ROWAN •dobrik•

Prologue

I guess you could call this my...post-origin, origin story? I don't know, this is just kind of where it all started. Let me tell you, it was kind of a bad start, to a much worse story.

Hopping off of a cheap greyhound bus in the heart of LA is usually something you would see in a cheesy Hollywood movie. Where the girl wants to make her big dreams happen and all that good stuff.

Except not only is this my reality, I had no idea I was even in Los Angeles until maybe ten minutes of walking. When I had finally connected the dots, I was utterly amazed. I couldn't stop staring and twirling around in circles. I wanted to take in as much scenery as I could because I was truly scared I was going to wake up at home and this was all just one fucked up dream. People passed me, their eyes fixated onto me as if I was some type of freak show. I don't exactly blame them. I would be spooked if I saw some random girl twirling around in circles for no apparent reason.

When I had finally realized just how much attention was I drawing to myself, I immediately started to book it out of the main section of town. A girl on the run does not necessarily need to be in a big city. As I was walking and examining, I began to actually grasp the situation I was really in. Then I realized how royally screwed I was.

I kind of left with barely anything on me. Just with whatever I managed to shove into my backpack and a little bit of money to take me wherever, and in this case it just happened to be one of the most notorious cities in the nation.

I didn't have a thought out plan. My only goal was to get out and get as far away as I possibly could. I succeeded that part, but now what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go?

The thought started to itch at my mind, starting to grow as the most obvious and worrisome problem at hand. As it should be, I didn't exactly want to be homeless. Going back home wasn't an option. I wasn't going to let myself go back into such a troublesome home.

Everything started to become too much and I somehow managed to find a nearby park bench after walking for hours on end. Whatever that was left from the sun was gone and it has been for quite awhile. I could only imagine the time it was now. I wouldn't know, I didn't bring my phone with me. I was too nervous that my family would try to track me down with it, despite not really having an immediate family who really cared.

I really don't know how I ended up on some overlook that stood high over the city. It just took a lot of walking and a lot of zoning out I guess, because it looks like this took me hours from where I was sitting.

The view was gorgeous however. It's everything someone would ever want to see. Everything was so nice and dark, with the city lights giving the air around it so much warmth and light, and something to strive and live for. It was quite inspiring. It's a view I will always appreciate, even to this day.

Every problem started to kind of slowly drift away in these moments. All of the worries I had suddenly seemed nonexistent. The only thing that mattered was the Southern California winds and the twinkling night lights. For a small moment, nothing mattered anymore. I even laid down across the bench in an attempt to get more comfortable.

I don't have any idea how long I was laying there, but all of a sudden there was just chatter from behind the bench. To be completely honest, I started getting stressed out. Was this an ambush?

"Yo, dude, you think she's dead?"

"I don't know, dude. Why don't you check?"