"Why won't see answer us when we ask her name?" Stef asked while the two women were in the kitchen. She was quickly losing patience. "She's scared Stef, remember Mariana? We had to talk to Jesus for awhile, she's only been awake for a few minutes." Lena understood, it was a strange house with two women whom she had never met talking to her. The girl had to remember the night before and it sounded like someone may have hit her a few times before. "Ha, yes I remember Mariana, first she wouldn't talk and now we have to drag her off the phone every night." the two women laughed.
"Hey sweetie, Here you go." Stef walked over to the girl and handed her a plate of toast. "Can we sit?" Lena asked. The girl was a little skittish at first but moved over to an edge seat so she wouldn't be between the two women but off to the side of them. The two women understood and decided to sit on the ground in front of her so she wouldn't feel to pressured. "What's your na..." Stef began but she was cut off. "Please don't make me go back! Let me stay for a little while please don't make me..." The girl sobbed. "Shhhh. Honey it's alright. We aren't going to let you go anywhere right now we just want to talk." Lena reached for the girls hand and she didn't flinch away this time. "Progress" Stef thought. "Ta...Tay...Taylor." The girl, now know as Taylor stuttered. "Taylor? That's you name?" Stef was please with the progress they were making.
"I'm sorry. I should never have come here. I... I need to go." Taylor stood quickly and tried to run off. "No! Wait we need to talk to you it's alright that you came here. Sweetie do you have parents who will be looking for you?" Lena still holding Taylor's hand kept her in place "No, they won't look for me or report me or anything." Taylor kept her eyes on the ground and slid her hand away. "You won't run away if we leave you here for a minute will you?" Stef asked trying to pull Lena into the kitchen to talk before either one of them said anything that could be a bad choice. "Are you gay?" Taylor blurted out. "Oh... Sorry I didn't mean anything...I just I've been outside your house for awhile thats all." Taylor turned bright red as she continued to mumble. "Yes, sweetie we are. It's alright you can ask questions, we are aren't we?" Stef laughed.
"Lena..." Stef asked more of a question than anything else with the tone she used. "We can't let her go, she's hurt and terrified and we need to help her." Lena always tried to save everyone she could. This girl who had been dropped on their doorstep wouldn't be any different.
"Taylor, we don't want to send you away but we need you to answer our questions okay?" Stef looked at the girl on the couch and finally saw the cut, and the more visible bruises around her neck. "You're staying with us for a few days." She said more firmly this time. "Just tell us what happened."