“Matt! You’re here. Finally. We need to go before—what happened?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2GIaadaix
Kasha stood frozen in the middle of the road, mid step. She had clearly been ready to go, but had paused when she seen my wild look.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfQgN8bpce
I was out of breath when I answered. “Th-they’re gone,” I stuttered. “I looked everywhere but they were-they were gone. No trace. They only left behind these.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWTWRyfnHW
I took my mom’s glasses out of my pocket, my hands shaking. I fumbled them over to Kasha, who took them and put them on.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegTu3BTFYX
“Hmmm.” She cocked her head, looking confused for a moment, then I watched in bewilderment as she did something I could only describe as an extremely improvised dance. She flailed her arms, kicking upward, her upper half lurching towards the ground every so often. I was completely taken aback. To my relief, she stopped after a few seconds.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUwPY2CTor
“That’s weird,” she said. She took off the glasses and handed them back to me. “I saw myself.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUl46wQwu6f
“Oh, so that’s why you were doing...whatever that was,” I said. “You were testing it?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBtjPSSVzZ
“I think it’s some sort of glass that looks through your eyes.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2IQLiTd3m
“Did you see any words?” I asked carefully. She shook her head.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetYQ6BtymC
“No. Only myself.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULuWaAUCl2
Interesting. I put the glasses on again, expecting to see four words, but instead I got what I would normally see. Kasha stood casually, illuminated by an ancient street light by the road. Her green eyes stared at me intently. Suddenly, a wave of anger at nothing in particular rushed through me and I whipped the glasses off, shoving them into my pocket. I didn’t care if they were broken, or if one of the many rhinestones fell off, only about getting out of here.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SXCffe4Vy
“You know what? Let’s go,” I said forcefully. “We can’t waste any more time. There’s nothing good here anyway.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30S2xaxPdz
Kasha shrugged, turned around, and walked briskly down the street. I followed her without hesitation. The path turned from cobblestone to concrete, and we were in downtown New York.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygrd58iJT9
“So where are heading?” I wondered.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMn06cOZ8w
“You’ll see.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3N0TULi7oc
As we walked, the buildings that lined the street loomed menacingly over us. Kasha tried to keep to the shadows, and I did as well, not that it was hard. It was nighttime, after all. My eyes flitted around, searching for danger. The normally busy streets now seemed eerily empty, save the occasional late-night walker. Peering into a shop window, I saw the blank faces of mannequins. They wore delicate evening gowns. In a corner, their broken twins were piled in the corner like the stacks of bodies after a war. I shivered. I could already see them in my nightmares.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNEJ7XEb36
We eventually came to a place about a block from where we started out. It was an abandoned parking lot, complete with tall weeds and cracks. A bright red car sat right in the middle. It was beautiful. I darted a look over my shoulder, but my view was miraculously and, most likely, strategically blocked by trees.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O1JMeiTNQ
“Is this our ride?” I asked.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiBiM1rn7P
“Yeah,” said Kasha. She strode over to the car and waved me over. “Get in.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5987xDmf5
I stepped towards it hesitantly, doubt filling my head, until she reached over, grabbed my arm, and shoved me into the passenger door. My nose and forehead made unpleasant contact with the window, and I groaned pitifully.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZI5DrOAMg
“Don’t be such a baby,” she snapped. “Just open the door and sit down.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2iNPR1Gej
I reluctantly pulled on the handle, letting the door fall open. To my surprise, the inside was not shabby at all. The seats looked new, and screens were built into the back of the headrests. Everything looked clean, too.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WvVaKcnJg
“Where did you get this?” I marveled.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jqf1GuuSA
Kasha raised her eyebrows. “Sure you want to know?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtrcfyEc3W
“Well, why not?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMOLUzts4B
“I’ll tell you when you’re in the car.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNclowzVnZz
Right. I sat on the sleek leather that made up the seat covering, still amazed by the features of the car. A moment later, I was startled into looking up by the sound of the driver door slamming, and then Kasha was settled in next to me. She started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot. I expected to feel violent bumps and ridges. Surprisingly, the road felt smooth.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT70qh9CO7z
“Nice suspension,” I said.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4WlBG9ymZ
She “hmmm”ed in return and drove, her eyes glued to the road. Soon, we made it into New Jersey.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbInQtwDooD
“I got it from a junkyard,” said Kasha.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGGSTn7iX5
