[ RF ] A new city , a new beginning , and maybe at last , a place to call home .

Boston felt like a smaller town to her after moving out of California, yet it ironically gave her the feeling that nobody would know her name. 
 
 Sarah grew up in a loving Catholic family in the heart of Los Angeles, with her younger sister glued to her hip. Everyone in their neighborhood fawned over how well-mannered and beautiful she and Amelia were as they grew up, and how much they took after their mother. Eventually, Sarah headed off to college, taking her parents' `` old'' 2010 car to school with her. But every holiday, she would be back and welcomed home with open arms. 
 
 One chilly, rainy night, on the weekend after Thanksgiving, the two girls decided to go see the new romantic comedy movie together, as they were both surprisingly single and wanted to spend quality sister time together. But things changed that night. 
 
 Every day since has been a battle for Sarah -- she had n't been arrested or charged for the car accident, but the death of her sister weighed heavily on her heart. Her parents never forgave her, and neither did she herself, voluntarily checking into the hospital for care. 
 
 And every night before she went to sleep, her faith wavered, as she began to ask herself why she could n't forgive herself, why her parents could n't forgive her, if it was Jesus they knew? 
 
 It took her two years, in and out of the hospital for bouts of self-loathing before she eventually found the strength to leave the hospital, and eventually the state, for good. 
 
 She silently strolled through the city on her first evening on the opposite coast, before finding herself sitting in the sand, staring out into the water. Something about the salty air smelled... different. Sure, she had been to beaches in California, but this felt new. 
 
 `` What are you doing out here?'' a warm voice called out from behind her. 
 
 She turned her head to see who was speaking, not bothering to get up from her seat below the wooden pier. `` What does it look like I'm doing?'' she replied, her bare feet digging into the sand. 
 
 `` No clue,'' the kind young man answered, finding a seat beside her and sticking his feet into the sand as well. `` You know what time it is?'' 
 
 Sarah gazed down at her small silver watch wrapped around her wrist to see it was almost four. She nodded. 
 
 He cocked his head slightly to the side to read her and her sister's names engraved into the side of her watch. `` You're new here, are n't you?'' he asked, as he looked out to the water. 
 
 `` Yep,'' she nodded. 
 
 `` Where're you from?'' he asked casually. 
 
 Silence fell between them for a few moments before she spoke up. `` I'm just here to see the sunrise,'' she said. `` I... I just want to see it come up from the water a change, you know?'' 
 
 He nodded. 
 
 He thought for awhile and chose his words carefully. `` The sun will rise, but keep your head up and your eyes open, or you'll miss it,'' he said, nudging her arm with his elbow. 
 
 `` But in case you do start leaving me and start closing your eyes, I'm here to keep you awake.'' 
 
 As the night transitioned into morning, a feeling in her gut told her that he was n't just talking about the sunrise, and she was right. 
 
 Every day, his presence was enough to keep her alive until they were old.
