Warnings: Language, alcohol, and substance use. Reader discretion is advised.

The neon lights coming from the buildings were starting to reflect on the multiple puddles that were beginning to form all across the smooth pavement, dancing around her iris as she stared absentmindedly. The sun had barely set a few moments ago and the wind was starting to get fresh and cool, unexpectedly surrounding her in a breeze that made her hair stand on end. It had been raining hard for the past few days, and the thin fleece jacket she was wearing began to feel insufficient. She saw the puddles fill rapidly; it was almost a fact that the canal was going to be full by the morning.

She had been sleeping there for a couple of days after hitchhiking north for an amount of time she couldn't, nor wanted, to remember anymore; she realized that it was time to move on. She had less than fourteen dollars in her pocket after she bought a bottle of water, a couple of tuna cans, some crackers and a protein bar. Even though she had been working small jobs doing mechanical work around the trailer truck station, she knew that a hotel room was completely out of the question. She wondered if she was ever to feel the coziness of a warm bed ever again. She took a deep breath taking in the fresh aroma of the last days of summer, as she began to walk towards a convenience store that was in the middle of the big trailer truck station looking for protection from the increasingly heavy rain.

She sauntered towards the clearance section and saw a small backpack for only five dollars; she was tired of carrying her things around in a plastic bag that was about to rip apart. Regular price: twenty-five dollars. After inspecting it, she saw a couple of tears on the bottom and side, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a small sewing kit which she saw near the entrance for about two dollars. That would take almost half of everything she had, which meant that she had to find some source of steady income soon.

After paying for her new acquisition with exact change, she stood out under a small porch just watching people come and go, waiting for something to come along her way. After a short while, the rain started to ease off and she walked towards a nearby bench to take a seat while enjoying the fresh scent of nature. She noticed a white van making a very loud noise that got louder and louder as it approached, parking in a spot almost in front of the bench where Luna was sitting. The van released a heavy, black cloud of smoke before dying completely.

The door slid open and three men got out of the vehicle coughing and moving their hands rapidly in an effort to dissolve the smoke that surrounded them.

"FUCK! What now?! We'll never make it on time!" a remarkably tall, fair skin young man stomped his foot on the ground as he grunted in frustration.

"Dude! You need to chill! Everyone is looking at us!" a blond, tanned, and way shorter younger man replied.

"I DON'T GIVE A TINY FUCK! Let them watch! If only one of them instead of watching would HELP!" the tall man yelled at the customers that were going in and out of the gas station.

Luna smiled, amused by the man's desperation. They were arguing as she approached the group.

"Hi there! Are you guys okay?" she waved her hand, and the group turned her attention to her.

"As good as we can be given our fucked-up situation here…" the angry tall man rebuked.

"Okay… you can lay off the sarcasm there for a second, I'm just trying to help" Luna raised her voice.

"Oh! Now we have a mechanic here! We're saved!" the man's sarcasm was more than obvious, and she narrowed her eyes. She loved it when she was about to prove a chauvinistic pig wrong.

"Alex, don't be a jerk. We are fine Miss, we just ran into a problem with our van. Thank you for asking" a nerdy young man with wide frame glasses and a grandpa sweater replied, visibly embarrassed by his friend's demeanor.

"Cool…" she turned around and the group continued arguing amongst themselves. Luna walked towards the driver's seat and popped the hood of the van open. The group turned their attention back to Luna, who took them by surprise.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" the tall man yells as he walks towards Luna. "We're having a crisis here, can't you see?!"

"Crisis are supposed to be confronted with solutions, not whines" she says as she starts to look around the engine of the van. "How long have you been driving with this overheat?"

"Overheat?" The nerdy man asks, confused.

"Yes, you got a busted radiator hose right here, hence the overheating. You've been driving with this for a while, I can't believe you guys didn't notice" she looked at the group with a lifted eyebrow.

"Well, like I said earlier, not all of us are mechanics here" the tall man rolled his eyes. She noticed in that moment how black his hair truly was, like the darkest of nights.

"Okay, I'm not a mechanic either, but I think you have to be pretty stupid and irresponsible to be driving a motor vehicle and not give it proper maintenance. I assume by how you've handled the whole situation that you were the one driving" Luna looked him in the eye, defiant.

