A Child's Days — C.L. Quinn

Punk took care of her drug, sex, and alcohol-addicted mother as well as she could. Their dismal apartments were always spic and span after Mother's "parties" because Punk wanted to please her and she had a natural sense of order. All she really wanted was for her mother to love her, but no matter how hard she tried, Mother always looked at her like she was a monster. And she knew why...it was because of her bizarre talents. Punk knew that she was different...she just didn't know why.                                                                                              

This novella is a prequel to the Vampire Series "The Firsts" and tells the story of the troubled childhood of that book's heroine. It is a dark tale that details some of what she went through with her mother, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and made a living providing sex for men. We learn later that there are reasons her mother is so troubled, but this novella is mostly the child's story as seen from her own point of view. It is harsh at times, but true to her journey that begins, as a successful woman, in the first book of the series, Forbidden Days.