You sighed quietly as you slowly walked down a sidewalk near some town homes. You had arrived in Tulare the night before and had been walking threw the city since then. You were at a lose of what to do now that you were out of any immediate danger.

You did always have the option of traveling to your aunts house. She only lived a state over and you knew she and her family would be more than willing to help you out.

After thinking it over though you decided against it. You didn't want to get them involved. You couldn't bare to lose anymore of your family so you just decided on moving to a different place in California instead of involving them.

You mainly wanted to go a different place because of the man you saw at the gas station before you hitched a ride. Something about him was a bit off and you were worried he had heard the old couple's conversation about going to Tulare. Considering this possibility all you currently wanted to do was find a bus station and move onto a different place.

Speaking of which you had been wondering around in search of a bus station for a few hours now but had yet to find one. It was beginning to annoy you but you pushed on—determined to find one no matter how long it took.

Finally, after around 30 more minutes of looking you spotted a bus station. Smiling gratefully at this you began walking towards the station. Once reaching it you approached the ticket booth and asked the worker about bus times. Getting the information you needed you bought a one way bus ticket to a large town in Riverside county called Waldonfield.

You'd never heard of the town but you didn't really care at the moment so you just handed the worker the money before taking your ticket. You then walked over to the group of people waiting for the next bus. None of them paid you any mind and you simply hung near the back of the crowd until the bus arrived.

Once the bus arrived you quickly stepped inside and made your way to an empty seat in the back. After setting down you silently watched as people began piling onto the bus. Soon the last person sat down and the bus driver began driving.

Around three and half hours later the bus finally made it to Waldonfield. The bus station the bus stopped at was somewhat crowded but you were able to get through the crowd with minimal effort. Once you got out of the crowd you began walking down the street as you tried to think of what to do next.

'Since I'll be hiding out here for a while I should probably find a place to live and a job...but where am I going to find that?' You thought as you walked down the street.

'Maybe I can find a library with a computer I can use...' You then thought as you began looking around in search of a library.

You didn't see anything that would direct you towards a library but you did see a rundown looking diner.

'Maybe if I order some food there one of the servers will be willing to point me towards a library.' You thought as you slowly made your way towards the diner.

The door to the diner opened with a loud creak as you stepped inside the small building. Cringing at the sound you glanced around a noticed several people setting at some tables. They all stared at you for a few moments before looking away and quietly whispering to each other.

Instantly feeling insecure by their actions you began to shift uncomfortably. You knew you probably looked like a mess but it wasn't really your fault. You had been too busy trying to get away from your parents murders and the masked men to really care about your appearance.

Sighing a bit you slowly walked over to one of the empty tables by the window and took a seat. After setting down you picked up a menu from the menu holder on the end of the table and began looking threw it.

After a few minutes of you silently reading the menu an older waitress came up to your table.

"Hello. Can I get you anything to drink?" The waitress asked with a kind smile.

"Yes. Umm I would like a coffee along with a glass of water." You said as you smiled back at the waitress.

"Alright sounds good. Would you like any sugar or creamer in your coffee?" The waitress asked as she pulled her notepad out of her pocket.

"Just sugar and milk please." You said simply while looking over the menu again.

"Alright. I'll bring out some with your coffee. Have you decided what you would like to eat yet or do you need more time?"

"Yea I would like (favorite breakfast food) with hash browns and fruit on the side." You said closing the menu and putting it up.

"Sounds good. I'll go put your order in now." The waitress smiled before walking off to the kitchen.

Sighing quietly you turned your head to stare out the window beside your table. You watched as people rushed around, ignoring anything that didn't immediately relate to their life.

'I wish I could be like them...not having to worry about getting killed by a bunch of lunatics or wondering if I'll ever be able to live a normal life.' You thought in self pity.

Frowning slightly you turned away from the window to see your waitress making her way towards you. She was carrying a tray with your drinks on it.

"Here you go. Your food should be done in around 10 to 15 minutes."The waitress said as she placed your coffee and water on the table along with sugar and milk.

"Thank you. Umm hey... do you know where I can find I library?" You asked before taking a sip of your water.

"Hmm let me think..." The woman said tapping her chin thoughtfully as she searched her brain for any memory of a library.

"I believe there might be one about 5 miles from here..." The older woman said slowly before looking down at you.

"May I ask why you want to know?"

"Oh I just wanted to use one of their computers to look for a job."

"I see...well if you would like I could give you a job at the diner." The waitress said with a kind smile on her face.

Your eyes widened a bit at the realization that this wasn't just any waitress but she was also the owner of this diner.

"That would be great! But don't you need to interview me first and see my resume?" You said as the happiness in your eyes slowly diminished, knowing that you couldn't provide her with one.

"Well usually I would ask for one but I'll make an exception just this once and as for the interview, I'll just ask you a few questions now."

"Okay." You nodded.

"What's your name and how old are you?"

"My name's (YN) and I'm 18 Years old."

"Alright and have you ever been to jail (YN)?" The waitress asked her gaze narrowing into a calculative look.

"No."

"Do you drink or do drugs?"

"No."

"Do you have work experience?"

"Yes. I've worked a few summer jobs in my hometown."

"Alright. Do you have a place to live?"

"No...not yet. I'm still looking for an apartment." You said glancing to the side awkwardly.

"Well the least I can do is give you a job. Now as for a place to live I can write down a few places that I know have low rent." The woman said as she began writing on her notepad.

Finishing up writing she tore the piece of paper she had been writing on and handed it to you.

"Here you go. If they start asking who you are and you don't want to tell them, just say that you're Rosie's niece and that I sent you to them because I'm trying to help you get started living on your own." The woman you now knew by the name of Rosie said with a smile.

"Okay. Thank you... I'm not ungrateful for your help or anything but why exactly are you helping me?"

Rosie sighed softly at your question before smiling gently at you.

"Well you remind me off myself when I was younger...I ran away from home at a young age because I didn't feel safe at home anymore. I struggled trying to survive on the street for five years until I stumbled upon this very diner. At the time the owner was a middle aged man named Lenny. He knew I was homeless and that I didn't have much going for me but he offered me a job and helped me get back on my feet...after he passed away ten years ago he left the diner to me. I've always wanted to help someone out like how he helped me and no offense but when I saw you walk into his diner I knew you were in a similar situation to mine all those years ago and I felt the urge to offer you my help."

You sat in silence, searching Rosie's face for any sign of a hidden motive before deciding she was telling the truth.

"Alright. Thank you. I'm glad I met someone like you that I can relate with." You said deciding that it was best to play along and act like you were a teenage runaway. Besides technically you were, except the fact that you didn't runaway by your own choice.

Rosie smiled brightly at this before speaking once more.

"Your first day of work will start tomorrow at 7:30 in the morning. Don't be late." Rosie said before walking back to the kitchen. She then returned a few moments later with the food you ordered and sat it on the table before going back to the kitchen.

You smiled a bit before you began eating your food.

'Looks like things will start looking up from here.'

A/N

Hey guys! Thanks for reading! ^v^ I know this chapter wasn't too eventful but don't worry things will start getting more exciting in the next coming chapters. Anyways I thought I'd let you all know that Waldonfield is a town that I made up. I'm honestly not sure if it's an actual place or not in California.