The tall man narrows his eyes, frustration clearly building up inside of him. "We are on a deadline here, my specialty is not really driving, you know?" He said in between teeth.

"He is the only one over 25, the rental place refused to rent to anyone under that age" nerdy guy shrugged.

"Yeah, this radiator doesn't care about that. You obviously forced the motor so much the hose just exploded" she shook her head in reproach.

"Can you fix it?" a tanned, blonde man asks, hopeful.

"Well... I thought you guys didn't need any help, especially mine. Your friend, tall boy here, made sure to make that very clear" she smirked and pointed her chin towards the tall, angry guy.

"Don't listen to him, he acts like this when he gets frustrated, just ignore him" nerd guy waves.

"This one mentioned that you are in a deadline. I see you have some instruments on the back, where are you guys heading?" Luna was curious.

"We're on our way to a battle of the bands contest in Seattle. We were admitted last-minute and the whole thing is tomorrow night, so we are against the clock here. If we miss this one, we are done" the nerd replied.

"Speak for yourself, I'm not giving up until we have that record deal, you know that." tall man said.

"Okay... how much money you guys got?" Luna asked, crossing her arms.

"Well... not much..." the nerd took out a couple of twenties and some dollar bills rolled in a ball.

"That'll be enough" she took the money as she turned around and walked towards the trailers that were on the station on the back.

"Hey! We need that for gas! Come back!" The tall man yelled as Luna waived.

"Damn it! Why did you give her the money?"

"Dude, we need to get this thing started if we want to move from here. She seems to know what to do, do you have a better plan?" tanned man replies.

"She better come back..." tall man threatens.

"Whatever man..." the group sits on the same bench that Luna was sitting before they arrived, just in front of the van. Tall man takes out a pack of smokes and turns on a cigarette, standing next to a trash can that had a built-in ash tray.

"When are you going to stop that horrible habit, Alex? Those cigarettes are going to be your death..." nerd guy sits as he crosses his arms.

"Well, then death is more than welcomed... now stop lecturing me and start thinking what we are going to do when this chick doesn't show up."

"She will. She seemed like a nice soul; she gave me great vibes…" tanned blonde replies.

"Yeah, yeah, you and your hopeful thinking..." tall man rolls his eyes.

The trio waited for about 30 minutes, and every single one felt like an eternity. He was in his third cigarette when a silhouette in the distance started to approach them. She was carrying a hose and two gallons of water, one on each hand. She walked cheerfully and with such grace that the three man could not help but to notice how beautiful she truly was.

"And there she comes, our angel..." blondie gestured towards her, dramatically pointing towards his heart with one hand and reaching towards her with the other.

"Boys, I've got excellent news. Some pals over there donated a brand-new hose and these gallons for our little cause. I borrowed some tools that I got to take back as soon as we're done here" she placed all the things on the floor, taking several tools from her back pockets. "Okay, let's see. You look like the smart one. Here, you are in charge of passing me the tools. I need blondie to be my light holder and tall grumpy guy, you can pass me one of those cigarettes you have right there."

"Oh, really? And who put you in charge?" Tall man retorted.

"Your incompetence did. Obviously, you have no idea of what to do or you would have done it by now, so... here we are. You tell me, grumpy, which one is it going to be?" Luna raised her chin, smirking proudly while shifting her weight and lying one arm in the hood of the van.

The tall man paused to look at her for a few seconds, before he took out a cigarette from the box and passed it to her. "The name's Alexander"

"I'm Lu-Anna" she stuttered but quickly recovered "But you can call me Annie" she took the cigarette and placed it in between her lips. Alex took out a lighter from his pocket and lightened the cigarette, noticing her fleshy, naturally carmine lips.

"I'm Sean and this is Ben." the blonde man said as he pointed to his nerd friend.

"Cool, nice to meet you guys. Ben, pass me the pliers, please" she replied, pointing with her chin to the tools on the floor.

Ben knew a lot about drums, computer software and video games, but nothing about tools or manual labor. "Huh... sure..." he hesitated and passed a screwdriver instead.

