Nikita rifled through the bag and pulled out a wad of ones and coins. Jalisa didn’t have to count it to know it wasn’t enough for a room. She bowed her head deeply in prayer and began to speak to God.

God, I really need your help. I’m in this situation that I know I can’t handle. I figured there would be hardships once we got to Los Angeles, Lord, but this is too much for me. I am but your humble servant, and there are many ungodly people here. The devil has pulled these people away from your light, and because of that, I cannot trust them. The devil may put it in their head to hurt another person.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Jalisa ended her prayer by reciting a verse.

“24.75.” Nikita shook her head, the money slipping from her fingers and back into her pack. Jalisa lifted her head and looked over at Nikita. She started to say something before another voice interrupted.

“I like your backpack.” A woman stood in front of them, gesturing to Nikita’s pack. It was pastel pink with patches of baseballs ironed on. “Do you play baseball?”

“I play softball.” Nikita turned her tear-stained face to the woman. “The craft store didn’t have any softballs.”

“Oh.” She paused. “Are you okay?

Jalisa and Nikita looked at each other, unsure of what to say. ‘No’ didn’t actually cover it. Jalisa turned to the woman, taking in her appearance. She was older, about forty, white, blonde, and slim. She wore too much blush, and her eyebrows were arched too high, but her eyes were kind.

“As of today, we’re homeless,” Jalisa admitted. “Our father died a couple days ago, and we’re out on our own.”

“My goodness.” She shook her head. “Look at how little you have with you. Poor babies. Would you like some food?”

“Yes!” Nikita sat up straight and smiled for the first time in days.

“God bless you,” Jalisa breathed. “Any food you will give us is appreciated…”

“Marie.” The woman filled in Jalisa’s trailing off. “I’m Marie Kolovski.”

“Jalisa.” She gestured to herself and then to Nikita. “Nikita.”

The girls followed Marie to a diner about a mile away. The air inside was warm and thick with the smell of fry oil and cheeseburgers. A radio shaped like a jukebox played a pop song loudly. Posters of celebrities from the fifties covered the walls. Black and white tiles danced along the floor. It all felt very fake, but Jalisa was grateful that her sister would be getting food.

“Hey-o! Marie.” The man acting as host greeted Marie. The two embraced briefly, kissing each other loudly on both sides of the cheek. “Who’s your friends?”

“Jalisa and Nikita,” Marie said. “Can we sit somewhere away from that blasted jukebox?”

“Of course.” He gathered up a few menus and led them to their seats. “Ladies.”

“You come here a lot?” Jalisa asked while Nikita poured over the menu.

“Oh, yes, I work just around the corner,” Marie explained with a wave of her hand. “Sometimes I get off my shift quite late, and this place is open twenty-four seven.”

“Where do you work?” Jalisa asked, not even bothering to look at the menu. If it was anything like other diners, it was safest to just get the original burger and leave it at that.

“I work at this bar called The Semya. It is English letters for the Russian pronunciation of ‘bar.’” Marie laughed.

“The owners couldn’t think of anything better to call it?” Nikita asked. Jalisa swatted her on the arm.

“Be nice to her. This woman is buying you food. Maybe she’s friends with the owner,” Jalisa scolded.

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” Marie tossed her blonde hair back. “I do know the owner, though. He’s okay, I guess.”

“Hey, Marie.” A waitress came over and looked between the three. “What’s with the kid?”

“I’m fourteen,” Nikita defended herself.

“They’re just some hungry folks looking for a meal.” Marie smiled at the waitress, but it was strained.

“Uh-huh. Sure. You want the usual?” she asked.

“Yes,” Marie answered. They went around the table, ordering their food. Jalisa mentally totaled up everything that she and her sister were eating. Nikita’s eyes were bigger than her stomach, and she alone ordered twenty-five dollars of a deep-fried mess. Jalisa planned on paying the woman back once she got a job and had a stable life.

“Do you have any openings at the, uh, Sem-ya?” Jalisa asked.

“Semya.” Marie said it with a throaty sound that Jalisa knew she would never be able to replicate perfectly. “I think we have an opening, but you’d have to come in and see the owner.”

“I can do that.” Jalisa sent up a silent ‘thank you’ to God. Marie might be God’s way of answering her prayers. With someone on the inside vouching for her and who also knew her situation, she would have a good chance of getting the job. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Perfect.” Marie smiled warmly at her. The plates and plates of food that the two starving girls order arrived along with Marie’s chicken and lemon salad.

Jalisa popped one of the hot fries into her mouth and savored the taste. It was simple diner food, but it was one of the first things she had eaten since running away. The two had packed canned food that wouldn’t go bad and had gone through it during the two days the bus had taken to get to Los Angeles. They saved one can of ravioli for breakfast tomorrow. It was all they had.

It took nearly an hour for Nikita and Jalisa to finish eating. They boxed up what little leftovers they had and stowed them away in Nikita’s pack. Marie sipped her tea and made pleasant small talk with the girls. She paid the bill with a stack of cash, mostly small bills.

“Tips,” she explained. “I’m a bartender.”

“I really hate to do this,” Jalisa started as soon as the waitress had left for the last time. “But can I borrow some money? I fear for my sister if we have to sleep out on the street. We just got here, and I don’t know where any of the homeless shelters are and judging by the number of people out on the streets, it doesn’t look like there even is a homeless shelter-”

“Jalisa.” Marie giggled, cutting off Jalisa’s stream of babble. “One step at a time, okay? Let’s go see about getting you a job.”

The three departed and walked toward The Semya. Jalisa felt as though she was standing on a cliff. The fate of her and her sister rested upon the shoulders of the woman she just met and a stranger she was heading to meet. She just prayed they were kind.