Ray interrupted our conversation. “I know we’re excited, ladies, but there will be lots of time to talk. We need to get Kate settled as quickly as possible.” He motioned to the door, and we followed him into the hallway. We took a left at the end and then another before arriving at a set of double doors. Ray punched in a code, and they opened to outside, revealing a large gravel lot. “This is where we keep our extra vans,” he said.

The lot was empty except for a lone van in the far corner. It wasn’t like the other beat-up white vans they drove on their volunteer outings, with rust eating away at the tire rims. This one was solid black and windowless, like a creepy child-molester van.

“Nice wheels,” I joked to Ray.

Normally he would have laughed, but he ignored me as he fumbled with the latches on the back door. He gave them a sharp tug, and they came flying open. He pointed to the inside. “Hop in,” he said to me.

I laughed and moved toward the front of the van. He grabbed my arm from behind.

“No, really. Hop in,” he said.

“Oh, I didn’t think you were serious,” I stuttered, instantly embarrassed. “Where—” I stopped myself. Blind faith. That was what I was operating on now.

I climbed into the back and turned to help Margo get in, but she was gone. I could tell by Ray’s expression that he wasn’t joining me either. He gave me a strange smile as he shut the door, and I did my best to look brave. The latch clicked behind him, and panic washed over me. I forced myself to breathe and give my eyes a second to adjust to the light. It didn’t take long, and as they did I saw that the van’s seats had all been stripped out. Sleeping bags and pillows lined the cab’s floor. The front doors slammed shut, and within seconds the ignition brought the van to life. I quickly plopped down, trying to arrange the pillows around me in a way that was comfortable and find something to hold on to. The van lurched forward, going slowly at first but quickly picking up speed, which meant we had to have jumped on the interstate.