Resting her tired feet after a long day at the diner; Rowan begin to bask in the quiet of her apartment even though the silence was broken by the cars driving past on the street outside and neighbours making a noise in the adjoining apartments. She did not regretting moving to LA and starting anew; she needed a change in her life as she worried that she would never amount to anything. Although she worked as a waitress in a diner she finally decided to return to community college; even though she was not looking forward to the idea but she did not want to be a waitress forever. The pay was the best and was a struggle to get by and often she had to take extra shifts so she could pay her bills. She was still deciding on which classes to attend and put it off until after the purge in case something happened to her. The purge night was unpredictable, there were times that you were left alone and people would leave you be. Then there were others who were intent on harming you but giving up when they realise they cannot break inside. Rowan hoped on this night that she would be safe in the company of her friend and her family; they could protect one another and keep them from harm.

No longer to sit longer Rowan decided to pack her overnight bag for Eva's, packing a change of clothes and her handy pistol in case in was needed. Rowan had hoped that she would never have to fire that gun and it was good to have in her purse. Instead of waiting for Eva to finish her shift at the diner she decided to head on over to her apartment hoping that Cali and Papa Rico were home. She could not bear to be alone; the purge was making her nervous and putting her on edge.

Locking up her apartment tight as she hoped that no one would break in and steal her stuff, she had tried to hide anything of value and hoped they would not look hard enough. Rowan made her way to Eva's apartment and knocked hard on the door, hoping that someone was home. She waited patiently at the closed door, until she heard footsteps coming from the other side and the door slowly opens. As the door widens she is pleased to see Cali's face in front of her, glad that she will soon be in the company of friends.

'Rowan hey, come in my mom said that you would be coming over after your shift'

'Thanks Cali. I'm glad your home, I need a distraction from this night' she answers as she follows Cali inside and closes the door behind her 'Hi Papa Rico. What are you guys watching?'

'What are you looking at?' Papa Rico asks Cali as Rowan stands behind Cali and Papa Rico.

'Nothing. Just, you know, stuff. Are you okay?'

'Yeah. I'm fine'

'You sure?'

'You don't need to keep asking me'

'She's just worried about you Rico' Rowan speaks up.

'I know but she doesn't need to keep asking'

'My name is Donald Talbot. Our regime was voted into office nine years ago. And the first order of business was to deal with the epidemic of crime that was plaguing this nation. The answer was the Purge

'We've lost our souls to attain this peace. We no longer worship at the altar of Christ, Muhammad, Yahweh. We worship at the altar of Smith & Wesson. We, the people, know not what we do'

'Horseshit. Where'd you find this lunatic?' Rico spoke up once again.

'I saw his protest posters all around the neighborhood. He lives here, Papa. He's just like us. Now, shush. Please listen. He's not a lunatic'

'The Purge is not about containing crime to one night, and cleansing our souls by releasing aggression. It's about one thing. Money. Who dies tonight? The poor. We can't afford to protect ourselves'

'He's as full of shit as they are'

'No, he's right. Come on. They're keeping the population down by getting rid of people like us to save money' Rowan added 'It's the same everywhere'

'Talk is cheap Rowan'

'Mmm-hmm'

'He may be right, but he won't do anything about it'

'You may be right but I hold hope that it may change one day'

Rowan moved away from the pair and sat down on the sofa; pulling out a book from her book she began to read in hope to distract her troubled mind. She hoped that this Purge night would be scraped and save innocent lives, the only ones whom seemed to outlive this night were the rich people. While people like Rowan were being wiped in great numbers, to rich the country a few bucks; it made her sick. Money over lives.

Rowan had no idea how long she had been sitting there, trying to read her book when she was pulled away from her thoughts by Rico.

'Where is that daughter of mine?'

'She stayed to do an extra shift, one of the girls called in sick this morning. Eva will be back before you know it' Rowan answered knowing that Eva was in fact trying to talk to Mrs Crawley and had told Rowan not to say anything to Papa Rico about it. They needed extra money for his medicine which he hated seeing his daughter pay for as he claimed it wasn't doing anything for him.

'She better be back before this damn night starts'

'Hey, Daddy' Eva called as she walks into the apartment.

'Don't "hey, Daddy" me. Where have you been? We're less than two hours until commencement, and you're out gallivanting'

'Gallivanting? I was picking up your medicine' she answered feeling angry that she was being questioned by her father; feeling as if she were a teenager being late back home.

'Even worse. A waste of time and money. Christ, Eva, I told you not to get this stuff'

'I'm tired of listening to this every day'she cried out as she took off her purse and jacket.

'It does nothing... I'm not taking it!'

'You're taking your medicine' she warned him, all the while Rowan remained on the sofa watching the argument between father and daughter. It reminded her of when she would bicker with her mother with something so trivial.

'I'm not taking it! No, I'm not!'

'Yes, you are!'

'I'm not taking it. You're taking it back'

'Oh, my God, really? Can we stop? Look, Papa, maybe it doesn't do anything, but can you just take it? For me? Okay' Cali interrupted as she looked annoyed with her mother and grandpa.

'Okay'

'We'll lockdown and then we'll eat after commencement. Rowan did you anything to eat?' Eva asks as she looks over at Rowan.

'No I haven't'

'I will make an extra plate'

'Thanks Eva you're the best' Rowan added as she went back to reading her book, feeling her eyes becoming heavy.

'Count me out. I'm gonna take a long nap, and don't bother me. I'm gonna try to sleep through this godforsaken holiday. Look, I'm sorry I'm so grumpy, girls. I hate this night. Please, forgive me' she heard Rico butt in. 'Make sure you lockdown everything. I'll take care of my room. I love you both. Very much'

She looks up from her book for a moment and watches as Rico hugs his daughter and grand-daughter before walking out of the kitchen to his room, closing the door behind him.

'That was weird. It must be the night' Cali tells her as she looks at her mother, trying to find out what was going on.

'Yeah, I'm gonna take a quick shower, and then we'll lockdown'

'Okay, wait. How did things go with Mrs. Crawley? Did you get the raise?' Cali asks, Eva does not answer her and shakes her head 'God, what a bitch. Well, did you at least make a good argument? Did you say everything that we practiced?'

'I'm sorry, baby. Yeah'

'I'm sorry too Eva' Rowan adds 'She can be a bitch'

'Agreed'

'Would it be okay with you both if I took a nap on the couch?' Rowan asks Eva before placing her book into her bag.

'Yeah of course, I'll wake you up when dinner is ready'

'Thanks'

Rowan lies down onto the sofa turning her back to Eva and Cali as she lies on her side; she closes her eyes wishing that she could sleep through this night. Slowly Rowan drifts off to sleep thinking of her mother, praying that she is safe and no harms her.