"Are you serious?" she sighed and laughed "I hope you guys are better musicians than handymen." She bent down and took the three tools on her hands. "Pliers, screwdriver, and channel locks. Learn them, watch me and hand each one as I ask you" she smiled and gave him the tools.

After about 40 minutes she took a paper towel and cleaned her greasy hands. "Okay boys, time to test this baby. Sean, can you please turn on the ignition?"

The blonde man ran towards the door, turning the key completely. The motor turned on and their faces lightened up immediately. "Yes! That was amazing!" Ben jumped, filled with joy. "I have no words, thank you so much Annie!"

"Don't mention it. Let me just check the water levels" she went inside the van and looked at the dashboard, checking all the fluid levels. She also checked the pressure of the tires with a tire pressure gauge. "One of your tires needs a little bit of air. Let me go and return the tools and I'll be back to help you guys with that" she took the tools and disappeared in between the trailers.

"Wow... that girl is amazing. I wonder what she is doing here all by herself. Do you think she is a hitch hiker or something like that?" Ben said, looking towards the horizon where she disappeared.

"Maybe she needs a ride. The least we can do is offer her some cash and a lift, don't you think guys?" Sean replied.

"Well, after the money you gave her, we only have like 100 dlls to get us all the way to Seattle. I don't think we have much to offer her" Alex said with a softer, calmer tone.

"Maybe if you use one of those credit cards your mom sent you the other day…" Ben suggested as he rolled his eyes.

"I've told you, I'm not touching a cent from them! Stop insinuating that…" he disregarded his friend's proposition.

"You said you would consider it in an emergency..." Sean corrected.

"Well, this is still not an emergency" he crossed his arms.

"Then I don't know what an emergency looks like to you" Sean scoffed.

"Quit it..." Alex whispered when he saw Annie approaching them.

"Okay, I'll pump in some gas and then I'll fill that tire for you and you guys will be set and ready to go" she buried her hand on her pocket, taking out one of the twenties and the ball of bills they previously gave her. "I only took a twenty for the gas, you guys are running low and it will be better for you to just get on the road without more stops for a while" she handed the money to Alex, who was closer to her. "Just remember to monitor the water levels and never let it get lower than the minimum mark and you should be okay."

Alex was blindsided and felt terribly guilty. Not only did he distrust her from the beginning, but also thought terrible things of her right from the start. "I... I don't get it, what do you want then?"

"Want? I don't remember ever setting a price or charging you guys for anything. I wanted to help you and that's what I did. No strings attached" she jumped into the van and closed the door "I'll see you guys in a few moments, let me just go and take care of this. Be right back" she winked as she drove away.

She moved the van to gas pump number 8 and there she started to fill the tank while she took the air hose that was on the side of the pump. She put two quarters and the air compressor started to run while she filled one of the tires effortlessly. The three young man stood on the sidewalk, staring at her in awe.

"Dude... we need this girl in our life. Look at her! Is there anything she can't do?" Sean pointed towards her.

"And what do you suggest? That we kidnap her?" Alex replied sarcastically.

"No, you creep. We can just ask her, like regular people." Sean rolled his eyes.

"I was being sarcastic in case you didn't notice." Alex sneered.

"Guys, stop it, please. We are back in schedule and actually have a little bit of time to spare and chill. I suggest we invite her to dinner, it's the least we can do for her. Then, we ask her to come along if she is down for it. And I already know what you're going to say, Alex, that we don't got the cash. Well, you do, and this is an emergency, despite of what you say, get over it!" Ben replied.

Alex remained quiet as he knew that Ben was right, he was just mad at himself for having to recur to that. After almost 5 years of living in constant economic struggle, he never took a penny from any of those accounts, ever. He was pissed at himself for having to do it now and promised himself to pay it back as soon as he could.

Luna, or as she decided to call herself from now on, Annie, took the van to its original place, turned off the engine and grabbed the keys. She walked directly to Alex, taking his hand and putting the keys on his palm, closing it around.

"That's all kids, you're set. I hope you guys can make it on time for your big thing. Good luck!" she said, as she turned around.

Alex and Sean were in a state of open-mouthed astonishment, unable to say a word.

