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