• Chapter Three:He beckoned for them to follow him into a large room with four or five tables situated around the perimeter. Those she already knew, and many she did not, were seated, waiting for what she expected to be a delicious meal. Luke showed her to a seat and, within a few seconds, came out with at least 5 plates in each hand. Following him were Lee, Zniema, and a boy she had never seen before. Each of them carried an excessive number of items with them. Kim looked around for an empty seat. It seemed to her more like a diner than a dining room in a small run-down warehouse. Luke ran up to her and grabbed her arm. He pulled her to a table in a corner. Elliot, Zniema, and two others were already seated. One of the many large plates sat in the middle. She looked around. Lee was sitting at the table farthest from them with others who dressed very similar to him. There are so many people here. It is scary. I should go.No way!!! These people are offering me a place to stay that is safe from those terrible people on the outside. They accept me even though I have strange cat ears. I think I will stay. For now.Luke stood up from his seat next to Kim’s. He looked around the room and, without saying a word or raising a hand, everyone hushed and turned to look at him.“Uhh…..ok, so we have a new resident. This,” he motioned to Kim, “is Kim. We found her near the Golden Gate Bridge. She’ll be staying here for awhile.”Kim looked around the room. Every face seemed to have a more serious expression than she expected, as if the message she perceived was not that which was given to everyone else. Through the stillness of the room, movement caught her eye.Annie stood up and waved to her. “Hey!! Kimmy!!! Glad ya here!!! It’s gonna be fun!” Her smile spooked Kim a bit, as she remembered Annie’s temper.Luke sat down. Proceeding this, everyone started talking amongst themselves and the sound of silverware coming in contact with plates filled the room. Kim looked around the room, then at her empty plate.I cannot stay here. Everyone here has such a close bond; they are all talking and laughing. I do not fit in, as usual. What am I saying? This may work. I could manage to fit in over time.No. Impossible. I cannot do any such thing. I could not do it there, so how could I do so here.“Kim? You ok?” Luke’s voice snapped her out of her daze. “You were spacing out. Are the plates THAT pretty? I never cared much for them.” He laughed.Kim shook her head. She started helping herself to the food. Luke laughed again.“Luke!! Dude, don’t do that so often. Kim’ll think you’re making fun of her!” the boy sitting across from her criticized Luke’s laughter. “He does that a lot, just so you know. You can hit him if you want.”“Oh. No, I do not mind.” She did not like the idea of hitting the person who so generously took her in.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In silence, Kim walked up the stairs to her room. Lee was forced to show her to her room, which she had forgotten how to get to. As soon as she walked through the doorway, Lee was gone. She sighed and looked around the room. It was lit by the golden light of the setting sun, streaming through a window. The window was covered with a curtain, unlike the ones downstairs. She walked over and drew it away. Her room was on the fourth floor and, in this part of San Francisco, one could see right over all of the roofs, right to the bay. Still bothered by that afternoon, she plopped herself onto the bed.“Ok guys. We got what we came for.”This repeated itself for what seemed like an eternity over and over in her head. When she finally got a hold of herself, the entire room was black. She got up, searching for her watch. 2:38AM. At least I got some sleep. Outside, she heard faint footsteps. She silently crept out of her room and into the hall of the third floor, which had a window. She peered out. Elliot and three of the girls he sat with at dinner were walking up the alley towards the door. She could see Elliot’s hair, of course, but one thing stuck out like a beacon. All four of them had bright red eyes. She gasped, immediately covering her mouth. One looked up.