"Hey, Annie, wait!" Ben finally shouted "Hey, you wanna have dinner with us? It's the least we can do after everything you've done for us, please…"

"Oh... you're very sweet. I appreciate the gesture, but I don't think grumpy here would be too happy with the idea" she half-smiled.

Alex was annoyed by the nickname, but he realized he had been an incredible jerk to her and deserved every single letter of it. "Actually, I would like that…" he softened his voice "…and please call me Alex."

"Listen guys, I understand that you are grateful, but it is not necessary, really. I don't want you to waste the limited money you got on me."

"It's not a waste, it's a privilege... and it is Alex's treat for being a big jerk, right?" Ben replied as Alex rolled his eyes.

"I was a jerk, I'm sorry..." he said, more like a whisper than a statement.

"In that case... let's go then..." she smiled, happy at the prospect of a full decent hot meal. "There's a restaurant inside the station if you guys want that" she suggested. She would be happy with anything that didn't come in a plastic bag or a can.

"No, if we're doing this, we better make it right" Alex smiled for the first time since they met. "Hop in, I know exactly where to go" he said as he walked towards the van.

"Hey, I think it would be better if Anna drives, just in case anything happens in the way, dude." Sean proposed, teasingly.

"The van is under my name; we might get in trouble..." Alex was unsure.

"Chill down, I can assure you we have better chances with me behind that wheel. Come on..." Annie said as she took the keys from his hand. He sighed and got on the back without any further remarks.

"Take the next exit. The place is called Heaven Side, the best burgers on Earth, hands down! Their artisan beer is awesome as well, perfect combination." Alex said as he took a bag from the back, taking out a vape and taking a couple of puffs "Anyone wants some?" He offered the vape to the rest.

"Pass it down, man..." Sean reached for the vape "Girl Scout cookies never disappoint…" the blonde man said as he inhaled from the vaporizer. A thick cloud of vapor came out from his lips while he smiled in complete bliss.

"You can have some as soon as we get there, Annie. Nothing against you, is just that it hits really hard and since you're driving..." Ben said, taking the vape next.

"You do smoke weed, don't you?" Alex said, acknowledging that they just assumed before asking.

"Well, I have smoked before, but it's been a while..." she said, remembering Guillermo and those long summer nights in which they would brainstorm as they sat on the beach next to a small fire, while passing a joint back and forth.

"Don't feel pressured, it's not for everybody" Alex shrugged.

"It's not that, I do like it, I just couldn't before because of sc..." she refused to remember anything about her past life. "Well, because of some shit I was in, but it doesn't matter anymore, so of course I'm down." she said as they arrived at the place. A log cabin type of restaurant on the side of the highway with a perfect view of Northern California mountains and forest. She parked the van in a parking space that was away from the entrance and turned around. "Okay, pass me that vape" she smiled.

As soon as she inhaled from the thin device, she started to feel the THC flowing through her veins. She felt an instant relief and, for the first time in weeks, happiness. "Holy shit... this is really what I been needing for so long..." she closed her eyes, inhaling one more time. "This is amazing... now I'm starving..."

"I know, that's exactly why Alex uses it. The guy is all fucked up from his stomach and couldn't really eat if it weren't for this thing" replied Ben.

"Oh, really? That must suck..." she tried to imagine what that would be like.

"Oh, well, cancer sucks like that" Alex shrugged, taking back the vape and taking another hit.

"Cancer?" memories from her Grandfather came rushing to her mind... "I'm so sorry to hear that…" Annie felt terrible, she knew firsthand what Cancer was capable of.

"It's okay, I'm in remission. The radiation fucked my stomach up, though, so now I need this baby to help me out. It's cool with me, though." he smiled as he passed the vape back to Annie. She gave it a couple of puffs and the group went inside the restaurant.

The restaurant looked a bit crowded, but there were still tables available. Inside, there was a large stage where some people were trying to connect some speakers to a sound dashboard, unsuccessfully.

"Guys, look, a live band is going to play! How awesome is that?" Annie said as she sat down on a table near the stage.

"It's going to be fun, to say the least…" Ben said as he looked over the menu.

