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with the Fredricksons, a couple who seemed nice enough, and after the first week, she thought that perhaps she had finally found a little slice of stability and normalcy after years of jumping from foster home to foster home. The wife worked in an accounting firm; the husband was a manager at a restaurant. She ’d learned early on that a lot of people who signed up for foster care weren’t exactly as they portrayed themselves to be to those who oversaw the system, and often times they were only in it for the check. Sure, there were people who truly wanted to help kids, but in Alaina’s experience, they were few and far between.
    The Fredricksons did turn out to be good people, but Alaina was an angry teenager who took advantage of their kindness. She began experimenting with drugs, and that led to stealing from her foster parents.
    After a year of fighting, curfews being laid down and broken, and Alaina almost flunking out of school, the Fredricksons had had enough and threatened to kick her out.
    Before they could do that, she left.
    Screw the system.
    At seventeen, she’d disappeared and lived on the streets.
    A week later, she was out of money and out of options. She had looked for a job, but no one wanted to hire a homeless, high school dropout.
    As she walked the streets of Phoenix, hungry, tired, and her body aching, she contemplated suicide. She had nowhere to go, and she wasn ’t about to go to the state for help. She had grown up as a state ward, and the thought of going back to the foster homes and orphanages made her cringe. Maybe it was just time to end it all. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to be living in this world at this time. She obviously was a mistake. If she hadn’t been, her parents would have kept her.
    She sat down against a brick building, the afternoon summer sun so hot it felt as if she was in an oven. Pulling her knees up and resting her elbows on them, she crossed her arms and lay her head down. Sweat ran down her face, off the tip of her nose, and she felt as though she would either internally combust or pass out.
    “Do you want some water, honey?”
    Alaina jolted awake. Had she passed out or just fallen asleep? A woman knelt before her, a bottle of water in her hand. Long red hair fell to her shoulders, and thick makeup tried to hide the pockmarks on her face. Her blue eyes were kind.
    “ You really shouldn’t be out here. It’s over one fifteen today.”
    Alaina ’s initial reaction was to run, but then the woman smiled and handed her the water. “Here. Go ahead.”
    Alaina took the bottle and drank its contents in one long swallow, the cool liquid making her feel stronger.
    “ What’s your name?” the woman had asked.
    “ Alaina.”
    “ How old are you?”
    “ Eighteen.” If she’d learn anything from living on the streets, it was that she needed to lie about her age.
    “ Good. That means you can come inside,” the woman had said, standing. Alaina noticed she wore a robe, which she thought was strange.
    The woman stuck out her hand. “I’m Peggy, by the way.”
    Alaina hesitated a moment, then put her hand in Peggy’s. Peggy helped her to her feet.
    “ Where are we going?” Alaina asked, a bit of fear gripping her.
    “ We’re going to Mission, right around the corner. I can get you some more water, some food, and probably a job, if you want one.”
    As Alaina and Peggy turned the corner, Alaina saw that Mission was a strip club. Alaina stopped at the door. She really didn’t want to go in, and she certainly didn’t want a job stripping, but she was so hot and hungry. Maybe she should just go in for the food and water, and then be on her way.
    She stepped into the club and never left. She got a job waitressing, and Peggy let Alaina live with her until she could get on her feet. Peggy became sort of like a mother figure to Alaina, even though there was ten years between them. Peggy made sure Alaina stayed away from the drugs that sometimes infiltrated the club, as