"Jay, what's your plan here? Where are we going?" Jason didn't have an answer, because he hadn't really planned ahead this much. But, the guy that drove them to this place seemed to want them out of the car, and he wasn't interested in having his fifteen-year-old sister near that guy anyway. He seemed like trouble. "We'll find somewhere. There's got to be a homeless shelter or even a bus stop. This seems like a nice enough place, there's bound to be a few good Samaritans that would let us stay for the night." His sister looked at him, not entirely understanding how his biblical reference was relevant. "It's a saying, Samantha. Right now, we have bigger issues than debating phrases and when they should be used."

It didn't take them long to spot the church spire. The door was unlocked, and they walked inside, every footstep echoing in the silence. "Find a pew and go to sleep." Despite the darkness, he could just sense that Samantha had a sceptical look on her face. "Look, it's a roof over our heads for the night. We'll figure the rest out later." They seemed to take that as a valid response, and Jason heard her footsteps retreat.

-

Jason woke up first, hearing people walk into the church. It was bright outside, and beams of light shone through the stained glass windows. Voices bounced off the walls of the chapel. "I know it's early. You girls can go sleep in the pews if you want." Smaller footsteps could be heard, searching for a good seat. Jason was unsure of what to do, should he get up and introduce himself, or stay hidden? He chose the latter. He did not plan this far ahead. His plan was just to get as far away from that compound as possible. He heard the voices again, a girl asking about "a lady sleeping in the pews". Samantha. He slowly stood up, trying to be as quiet as possible, and tried to find where she'd chosen to sleep. He felt eyes on him and turned around to see the two girls both looking at him like they'd seen a ghost. The older one looked like she was ready for a fight.

Luckily, he'd stopped at the pew Samantha was in, and the other girls were approaching. The older one reached out to wake her up. "Don't-" Jason stopped himself, realising that he probably scared the girls. They were just kids. "Sorry. That's my sister. She gets scared
easily. Doesn't like people touching her." He smiled, trying to reassure the two younger girls. He couldn't afford to offend anyone in this town. (Felicity Valley? That's what the guy that drove them there said, right?)

Jason looked at where his sister was curled up in a ball on the pew and shook her slightly.

Samantha awoke, startled. Fight or flight kicked in for a second, but when their eyes focused, they realised that it was just kids. They seemed as startled as she did. Their brother was there too, of course. "Hey."

Samantha continued to stare in shock, firstly at Jason, and then at the older girl, then the younger. The church hall was dimly lit. "Sorry, that was kind of rude of us. Are you okay?" Samantha looked at Jason, who nodded his head slightly, seeming confused at his sister's silence. Samantha nodded, copying him. "So you're the silent type. That's fine." The older girl spoke, again. They were wearing a heavy coat and a beanie.

"Where are your parents?" the blonde girl asked, and Samantha looked at Jason. "They didn't want to come with us." Jason said slowly because there weren't many polite ways to explain "they're cult members that would probably kill us if they found out we were leaving" to a child. The younger girl (sister?) nodded. "Our parents are over there," they pointed to where some people were decorating the hall. "Wait here, we'll get them." She turned for a second before hesitating. "Are you guys homeless?" Again, Jason was the one to answer. "You could say that." He said with a smile. The older girl smiled back.

"I'm Jason. This is Samantha. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out. The elder girl shook it. "I'm Danny. This is Mae, my sister."

"Guys! There's some homeless people over here!" Mae shouted to the adults arranging piles of decorations.

The adults quickly tossed aside the decorations in favour of making sure the teenagers were okay.

The two were offered soup and coffee from the church's kitchen. Jason ate his gratefully, but Samantha seemed a bit more hesitant, spending more time staring at the food than actually eating it. Jason answered questions while Samantha sat in silence.

One of the women, who introduced herself as Amelia, was going to let the pair stay at her house for a while, just until they got settled. She was a teacher and promised Jason that his sister could get a fresh start at the high school.

A fresh start. That's exactly what the Ansons needed.

i was going to write another scene but then i didn't