“Okay, let’s get a few things straight: there is to be no shouting, no fighting, no messing with the radio, no calling each other names, no talking at all. Do you all understand?” I’d been giving the kids orders for an hour, ever since the Asian girl and the kid with the bright red hair started fighting. I drove for a day before stopping at a motel for the night. I was pretty sure we’d lost whoever the hell was following us.
“Okay, now what are all your names?”
“I’m Jubilee,” the Asian girl said.
“Name's Mike,” the kid with red hair said.
“I’m Jane, and this is my brother John,” said the set of twins.
“And what’s yours?” I turned towards the girl holding very tightly to her doll. “Come on, kid, I’m not gonna bite. What is it?” Still nothing. “Does anyone know her name?” I turned around to the other four, but each one shook their heads. “You’ve lived with each other for how long? And not one of you knows her?” Again, everyone shook their heads.
"Typical. Well then, until you tell us I’m gonna call you Kid okay?” Again, nothing from the girl.
“Ummm, excuse me, Mr Logan, but where are we going?” That came from Mike.
I’d already opened the envelope finding maps, routes and a location. Charles knows me pretty well and had made the location in Canada. Perfect. I know some of the surrounding area in which the coordinates were set.
“For now, you don’t need to know. I’m the one that’s driving. The only thing you bunch of brats have to know if someone asks, is that I’m your foster father taking you on a camping trip. Get that? Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starving,” As I kept driving, I’d passed a few diners, but I’m looking for one with very few people in it.
I kept driving for another 20 minutes until I came to a rundown, almost empty diner. I puledl into a parking space near the door. “Right, you lot, listen up; when we get in there you go to the booth at the far back away from the window. You lot got that?” They all nod their head at me. “Good, now get out of the truck.”
Each of them slowly exits the truck, apart from the shy kid who remains seated in the truck. “Kid, what did I say? Get out of the truck,” but she doesn’t move. She just sits there holding onto her doll for dear life, looking down at her seat belt. I look to, only to notice that she has been buckled in twice and the straps are tangled up. I give a small growl and lean over to untangle the straps and set the girl free from her restraints. I step back once I’m done with the straps, waiting for her to get out of the truck, but she doesn’t move. She just sits there holding onto that doll of hers.
With a growl, I reach into the car again and lift her out and hand her over to the Asian kid (Jubilee, I think she said her name was) and I start to make my way over to the diner door followed by the kids.
As we enter, a waitress looks over as the bell rings, meaning more customers. She looks us over, gives each of us a judging look before turning her attention to the person sitting at the counter. I march the kids over to a booth at the back and wait for them to sit down before I sit at the end next to female twin Jane. After we sit down, the waitress from the counter walks over to us carrying a few menus.
“So, what can I get you all?” She has a southern accent which is strange to hear this far north. “Coffee, black,” I inform her. The twins both order eggs and bacon. Mike orders a stack of pancakes, and Jubilee orders a bowl of fruit salad.
“And what about you, little one? What would you like to eat?” Everyone turns to the kid waiting for her to speak, but she just sits there holding onto that doll of hers. “She’ll have a small stack of pancakes, like the boy,” I order for the kid. She doesn’t protest what I’ve ordered her, just keeps her head low. “Coming right up." The waitress finally leaves us to ourselves.
We all sit in silence waiting for our orders to come, though I had a feeling it won’t be quiet for too long. “So, what are we going to do once we get to our ‘camp’?” I just had a feeling that yellow, big mouth one wouldn’t keep it shut for long.
“Don’t know, guess will see when we get there,” I pull out a cigar from my jacket pocket wanting to light it badly, but the no smoking signs plastered around the joint make it hard to do. I let out a low growl as I put the much needed cigar back into my jacket pocket. A few minutes later the waitress is back with our order. