At first, she simply roamed up and down the vast stretch of beaches, moving from Santa Monica to Venice and back again, camping out, panhandling, scrounging in dumpsters for food, sleeping on benches and beaches. At night, she unfurled her sleeping bag, lying awake on the beach, contemplating all the possible ways she could kill herself. Drowning. Drugs. One sure-footed step in front of a bus. As the days wore on, she grew closer and closer to surrendering for good until the divine powers intervened.

The spirits were guiding her the day she spotted Vic panhandling on the Venice Pier. Tourists were terrified of him, that much was clear. He was only seventeen, and an intimidating presence. Everyone who passed him averted their eyes, rushing past, hoping not to attract his attention. Some people shouted, threatening to call the police, though Vic never raised his voice in return. In an instant, Mo saw the depth of this boy’s suffering, the hopelessness that surrounded him. Mo recognized a kindred spirit. She bought two Subway sandwiches and cautiously approached him. The poor boy was starving. He devoured his sandwich and then he scarfed down hers. For the next week, Mo would return with food for Vic. Before long, they were inseparable.

At first, it was just the two of them, camping on the beach, relocating anytime the cops got close. Mo was skilled at appealing to tourists and earned a bit of money. After witnessing how careless most people were with their belongings, Mo and Vic began stealing wallets and purses, which meant they never went hungry. Sometimes they even had enough to spend a night or two in a motel, though as time went by Mo preferred being outdoors. In exchange for Mo’s monetary support, Vic provided protection from addicts, the crazies, or anyone else looking to screw with them. The girls were next to join their ranks. Kelsey and Andrea were sixteen, a couple from Portland. Mo and Vic were grabbing a slice on the pier when they saw two frat boys hassling them. She almost intervened, until she saw the girls were more than able to handle themselves. It didn’t take much to send the frat bros running. She had this sense that they were all meant to find one another. Impressed by their toughness, Mo approached the girls and asked if they were hungry.

“Famished,” Kelsey said. Mo bought slices of pizza for everyone, listening as Kelsey and Andrea explained that they’d fallen in love at one of those “pray the gay away” camps and ended up on the streets. After conferring with Vic, who gave his blessing, Mo asked the girls if they wanted to join them, and that was that. They’d bought a few tents and set up wherever they could find space on the beach. Eli came next. Then Leslie. After their numbers reached six, Mo swore she wouldn’t take on any more. Until she saw Nate.