“What?” My eyes flew open. I blinked a few times, unaware that I had drifted off. To be fair, I was extremely tired.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCJMxmzqyM
“This car,” she said. “I got it from a junkyard. I took it after a guy crashed it into some trees, and I fixed it up a little.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8axyMGdnT
“You’re a mechanic?” I asked, surprised.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCXu12XLZ8
“Used to be, back in another life. I don’t know why, but everything just falls out of place now.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZn0ZrqroJ
“Oh. Wait, how did you get the junkyard to give you the car?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcI8q3hDUkY
She smiled, then glanced sideways at me briefly. “Who says they gave it to me?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYby7pUDllz
Ah. Okay. So she officially was a thief, although she didn’t rob a bank.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv1vSjzGh0
“Same difference,” I muttered to myself. Kasha looked at me strangely for a second, then continued to drive.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCrYnodTGl
Before long, it was midnight, and we were tired. Well, at least I was tired and Kasha was still doggedly driving.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDajhlGWGJ
“Okay,” I said, yawning, “let’s go find somewhere to stay. You have to be tired.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXBWyE50af
She seemed to think for a second before she said, “Fine.” She then threw the wheel sideways, swerving into an exit. My entire body crashed sideways, then settled as the car landed back on all four wheels. I could already feel throbbing in my arm. And my leg. And everywhere else in my body.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pzsKOqV9s
“What was that for?” I yelped, clutching my elbow. Kasha had gone back to being a robot, seemingly unaffected by her sudden action. She didn’t answer.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjQGO5nmcn
“Okay, then,” I said. I sat back. Suddenly, Kasha cursed and she repeated her kamikaze move, but this time she petered to a stop on the side of the road. I almost yelled at her, but stopped when I saw her wide-eyed expression.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwz2FHjYIt2
I could now see why. Red and blue lights flashed behind us, illuminating the dark sky. I didn’t hear the siren before, but it rang in my ears as the police car parked neatly behind us.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtutPNbA20
In the rearview mirror, I saw a person come out of the car. He or she headed toward us, slowly, just as Kasha rolled down the window.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQw2iLlVa9o
The officer paused at the window. A crooked name tag read Officer Mitchell. She had brown hair, blue eyes, and looked strangely familiar. From what I could tell, she was in her 30s or early 40s.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEyzxU0hvF
“That was an extremely risky move. I trust that you know this already?” She said in a stern voice. She bent down and peered into the window. “Could I see your driver’s license, please?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KIMTzWPmH
“Sure! Just, uh, give me one second, and I’ll have it right for you!” Kasha took on an obnoxiously cheery tone. She was obviously trying to seem as friendly as possible. It wasn’t working. Officer Mitchell just stood with her arms crossed, starting to look impatient. Kasha shuffled around in her jean pockets, flipping them inside out, and then she shrugged delicately, looking up at the officer with innocent eyes. “Sorry, I left it at home. But I could tell you my information…?”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndOEudpsQh
“No. You have to provide a valid form of identification—”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvicOhRKU2y
“Please? We almost missed the exit, and we didn’t hurt anyone.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpDqnMmvRB
Mitchell sighed. “Not having your I.D. is illegal, or did you miss that in driving school? And I’ll have to give you a misdemeanor charge if you don’t provide one.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8emdU260V
Despite Kasha’s (temporarily) bubbly exterior, I could see a bit of panic rising in her. She knew it was gonna be a while before the cop or we moved on. I racked my brain, thinking and trying to come up with diversions.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqhHqTXH6t
“Uh, I can vouch for her,” I piped up timidly. I figured stalling was the best way to get the time to think up a solution. Kasha looked at me, then back at the the officer, who just looked completely exasperated.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEsYUo9Swd
“That’s not—Look, Are you guys drunk or something? Step out of the car, please.”
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAp171D1FWn
“All right!” Kasha chirped. She opened the door and hopped out. When I moved to open my door, however, I found my muscles locked in place. And as if a switch was turned on, I suddenly had a flash of realization. All at once, memories raged through my head. They left me with the reason why Officer Mitchell looked familiar, and I couldn’t be any more happy, or stunned.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcMdkiF4be
I scrambled out of the car with a flurry of motion and stared at the policewoman standing in front of me. She looked so, so different from when she was 18. She was older, more mature, yet I could still see some of that innocence she used to have. The innocence that I once loved. And her eyes. They were focused, the look of a trained policewoman. She still had the same cornflower-blue irises, but now they held a new intensity that I didn’t remember from before.
600Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURBOhWseWU
I opened my mouth to speak. “Kaylee?”
ns 15.158.61.17da2
