A girl sat on the bench, rain soaking her hair and clothes but she just tried to ignore it. After all, the rain was real and the whispers she could hear just over her shoulders were not. She couldn't remember how long she had been sitting there anymore, or how long since she last ate, or where she would sleep this night. All she knew was that the rain kept pouring down.
A couple of hours pass and the sky is dark before the girl gets up. It's still raining and she's shivering from the cold, but she's used to it by now. She starts walking to an alleyway, making sure she's not being followed, but there's too much standing water for her to sleep there this time. With nowhere else to go she just starts walking towards the forest, ignoring her stomach aching and the exhaustion making her limbs heavy.
She walks for about fifteen minutes before seeing a light, and at first she doesn't believe it. Before now she didn't know anyone actually lived in the woods, and she was still hesitant to believe it. She keeps walking though, and the house comes into view. It's small but the lights are on, and she can see the outline of someone sitting on a chair. Still hesitant, she knocks on the door, hoping for a place to spend the night, or at least something to eat.
Eliza was just starting to relax after a long day at work when she heard the knock. She jumped up, heart pounding in her chest, trying to figure out why someone would be there. It took her a moment of reassuring herself before she goes and opens her door, but nothing could have prepared herself to see a teen there.
"Come in, come in!" she quickly exclaims, stepping to the side as she watches the girl step inside, water pooling around her feet. "Here, I'll grab you some dry clothes so you can get changed and warm up." She didn't wait for an answer before closing the door and rushing off, returning with a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and a pair of thick socks. "What's your name kid?"
The girl hesitated, debating what to say. She could say her legal name then chosen name and explain that she's trans, but even the thought of that made her chest tighten. She could just say her name and hope the woman wouldn't ask questions, but then she was worried the woman would ask questions. Her chest only tightened more as she noticed the woman watching her, and all she could do was whisper "Elizabeth" and hope for the best.
"It's nice to meet you Elizabeth, my name is Eliza Holden. You can call me Eliza or ms. Holden, whichever you want." the woman told her softly, able to clearly see how terrified she was. It surprised her how scared Elizabeth was after just one question, but she knew to just give her time. She handed the girl her spare clothes and pointed her to the bathroom.
Elizabeth thanked her softly as she took the clothes and rushed to the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and quickly got changed, relaxing as she was finally out of her soaked clothes and in some nice, dry clothes. She sat in there for a couple moments afterwards, processing what had happened. She didn't understand why Eliza was helping her, when so many hadn't. When she gave up hope of being helped. Sure she hoped for help, but she still didn't expect it or think she deserved it. Not her, not anymore.
She picked up her wet clothes and shoes and walked back out to the living room, where Eliza was waiting. "What were you doing out there in that storm? Why weren't you at home?"
Memories flashed through Elizabeth's mind in that moment.
It was an F. An F. She was a failure. It was something she had thought about herself, but hearing her own mother scream that at her and her father just walk away disappointed hurt her more than anything she could think about herself. Tears gathered in her eyes as her mother continued to insult her, and she knew she heard a couple slurs in there.
"I did not raise a failure Thomas! I didn't raise you to be this lazy! Why the fuck would you do this to us! You're seventeen, do you really expect us to care for someone who fails classes?!"
That had been the last straw for Elizabeth. That night, once she had dried her tears, she packed her clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, snacks, and money into her backpack and snuck out. That was four months ago, and no one went looking for her.
"I-I live out there..." Elizabeth whispered, nervous.
"Do you not have a home?" Eliza asked, suddenly even more concerned. Elizabeth's silence was enough to answer that question for her. "I'll heat you up some dinner then set up the spare room for you. You can stay here as long as you want."
Elizabeth softly thanked her and followed her into the kitchen. One meal later she felt a lot better, and went to bed for the night. For once she was hopeful again and hoped it would stay that way.
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