Clair’s Farm House:
Carol and Sara enjoyed some lunch. At the same time, Carol was fixing lunch for herself and Sara. Sara watched Carol and felt her hunger pains grow. She hadn’t eaten anything for the last two days. She was tired and just wanted to sleep, but couldn’t. She needed money to stay alive.

“So, Sara. What brings you to Alexandria?” Carol starts making a sandwich from the luncheon meat in the refrigerator.

“I ran away from home.” Sara didn’t want to go into detail about why she was running.

“You know, I did that as well, and that’s how I ended up staying here with my grandmother,” Carol remembered the day she ran away and came to her grandmother’s house.

She finished putting the finishing touches on the sandwich and cut it diagonally. She placed it on a paper plate and added a large pile of potato chips. Carol handed the paper plate to Sara. “Here, if you want another one, we have plenty.”

Sara accepted the plate and said, “Thank you.” She picked up a slice and bit into it. A low moan escapes from her mouth as she eats the sandwich.

Sara had watched Carol make the sandwich, so she knew it was safe. Her taste buds came alive as she ate, and she cherished the taste of the meat, lettuce, tomato, and Miracle Whip Carol had used on the sandwich. The chips were just plain Lay’s potato chips, but she didn’t care. She hadn’t had anything to eat for the last two days, and she was hungry.

Carol watched Sara as she ate. She could tell Sara wanted to inhale her lunch, but restrained herself. She wondered why Sara was running.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, Sara. Where are you originally from? And how did you get this far?”

Sara looks at Carol and wonders if she can trust her. She seemed to be the same age as her, and the people she was running from didn’t have anyone her age operating in the Washington, D.C., area.

“I’m from South Boston, and I hopped a freight train towards here.” Sara pops a few chips into her mouth.

“South Boston? Man, you are a long way from home.” Carol was pretty good at geography and knew Boston was at least 250 miles away.

“I had no choice.” Sara knew if she didn’t leave South Boston, she would have ended up dead.

All she was trying to do was survive. She didn’t mean to witness what she did. Ever since then, she has been hiding and having nightmares from what happened. She knew she could not trust the police, because some of them were on the take.

“Look, after we eat, if you want to rest and change into some clean clothes. You can stay here. I know my grandmother and her friends won’t mind.”

Sara looks at Carol and wonders if she can trust her and her family. So far, Carol has been nothing but nice to her.

“That would be nice. What exactly do your grandmother and her friends do?” Sara was curious about who Carol was staying with.

“They help people. As one of my grandmother’s friends put it, “When we stand up for what we believe in—for what’s right—there is always a chance that we risk the very things we fight for: our safety, our lives, our freedom. But if we stand down, the risk is definite.”

“I’ve never heard that saying before.” Sara loved reading and understanding history.

“My grandmother said it was a Quote by a person named Kelseyleigh Reber,” Carol remembered her grandmother telling her what the quote meant.

“Where is your grandmother?” Sara was curious.

“She is on a mission, but should be back in the next few days.” Carol knew the mission her grandmother and her friends were on was coming to an end.

“Do you think she’ll mind me being here? I don’t want to get you into any trouble.” Sara didn’t want another person who had helped her to get in trouble. Everyone who has helped her was murdered by the people chasing her.

“Trust me, I won’t. Now, would you like another sandwich, or do you want to freshen up?” Carol figures Sara has to be hungry.

“Can I eat after I freshen up some, please?” Sara felt grubby and smelled to high heaven.

“Sure. Let me show you where the bathroom is, and I’ll grab you some clean clothes. By the time you’re done. I’ll have a fresh salad for you to
eat.” Carol shows Sara the vegetables in the refrigerator so Sara can see she's telling the truth.

“Thank you, Carol.” Sara was feeling better.

Carol takes Sara upstairs, shows her where the bathroom is, and lets her set the water temperature to her liking. She looks at Sara. “I think you and I are about the same size, Sara. If not, I can get you other clothes to wear.”

“Thank you, Carol.” Sara was thankful for Carol’s hospitality.

She goes into the bathroom and starts stripping out of her clothes. She had several bruises and scrapes covering her youthful pale body. A lot of them were from where she barely managed to escape the people chasing after her.

She turns the shower on after stripping out of her clothes and steps in. She closes the shower door and lets the hot water cascade over her body. She closes her eyes as she lets her guard down and lets the tears flow. Sara sits on the shower floor, wraps her arms around her knees, and cries.

While Sara is taking a shower, Carol gets some clean clothes for her to wear. She wonders what Sara saw and why she had to run.

Hopefully, her grandmother and the others will be done doing whatever they are doing. She also hopes the team will be able to help and protect Sara.

Once Carol has all the clothes gathered, Carol carries them into the bathroom and places them on the toilet seat. She could hear Sara crying in the shower and felt sorry for her. She hopes they can help Sara.