A waitress came by and they ordered several beer pitchers and their respective burgers. The beer arrived almost immediately.

"I propose a toast... to finding this amazing miracle of a woman that saved us three hopeless men" Sean raised his glass with a wide smile.

"Amen to that" Alex replied, to Annie's surprise; he was showing her that he wasn't the jerk she had thought. She looked closer at him, noticing that he had green, gentle eyes that projected a tenderness despite of his rough boy exterior. He had been wearing a leather jacket, which he removed revealing a very familiar shirt.

"Get out of here... you like Joy Division? That is one of my favorite bands!" she smiled, excited.

"Beautiful and with good taste..." Sean turned to Alex, tapping him with his elbow.

"What kind of music do you guys play?" she asked, giving her burger a huge bite while waiting for an answer.

"Well... it's kind of a fusion type of thing" Ben tilted his head trying to explain their eclectic sound.

"That's what you like to think, but we're actually more of a post punk, goth type. You know, the cure, bauhaus, siouxsie and the banshees, joy division, the smiths... all the classics" Alex replied.

"With a splash of good surf and 80s analog synths, very important!" Ben added.

"Wow, that sounds amazing. Have you guys heard of Soft Kill?"

"Sure! We opened for them in a couple of gigs in LA. We hanged out with them before and after the show. All of them were cool as fuck, but Tobby is amazing; very cool dude and amazing musician." Alex takes a big gulp of his ice-cold beer.

"That's awesome... any chance I might've heard something from you, guys? Are you on bandcamp or other streaming app?"

"We wish... Alex here thinks Bandcamp and social media is for losers... so..." Ben rolled his eyes.

"Because it is... you don't see legends being made in those places, only pop stars and wannabes."

"Well, I'm not so sure about that... but who gives a shit? Legends just like Pop Stars will be forgotten eventually. Right now more people care about that stupid Kanye West fucker than Roger fucking Waters" Annie replied.

"Oh, hell no. Only idiots are interested in people like that" Alex frowned.

"And, unfortunately, there are a lot of stupid people out there. That's life and you can't do anything about it, so, use all the tools you have within your reach" Annie took a huge sip of her beer, almost finishing the entire thing.

"Wooah, watch it there, this beer has more alcoholic content than your average beer" Alex warned.

"Dude, I just fixed your van for you. Believe me when I tell you that I can handle my alcohol better than you" she smirked, challenging him.

"Well, I don't know if better than me, but you got a point" Alex laughed, delighted. Annie could hardly believe that was the same person she met back at the truck station.

The group continued chatting and enjoying their food. As the minutes started to pass by, Annie noticed that the staff of the restaurant looked distressed and that the band had not arrived even though the place was starting to pack.

"Hey guys... I've got an idea... Do you guys know how to play all the classics? You know, Led Zeppelin, Heart, Pink Floyd, Rush?" Annie asked, removing her hair tie allowing her long and faded multicolor hair to fall through her shoulders.

"Ah, sure... why?" Alex replied, mouth agape. He realized she was way more beautiful than what he had initially realized.

"If this works out, you guys owe me again..." she smirked, mischievously.

Annie walked confidently towards an older lady that looked like she was about to have a heart attack. She talked for a couple of minutes with her as the trio watched closely, almost like if they were watching a movie unfold in real life. The way the lady was so relieved and happy after the short interaction puzzled them. She came back to the table, wearing an enchanting, ample smile.

"We've got twenty minutes before going on stage, boys. So, drink your beer and eat your burgers, we're on for a fun ride" she hit the table and chugged her beer.

"Who are you?" Sean asked, marveled.

"Our heroine, obviously..." Ben exclaimed.

Alex smiled, completely captivated. "Let's do it, let's rock the shit out of these people. Annie, what instrument are you going to play?" He saw a fire on her eyes that told him immediately that she was a true musician.

"I can play a little of everything, just give me something and I'll manage" she said, confidently.

"Oh, really… that much confidence, huh? Well, we are missing a lead singer and someone to play the keyboards. Ben plays the drums and some of the synths, but he can't play at the same time."

"Sure, no problem. What do you two play?"

"Sean plays the bass and I play guitar" Alex replied.

