Rachelle didn't know what to expect as she walked into Arissa's church. But it definitely wasn't like anything she had heard of before.

The building was clean and nice-looking from the outside. Different shrubbery and other plants lined the walls and gave the scenery a fresh and lively look.

When she stepped inside, she was somewhat overwhelmed with the number of people mingling inside already. There was still half an hour before the program was supposed to begin, but from what she could tell, a majority of the seats in the auditorium seemed to be already filled. Feeling a little lost, she did her best to act as confident as possible without drawing any attention to herself.

"Good evening!"

Rachelle turned to see a middle-aged woman standing by the doors connecting the foyer to the auditorium. The woman was dressed in all black, with a long-sleeved blouse over a floor-length skirt. The lady smiled kindly at her, holding out a folded piece of paper.

"There should be plenty of seats still open," she remarked as Rachelle politely took the paper. "Especially near the back and the sides. If you need any assistance, come and find me and I'll do my best to help you out."

"Thank you," Rachelle replied hesitantly, simultaneously comforted and uneasy because of the friendliness. After the woman sent another smile her way, Rachelle slipped away to find herself a seat.

She hadn't gone very far when she heard someone call out her name.

"Rachelle!"

She once again pivoted to find Arissa approaching her swiftly through the people still walking around, wearing a simple floor-length black dress.

"Hi, Arissa," Rachelle responded. They engaged in a brief elbow bump before Arissa began talking.

"I'm so excited that you came! I've been praying that you could come to church for so long now."

Rachelle nodded along slightly uncomfortably but attempted to keep her expression neutral.

"Have you been able to find a seat yet?" she asked eagerly.

"No, I was just about to look for one though."

"Well, you can go sit next to my family; I think they have a seat saved. They're sitting right there." She pointed to a spot somewhere in the middle of the seating along the center aisle. "You remember my parents, right?"

Rachelle nodded once more, quickly recognizing the older couple already seated.

"Great!" Arissa paused, glancing over Rachelle's shoulder to look at someone in the distance. "I have to go get ready, but I'll see you later, okay? You won't have any trouble?"

"No," Rachelle answered. "I'll see you later."

After a quick wave, Arissa bounded off again, leaving Rachelle to make her way to Mr. and Mrs. Kings.

Feeling self-conscious, Rachelle walked at a slow pace, ready to turn on her heel and hightail it out of there at a moment's notice. However, she paused and made herself take a deep breath, resolving herself. This is for Arissa.

Arriving at the seats, she was unsure of how to approach Arissa's parents. Luckily, they spared her the discomfort, as Mrs. Kings soon noticed her presence.

"Rachelle! It's so nice to see you again!" She quickly stood up, followed by Mr. Kings, who shook her hand with a smile and a pleasant greeting also.

"It's a pleasure to see you again as well," Rachelle said in turn, fiddling with the tassels on the edge of her scarf.

"Come, come, we have a seat saved for you," Mrs. Kings continued. "Would you like to sit on the inside, or would you prefer an aisle seat?"

"Um, an aisle seat would be nice," Rachelle answered shyly.

"Alright, let us just scoot over then, and this seat can be all yours."

"Thank you," Rachelle said as she slid into the seat.

"Of course!" Mr. Kings responded. "Arissa was really hoping that you would be able to come tonight, so we wanted to make sure that you wouldn't be alone if you did come."

Rachelle felt a burst of warmth in her chest at their kindness, but it was soon followed by the chill of a reality check. Don't get too comfy, the voice whispered. You know that this isn't going to last. She didn't let this affect her appearance, however, as she kept her face perfectly still.

She made small talk with the Kings' until the start of the program, which arrived much more swiftly than she expected it to.