Eventually, out of options and exhausted, they decided to spend the night under a freeway overpass they had noticed during their walk, which already had a few tents under it. Taylor and Aria both imagined that the permanent-looking nature of the camps were a good indication that the people living there had already established it as a safe place to be. The chances of being singled out and harassed by cops among the other vagrants were smaller. Being careful not to impose on preciously guarded territory, they sat down a short distance from one of the tents. The people there, heavily layered in tattered clothing, seemed to exist in their own little worlds. None of them even acknowledged a change when the two sat down to claim a portion of the territory.

The static hiss of the cars passing by overhead inflicted itself on their attempts to fall asleep. That night, they did not give each other space. Instead, they were braided together, hoping that body warmth would quell their angst. The ground was cold and unforgiving, as was the incline that promised to keep them dry should any rain fall. It was a strange, distorted form of safety. They both slept fitfully, never quite dropping into the dark tranquility of sleep. Instead, they spent the night engaged in the gnarled and fragmented images of the shallow dreams that exist just above it.

When morning came, the sun did not get a chance to wake them; discomfort did. Their bodies throbbed and did not move with their usual quickness. They said nothing to each other, but tried to rouse themselves from the hangover of exhaustion. The sun had not risen yet. Instead the light had converted itself into purple.

It took a few moments for the slowness to be pierced through by panic. Aria had wrapped her backpack around the bottom of her leg, sure she would react should anyone try to take it. But now she reached out to find it gone. “God damnit!” she yelled, causing Taylor to jump too. “Someone stole my fucking backpack. I can’t believe it. Someone stole my fucking backpack.”

She jumped to her feet, her eyes scanning the area around them frantically. She was furious at herself. She was furious at the stupidity of not holding it between them, or at the very least using part of it as a pillow, like Taylor had done. She was uneasy with herself that she hadn’t woken up at the sound of it being taken.