"Of course, typical guitarist attitude..." she smiled and took the beer mug to her lips.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex smirked and leaned into her, shortening the distance between them.

"I don't know, let's see how you play first and then we'll see..." she challenged.

"Cool... lets" he said as he stood up and walked towards the van. Everybody followed him and they started to unload the instruments on the side of the street.

"This is so exciting!" Annie said as she carried the cases inside.

They begin the setup and Annie started the sound check, moving and connecting cables back and forth. In less than fifteen minutes, everything was plugged and ready to go. The guys were surprised at how quickly and smoothly she was able to manage the whole thing.

"Good night, everyone. We're Lost Souls, and we're going to rock you tonight!" Annie yelled into the microphone, capturing everyone in the restaurant.

The guys turned to look at each other and smiled, surprised by the unexpected name. Everyone in the bar cheered excitedly. "For our first song, we would like to start with this rock anthem, and I want you guys to help me out..." Annie pointed to the audience, and the cheers got louder and louder. "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasyyy?" she started to sing the song and the rest of the band knew exactly what to do. The crowd was going crazy and the tip jar was filling soon. They played rock classics for about two and a half hours, until the place had to eventually close down for the day.

Alex wanted to feel competitive, like usual, but with Annie everything seemed different. She made it feel more like a game than a challenge. A game in which he could just play and have fun doing it, like in the beginning when it was him and the music. Just jamming out. She made him remember what he liked about music in the first place, the fun of it.

They had such an awesome night that the bar owner wanted to hire them on the spot. After rejecting her offers a few times, she allowed them to keep their tips and refused to charge for their food and drinks. After all, they had saved her business from a bunch of rowdy bikers that fell in love with Annie as they chanted her name while exiting the restaurant.

Ben and Sean loaded the instruments on the van as Alex and Annie thanked the bar owner and said their goodbyes.

"Oh my god, I can't believe that just happened. Everything seemed surreal! There were so many people, much more than what we are used to! That was such a rush!" Alex was thrilled, he felt alive for the first time in so long "Lost Souls"? What was that about?" They walked towards the van while Annie counted the tip money.

"I just thought of it, you know. I remembered Joy Division's song Dead Souls, and I just thought of how instead of Dead Souls, we are kind of Lost Souls that found each other and decided to play awesome music" she beamed.

"Annie, I can't believe you just referenced my favorite song by Joy Division, please, marry me right now!" Ben knelt down and dramatically proposed to her while Annie giggled.

"Come on Ben, quit it" Alex took him by the arm, annoyed.

"I'm serious, I'll marry you right this second. Any girl that references Joy Division, saves guys in trailer stations and performs like that deserves a marriage proposal and more!"

"I'm flattered but you're obviously drunk and we can't be doing crazy shit like that at this time. I don't think we can even drive after pounding that much beer, and that includes you Mr. Oktoberfest" she smiled at Alex and all he could do was to smile back like an idiot, clearly drunk.

"Guys, we have almost 800 dlls right here, we can actually pay for a hotel room and take a shower..." she embraced herself just thinking of a hot, warm shower instead of the rushed trailer station baths she was getting used to.

"I second that!" Sean yelled from the van.

"I saw a motel just a couple of blocks back, we can drive the van very carefully over there and take a quick nap" Annie suggested.

"I'm not sure we will make it on time for tomorrow..." Alex hesitated.

"What are you talking about? We have Annie now so she can be driving as well! You guys take turns driving and we'll be alright. We had accounted our time to sleep too… we'll have plenty of time."

"And you guys just assumed that she wanted to come with us? We don't even know what her plans are... Annie, what do you think?" Alex asked, a bit afraid of her answer.

"Are you asking me to go all the way to Seattle with you?"

"Yes, we need you! You saved our asses like three times just today! I'm afraid to go any further without you!" Ben said, jokingly.

"Well, that is kind of a big thing to ask, but you were incredible in there and we were actually thinking of renaming the band and looking for a lead singer... what do you think?" Alex offered.

"Are you serious, guys? That would be awesome! Of course, I'm in!" she jumped in excitement.

"Seriously?" Alex beamed.

"Sure, why not?" She giggled.

