Downstairs in Christopher's kitchen, Ashley found every culinary tool to be imagined. All of the oak cabinets were well-stocked with yummy snacks. As inviting as the array of food was, Ashley ate none of it. She didn't feel comfortable taking food from a foreign kitchen. Her stomach protested at her pride. A lone protein bar had been long devoured when Juniper came downstairs an hour later.

"Whatcha watchin'?"

Ashley lounged in the entertainment den watching television. She glanced up at Junpier and attempted to hide the look on her face.

She was astonished to see Juniper dressed in soft white pants and a pink polo. Even her hair and makeup were simple, but fetching. If Ashley hadn't seen her in the blue tube top and loads of eyeliner the night before, she would have thought Juniper to be a respectable woman. She cringed internally. Juniper was respectable anyway. Her line of work didn't matter.

Juniper grinned at her as if she could sense Ashley's internal chastisement.

"Oh, it's a movie about a girl finding her way through this maze, and strange things happen to her. Forget what it's called."

"Labyrinth?"

"Yeah, that's it."

On the television, a dark-haired teen danced with the Goblin King.

"She kinda looks like you," Juniper remarked, referring to the teen.

Ashley turned off the television. "I don't see it."

The comment did not seem to deter Juniper, who settled on the couch next to to Ashley.

"So, what time is your flight?"

"Six o'clock."

"Do you wanna hang out here, or do you want me to drop you at the airport now?"

"If it's alright, I'd like to go to the airport now."

For the past few hours, Ashley had been bursting with sadness and anxiety, a bad combination. Anxiety crept into her, urging her to move on. A couple of times, she had dialed the same cab company she had used the night before. When they had picked up, she had hung up on them. While she was ready to leave, she also wanted to say goodbye to her savior, however odd the circumstances. Above all, Ashley wanted to be on the plane, on her way to a safer place.

"Sure, but can I ask you something first?"

The strange prickling on Ashley's scalp was back. "Okay."

"Who did you lose?"

A roar hit her ears, like waves crashing on the shore. "I...don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do."

The sudden intensity of Juniper's questioning so early in the morning threw her off. She expected false niceties and stilted conversation.

"Why are you asking me this?"

Mercifully, the tingling Ashley experienced subsided from a roar to a hum.

"I have a sense about people."

When Juniper said sense, Ashley didn't think it was a euphemism. She believed Juniper could look into her soul, hear her thoughts, know who she was and what she wanted to do.

Okay, calm down, she told herself. She's a person, normal, just like you.

Ashley knew people weren't capable of hearing each other's thoughts. It wasn't possible. Although, until recently, she also believed people were basically good, and murder and pain could never touch her.

"A sense? Like telepathy?"

Juniper shook her head. "Not telepathy. More like I can feel what other people are experiencing. Their emotions."

"That is really nifty." Maybe Juniper was respectable, but she was also crazy. "What does it have to do with me?"

"Ever since I was little, I knew when my mother was mad at me, and I knew which boys liked me."

Ashley's impatience must have shown on her face, or she read it in my head, she thought. Juniper sped up the pace of her story.

"Once in a while, I met people with a black hole inside. I never could understand why it was different than everyday sadness. My understanding came later." She didn't elaborate on the 'later' part. "The black hole was there because they lost someone they loved. When I first saw you, a shadow moved inside, and it's still there, growing." Juniper asked the same question again. "So, who did you lose?"

"My dad." Tears fell as soon as Ashley spoke.

"What happened?"

"Murdered." She could barely get the word out.

"Is that why you want to run away?"

Ashley nodded.

Juniper stayed silent. In the background, Ashley sensed the tingle, filling up the space between her ears. Distant, but near.

It's her, Ashley realized.

Before she could question Juniper, she changed the subject.

"Well, if you're gonna fool the people at the airport into thinking you're sixteen, you'll need better clothes."

Ashley looked down at her pink t-shirt and jean coveralls. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"You look too much like your age. Let's go back upstairs. I'm sure the guest closet has a few things we can use."

~*~