Strangers Revised edition

Strangers Justina Murphy has lived on the streets since the age of thirteen. Outed by her best friend, Justina was beaten extensively by her mother then thrown out of the house. She has spent the last thirty years building a life for herself, a place where she feels safe, has the amenities she was deprived of growing up and finally a certain sense of peace. Victoria Cartwright works for DCS, Department of Child Services. Her job is to convince Murphy to make changes to her very minimalist life, to open her home and her meager bank account to two strangers. Victoria needs to do this while struggling with her own demons. Jesse has very specific instructions from her mother. She's the eldest and responsible for her baby sister, Brianna. It's her job to look out for them and to help her aunt learn about love, trust and family. Jesse is also struggling with her sexual identity, even in 2003 this can pose a problem when attending Catholic High School. The three women come together, the fights are explosive, the learning curve more like an insurmountable mountain, and the results provide answers to a suicide that has hung over Murphy's head these last thirty years.