Los Angeles revealed itself to Willow in small, gradual layers. It never arrived all at once and it never demanded her attention loudly. The city seemed content to wait for her, allowing her to move through it slowly while she regained her balance and opened quiet corners and ordinary streets without urgency. It lingered patiently at the edges of her days as though it understood she needed time before she could trust anything new.
Even after several weeks she still felt like a visitor moving through someone else's life.
