Aja had been traveling for days. She was tired, sore, and her emotions spent. It had been a while since she'd seen any "kid missing" posters with her face prominently displayed, so when she arrived in Oasis Springs, she decided to lay low a while. Her first task was getting herself something to eat.
When Aja saw the park, she saw a lot of potential. It was quite large, had plenty of fishing holes and even a couple of bathrooms. She wasn't hungry yet, but she knew it wouldn't be long before she was, so she decided to settle in to catch some fish. Maybe she could catch something for dinner! Someone was already fishing at the spot she'd scouted out, but they were so engrossed in the job, she doubted they'd notice her. She'd just have to keep to herself.
Failing to catch anything, Aja decided to do some scavenging. Maybe she could find some berries or something she could trade for a bit of food instead.
When she took a break to use the restroom, she discovered someone had barbecued some hot dogs and snitched a plate for herself. Feeling a bit lonely, Aja decided to talk to a girl who was sitting nearby.
The other girl did not look impressed that her studies had been interrupted, however. She barely gave Aja a glance, a hard, cold one that said "go away!", before continuing her studies. No further attempts at communication were acknowledged, so Aja was at last forced to give up her pursuit.
Aja was lonely and needed a diversion. Having to constantly fend for and protect herself, she didn't have a lot of time for fun. When no one was around, she played with her guitar.
It had been a long, trying day and Aja was getting tired. She found an out of the way bench and settled in for another difficult night's sleep. This was turning out to be even more difficult then she could have ever imagined, but she was determined to stick it out.
The next day, Aja did a bit more exploring around the park before school. She hadn't intended to go, but she somehow got caught up with the local kids. During a school project, she could tell the other students knew what they were doing and decided to sit back and let them do the work; this wasn't her school and she needed to bail out as soon as she had the chance. If she stayed too long, it would be discovered she didn't belong and someone would start asking questions she didn't want asked. She grabbed a shower at the gym and brewed about the poor grade the teacher had given her for not participating.
Aja was so disturbed about the grade and about the dangerous situation she had found herself in, she forgot to worry about what she was wearing. She found an inconspicuous corner, though, and lay down to take a nap. She was feeling exhausted and overwhelmed from every thing she had been through recently and needed a clear head to think.
On her way back to the park, Aja made another friend. After speaking with the girl for only a few minutes, she discovered she was a romantic. And she was making advances on her! Feeling uncomfortable, and thinking the local kids seemed a bit strange: if they weren't ignoring her, they were making passes at her! She decided to keep her own company for the time being.
Aja had kept an eye out all day for something she could eat. Her stomach growled at her angrily. If she didn't find something soon, she'd pass out! She noticed someone had just finished barbecuing a meal. Good eats! She dove in, while he was still standing there. He didn't seem to mind, but she became unnerved when he started talking to her. She was polite, so as to appear natural, but spoke as little as possible.
She got away as quickly as she could and headed for bed. It was getting late and she was so tired! Aja was unaware when the creepy old homeless man slept sitting beside her on the park bench.
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