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Lauren’s first memory of Ally was Ally on her knees, praying. Lauren was 10, she didn't believe in God.She had just been kicked out of a small bakery a few blocks away for stealing some food, she ran into the closest ally she could find and began to look for refuge; instead she found the small figure of a girl hunched over on her knees, who seemed to have the same idea. As Lauren crept closer to the girl she decided that she could take the girl if she tried to fight Lauren, but Lauren wasn’t a fighter, and she didn't want to fight.“Y’know, it’s not safe to be so unprotected in an ally.”Lauren watched as the girl jumped up and the two were soon face-to-face, she was quick on her feet but Lauren still thought she could take her. “I am protected, I’m always protected by God. He protects me.”Lauren made a gesture for them sit and Ally nodded. Ally was so visibly shaken by Lauren’s presence, a weak, amused smirk found its way on Lauren’s face; she could feel some confidence swell up in her chest. “You really believe that?”“You don’t?”Lauren shakes her head, “I don’t see any God out here tonight.”“God isn't something you see. Maybe if you were in heaven, then you might see Him, but God is something you feel. You feel his undying love and protection in your heart and in your soul. I feel his love and his protection in my heart and in my soul; and I know that he’s with me and he’s watching over me.”Lauren didn't feel God, she only felt hungry and worn-out, but she didn't say anything. She offered some bread to the girl beside her and she ate in silence.“What’s your name?”“Lauren. You?”“I’m Ally.”Lauren studied Ally’s face and decides that if angels were real than they would look like the girl. “We should stick together. I think we would make a good team, don’t you think?”Lauren shrugged her shoulders, she had chosen to stay with Ally for the night and she soon found out many things about the petite girl, like her resolute faith and trusting nature, the fact that she was 3 years older than Lauren, and that she could talk. Lauren was introverted, she was withdrawn where Ally was sociable and outgoing, and well, Lauren was coping.Lauren thought that Ally had finally fallen asleep when she heard the girl murmur, “I hope that you find God, Lauren. I’ll pray for you.”***Lauren was 18 and Ally was 21, they did make a good team. The offbeat duo survived their difficult upbringings, with some minor scrapes and bruises; Lauren more so than Ally, she was always bolder in their thefts, with a quicker, more vicious tongue and habit to get into fights – both physical and verbal.Camila had gotten it the worse out of the three; the two girls found Camila beaten and bruised outside the back of a bar when she was 15 and Ally couldn't leave the girl behind. Lauren was a bit apprehensive of the extra mouth that needed food at first, but, despite Lauren’s hesitance, Camila still quickly found her way into Lauren’s guarded heart with her cut-up baby face and eyes that resembled an injured puppy – big, dark, watery eyes.Camila was 17, she still the same puppy eyes and shaky hands but all her bruises had faded and her cuts were scars now, and she had a new tendency to blindly follow Lauren into battle – much to Ally’s frustration; really, Ally just did what she needed to do to keep her and her girls alive. Ally was cuddled into Lauren and Camila was next to Ally on the couch, both girls had their eyes fixed on the TV. Lauren watched them and she felt love for her girls swell into her chest, she was proud of how far they've come and the change they've made. They overcame anything thrown at them, and Lauren knew that there was definitely a lot of shit that was thrown at them. Lauren comes up with the thought that they were unstoppable, and she tells them so. Camila looked away from the cheesy sitcom, nodding enthusiastically and beaming, Lauren thought she had a similar sort of smile on her face. Ally looked between the girls shaking her head with an amused smile as they discussed super hero names for the trio and cuddled into Lauren deeper.***Lauren’s last memory of Ally was Lauren on her knees, praying. Camila’s crying and shaking violently, and Lauren’s begging her to keep her eyes open, to keep talking to her. So Camila's next to her falling completely apart and Lauren's on her knees with Ally in her arms, and Ally's talking to her about their memories.When Lauren was 10, Ally prayed for her. When Lauren was 14, Ally was the first person to buy (steal) her flowers once she learned that Lauren never gotten flowers (and always wanted them) and when Lauren was 15, Ally was the first person to kiss her. When Lauren was 16 she threw Ally the first birthday she had in over ten years, because that’s when she found out Ally’s birthday. When Lauren was 17, Camila introduced them first time marijuana and they smoked together. When Lauren was 18, both of them had sex for the first time. All of their memories are fading, turning a rich, warm, dark red.Lauren never believed in God, but Ally always did; God was supposed to always protect Ally, but Lauren is covered in Ally’s sticky, warm blood. Lauren’s holding Ally’s body and she keeps telling Ally that she’s going to pray for her, but Ally isn't moving in her arms anymore.