* * *

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Karina dressed up a bit for her shift at NatMark, in a new pair of flattering jeans, a thin gold chain at her neck, a touch of eyeliner and lip gloss. It was a slow day at the store and time crawled as she looked for Micah. She had practiced what she planned to say, but almost lost her nerve when she saw him, pushing an overflowing cart. “Wow. Leave something for the rest of us.” She grinned.

Micah’s face broadened into a wide smile. “Our fridge is empty. We took our leftovers to the homeless shelter downtown Friday and served lunch to about two dozen people. Ericka had to go buy more pumpkin pie so we wouldn’t have an uprising.”

Karina noticed they seemed to weave these good deeds into almost everything they did, as if it was part of their DNA. She took a deep breath. “Thanks for having me over, Micah. I really loved it.”

“Well, everyone loved you, Karina,” he said. “I mean, really loved you. You fit right in. I think Ericka believes you’re her long-lost sister.” His eyes shone.

Karina smiled, relieved that they felt the same way she did, and hoping Micah was included in that sentiment. “I’ve been thinking about your question, what I want from my life? I really believe in everything you’re doing at the Sanctuary, and . . . I want to be part of it.” She took another deep breath and exhaled. “I’d like to come join you . . . to live there.” She held her breath, waiting for the response that would mean everything, whether or not she could finally usher her life down the right path.

Micah nodded slowly. “What about school? It’s pretty far from campus.”

“I realized you were right,” Karina said. “The classroom isn’t the real world. I want to get out and make a real impact now. I want to do this.”

Micah watched her speak and a small smile played at the corner of his mouth. After what felt like an interminable time, he spoke. “I’ll have to talk with the others; we do everything by consensus. But personally, I’d love to have you join us.”

28 | The Olanders

December 2014

By the second week in December, a stressful frenzy had descended on the UCSB campus with the imminent end of term. The library was suddenly full, every table occupied by anxious students. Karina went through the motions of going to class, studying for finals, working her shifts at NatMark and returning to her empty apartment, but her thoughts always drifted back to the Sanctuary and the life she envisioned there.

Micah finally got back to her, two weeks after Thanksgiving. “We’re going to convert the theater upstairs to a bedroom for four people,” he said when he called. “Eventually, we’ll invite three more people to join us, but it was unanimous, Karina. You’re our first choice to move in. It’ll take us a couple weeks to get ready, so you can think about—”