Fear is a Liar

Ch. 1

I am walking along the beach at sunset, the cool yet humid air of L.A. blowing gently as the waves crash onto the shore again and again. Some people will think this is paradise, some people will stare in awe when you say "you this is home." without realizing you didn't mean the city but this exact park bench or that particular bus stop.

You see, I am homeless. I was abandoned by my foster parents when they decided to move cross country without me a year and a half ago. I don't exactly mind too much though, most times I can find a scrap or two to eat and the climate isn't so bad that I need to use my nights in the shelter right away at a time.

I walk along the pier just taking it in and not being on high alert for once. I stand at the edge and gaze out at the sunset, wondering how hard it would be to jump, and not come back up.

A woman with dark curled hair and her daughter approach me, the woman's grey cardigan flapping in the breeze as she looks at me. "Here. I felt something inside me saying give this to you. I hope you enjoy it, and I'm sorry for it being so tattered it has gotten me through a lot."

The woman hands me a tattered leather bound bible and squeezes my hand softly. "My name's Marcia, and this is Emma. We will be having a sale here in a few days. Maybe come by and check us out?"

I nod and start to walk away. Emma tugs on Marcia's cardigan and whispers something in her ear, Marcia nods and says "Wait. Emma wants to do something for you if youre willing."

I stop and turn toward the young girl who couldnt have been more that 10. "What's your name?" She asks timidly, fiddling with the sleeves of her jacket.

"My name's Avaleigh, but you can call me Ava."

"That's a pretty name!" Emma giggles, blushing as she continues "M-My mom and I were wondering if we could pray for you. Its totally okay if you don't want us to though..."

Marcia looks from Emma to me and back again. "Sure you can, I would love that!" What else am I supposed to say, "no, sorry. It makes me uncomfortable?"

The three of us sit on a bench near the water, Emma on one side Marcia on the other and me in the middle.

Marcia takes my hand sweetly and begins to pour out her heart in prayer for me. Emma squeezes my shoulder and does the same and before I know it I am a sobbing mess.

"Let all that fear out doll, you're safe. Just cry..." Marcia soothes, continuing to pray.

After a while, I'm able to stand up. I am surprised how hard their prayers affected me considering no one had prayed over me for years and even then it was very vague.

"Thank you both so much, you have no idea how much that meant to me."

Emma squeezes me in a hug, amd Marcia takes my hand gently saying"anytime, we love to do this."

I walk away that evening looking for a secluded space for the night. I find it after about another half hour of walking. It is next to a warehouse that hosts several businesses surrounded by pine trees.

There is a small corner of the building that seems unoccupied, so I take the thin blanket from my pack and throw it down while putting on the bulky sweatshirt and bedding down for the night thankful that I live in a place where it doesn't get too cold at night.
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I'm driving along the route in L.A. when I decide to stop for the night. The typical motels are booked from tourist season and I don't want to stay in a run down motel, so I decide to find a safe looking space and park it for the night.

My GPS has taken a liking to running me in circles, so instead of bringing me to the nearest rest stop it had brought me to a nearly empty warehouse. I am about to whip a U-turn and just go back the way I came when something catches my eye.