From across the room, you catch her eye. You're working the late shift again, at the bar, and your feet, they're tired from your heels. At first glance, you don't realize she's a woman, shirtsleeves and knickers rolled up, cap haphazardly positioned on her head. But then she laughs, a woman's laugh, and you realize, those eyes were always too pretty to ever belong to anyone but. But you chase those thoughts away, because-

You're closing up, all alone. Mr. Edja, he trusts you. He's an old friend of your Papi's, and with him overseas, he'd offered you a job, a paycheck to send back to your Mama and the little ones this summer, and a place to stay, because it's too far to home on the ferry every day. You're homesick something fierce, but you promised you'd help. When you see something in the shadows, you jump. But then you realize, it's her, the girl from earlier. She's watching you.

"Go on home." You call out. This late at night thing, you hate it, and, what if there are others? She was getting awful rowdy with those boys in there.

"Ain't safe out here for a lady all by her lonesome."

"You're a lady too." You smooth your dress, and, she steps closer to you. You shiver, but, it's certainly not cold.

"Boys won't touch me, Pop's the ferry cap'n. Lemme walk ya home."

"Home's right up there." You point to your little apartment.

"Walk to the beach with me then. Then I'll walk ya home after."

Everything in you screams to say no. Everything in you screams that she's dangerous. And not because of the boys. Not because she walks around dressing like one of them either. But, because you look at those eyes of hers and you know, you feel things you aren't supposed to feel. Things your Mama's priest wouldn't like very much. She extends her hand though, and it's soft and warm, and you think you'd follow her anywhere she wants to go.

"Brittany." She grins, all teeth.

"Santana." And you go, you walk away from your little upstairs bedroom. With her. Without fear.

You kick off your shoes and you step into the soft sand. She holds your hand like it's nothing. She holds your hand and makes you feel like there's nothing else at all. Like the whole world's not at war, like your Papi's not over there, like you and your Mama don't have three little mouths to feed.

You walk, and you tell her things. You walk, and she tells you how she's fishin' her brother's boat, because he died at Normandy three weeks ago. She tells you she's her Pop's only helper now, 'cuz her Ma died when she was born. But she doesn't make you feel sad when she does. Something about her eyes, under the light of the stars, with the ocean rumbling, they make you feel hope, they make you forget bad things exist. And you walk with her, in the middle of the night, to the lighthouse. And you've only known her name for two hours, but, somehow she knows your secret, and, you learn she has one too. You learn it when she kisses you there, hard on the mouth. And the stars in the sky, they dull, next to the ones you see in her eyes.