"That's awesome! I feel like we just hit the jackpot tonight! Renting that crappy van was the best decision ever!" Ben shouted.

"Come on, get inside before you attract any unwanted attention to us, like cops" Alex suggested.

Annie drove the van to the motel and Alex went inside the office while the rest waited in the van.

"Anna, you were awesome back there, so natural... where did you learn to sing like that?" Sean asked, curious.

"I don't know, the shower I guess..." she chuckled.

"I'm serious... you actually look very familiar... have we met somewhere?" Sean narrowed his eyes, trying to remember where he had seen her face.

"I don't think so... I'm not from around here" she replied, trying to remain calm instead of the panic of being recognized that she was starting to feel.

"Really? Where are you from?" Ben asked, intrigued.

"Texas" she said, nonchalantly.

"You are very far away from home..." Alex noted.

"Yeah, well... there is nothing left for me over there, so... Seattle might be fun" she said while taking one of Alex's cigarettes and lit it while she lowered the window. She started to feel her hands trembling at the memories of her past life, anxiety starting to cover her with its chaotic mantle.

"Not you too..." Ben cried, protesting the cigarette.

"I'm sorry Ben, I'll get down" she opened the door and got out of the van.

"It's nothing against you, it's just bad for you!" Ben yelled from the inside.

"Sure, thank you for your concern" she took a drag, embracing herself as the night was starting to get colder by the minute. She thought of the irony of how the weather was starting to reflect what she felt inside: coldness and darkness.

After a couple of minutes, Alex came out from the office holding two sets of keys. He approached her and took the cigarette from her mouth, taking a deep inhale from it.

"All set, last two rooms that were vacant" he had paid for the two rooms with his credit card. He took the tip money, grabbed Anna's hand, and gave her the complete amount. "I think you should hold on to this..." he said as he closed her hand around the bills.

Annie lowered her eyes and saw the money, wide opened "But... we all earned this money, we can split it four ways..."

"We seriously need a sort of accountant... between us three we will waste it in instruments, video games, alcohol or drugs, so, I think it's better with you saving it for us."

She smiled and nodded, putting the money on the inside pocket of her new backpack.

"Here, your room number is 14. We will be right next door, room 13" Alex said as he walked towards the van, gesturing her to get inside. He drove to the front of the rooms and they decided to bring down all the expensive equipment, they couldn't risk the van getting broken into and all their stuff stolen away. Annie opened the door and noticed that it was a two-bedroom room. She peeked next door and it was a double bedroom as well.

"Oh my god, bed! I call dibs on this one!" Ben threw himself at the first bed closest to the door.

"Dibs on the second one!" Sean shouted, jumping on the mattress with extended arms and legs.

"I'll take the floor, I don't mind" Alex shrugged.

"There is a second bed on my room as well, you can take it if you want" Annie offered.

Alex stopped on his tracks and widened his eyes "Of course not... I'll take the floor, it's not a problem."

"Don't be ridiculous... the bed is there, and nothing is going to happen between us, so just take it and stop being a sissy" she rolled her eyes.

"Sissy? What are you? Ten?" Alex frowned.

"I'll take it!" Ben yelled, still lying flat on the bed.

"Shut up, man!" Alex commanded.

"You guys figure it out, I'm taking a well-deserved bath. See you guys in the morning" she smiled while putting up her hair in a bun and gesturing a goodbye with her right hand.

The three young men stared at each other, blindsided.

"Dude! I'll take the room, no problem! I bet you she is way cleaner than any of you two fucks" Sean joked.

"I'm not leaving her alone with any of you two weirdos. I'll see you tomorrow" Alex walked towards the door.

"Look who's finally in love! Mister Tinman!" Sean joked and Ben laughed.

"Good luck finding your heart!" Ben followed suit. Both young men laughed as Alex closed the door, annoyed.

"Dude, I think Alex really likes this girl. Maybe we should lay off her… you know he's never interested in anybody, especially since you know who… maybe this would do him good" Sean told Ben, changing his tone.

"Yeah, you're right… but shit, she is so hot and badass! It's going to be hard not to notice someone as beautiful as her…" Ben sighed.

