Shane brings her hands to her face, wiping away some tears that stream down from her eyes.  Her face once again dry, she looks up and feels a single drop of rain splash against her right cheek.  She slowly wipes away the raindrop and looks at it, before looking up once again in a whisper.

Shane: …God?

Shane hears a voice from behind, causing her to turn around.

Uta: Nice church, is it not?

Shane sees the woman standing next to her.  She has an aura of confidence with a radiant grin.  She also looks familiar.  Shane looks around for a second, wondering where she emerged from so suddenly.

Shane: Um…do I know you?

She extends her right hand to Shane.

Uta: Uta.  I knew your friend, Alice.

Shane accepts the handshake.

Shane: Shane.  You were at her funeral.

Uta: Yes.  Yes I was.  I must admit, I have found myself asking the same question you just were earlier.

Shane: What?

Uta: Why, God?  Why take someone so kind and special?  I guess we both had the same calling to come here tonight.

Shane: Yeah, I guess so.

Uta: Life does not make much sense, I know.  In a way, I suppose that’s the beauty of it.  We can always explore and hopefully one day, find out.

Shane: I don’t know if I really wanna explore right now.

Uta: That’s a shame, really.

Shane: Why’s that?

Uta: It just is.  Shane…despite all of the scholars who’s entire being revolves around knowledge, none of us know for sure the answer.

Shane: Yeah…so why bother?

Uta: Because otherwise, we’ll be in front of a church during the late hours asking for an answer we can only find within ourselves.  Alice was a good person.  I’m sure you know that far better than I.

Shane nods.

Uta: If you ever start to find yourself struggling to look for an answer, do not be afraid to call on me.

Shane raises an eyebrow.

Shane: Okay.

Uta: I must be going now.  Be safe and be well.

Uta nods with a smile and backs away as Shane looks back at the church and then up to the sky again.  When Shane turns her eyes back towards the direction Uta was in, there is no one.

Shane: Where’d the fuck she go?

It’s time to go back home.  Shane knows it’s going to be yet another rough night trying to sleep.  As she makes her way back to the house, she looks momentarily at Bette’s house, next door.  If it were not so late, she would be tempted to go there instead.  Shane wanders into her home and notices that Lara is not on the couch where she’s been resting recently.

In the studio room outside, Lara and Carmen, two friends lie together in bed, both with the fear of being alone and both with the longing for comfort.

"There must be someone out there who can help you breathe again"