"I know man, but you and I always get all the ladies at the gigs, and Alex is always all sad and alone practicing or writing instead. The dude worries me sometimes… that hatred he has towards Beatrix and his family is not healthy. Man… maybe Annie can make him forget…" Sean said as he was rolling a joint.

"I know… poor Alex. That Beatrix chick was a real bitch, she really messed him up. I think she's going to be at the battle, man. I still have her band on Instagram, and they posted they were on their way too"

"Good. Beatrix is an ugly, talentless witch compared to gorgeous Annie. Everybody there will see it and Beatrix will turn green with envy. I can't wait…" Sean replied as he turned on the joint he had on his lips.

Ben nodded and waited his turn. They smoked the cannabis cigarette, passing it back and forth as they watched music videos on the old TV.

Meanwhile, Alex was walking back and forth inside the room, nervously. He took a deep sigh and decided to sit down on the bed closest to the door. He took a cigarette and lightened up, thanking the fact that the only two rooms available were smoking rooms. He took his cannabis vape and gave it a deep inhale. In that moment, the door opened and Anna came out of the bathroom wearing only a white towel around her body. Alex smiled at her sight, his cheeks turning pink.

"I'm sorry for wearing this, but I don't have a set of pajamas or anything like that. That's the only set of clothes I own and as you see, I have to wash it whenever I can" Anna hangs her shirt, pants and underwear on one of the closets near the bathroom, closing it as soon as she is done.

Alex turned his head away immediately, concentrating on the TV set and trying to resist the thought of such a breathtaking woman without any clothes under that thin towel.

"Annie… I don't understand… how is it that someone like you, obviously educated and savvy in a lot of things, is alone without anything other than the clothes on her back?" Alex finally asked her, after a lot of hesitation.

"You're asking me if I'm homeless?" Annie replied right after finishing brushing her teeth.

"Well…" he hesitated even more.

"Relax, I don't think it's a bad thing. Given the "right" bad situation I think anybody can become homeless at any point. And yes, it happened to me. I have nowhere in the world to be, no past to go to. No future to look forward to. Only the present. Look at me, yesterday I was sleeping under a bridge, and now I'm in a warm bed next to someone that six hours ago hated me. I think life can surprise you in all sorts of ways, you just have to let it" she smiled, sitting on the unoccupied bed in front of him.

"Wow… I… don't know what to tell you. I think I can understand what you're saying. I also broke away from my family about five years ago and I have been on my own ever since, taking all sorts of odd jobs to be what I really want to be… a musician. However, I didn't start from zero like you, I had savings from my childhood that I got to keep. Those savings are long gone but it helped me so much in the beginning. I don't know what I would've done without that money back then" he passed the vape to Annie, deep in thought.

"I had exactly five dollars in my pocket when I started my new life. When I met you guys, fourteen dollars and sixty-seven cents. Tomorrow… tomorrow will be another story, where anything is possible" she shrugged her shoulders, taking a deep drag from the vape and passing it back to Alex. "I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for inviting me to come along" she smiled and got under the sheets, still wrapped in the wet towel. She covered herself, turned around and closed her eyes.

Alex remained sitting down, perplexed. Who was this person? He was never one to believe in fate, but she made him doubt everything he thought he believed. He had never met someone so brave, so intelligent, and selfless. He felt a profound respect for her. He finished his cigarette, took a final drag of his vape pen and got in the shower.

After a steamy shower, he was brushing his teeth when he noticed her small, black backpack in a corner and turned to check on her. She seemed deeply asleep. Normally, he wouldn't be one to pry, but he was too curious for his own good; he needed to know more about her. He took the backpack in his hands and opened it up slowly to see what was inside.

A pocket sewing kit, a couple of tuna cans, crackers, a bottle of water, a small notebook with pen and a pocket compass. Little bottles of hand cream, shampoo, and soap. Toothpaste and toothbrush. No cellphone, no ID, no credit cards. It was like if she was born from nature itself, like a kind of semi-goddess that appear from nothingness. He turned to her and automatically smiled, feeling the necessity to protect her. She looked so ethereal, so out of this world that he concluded that she was not human. She was something else… and he needed to find out.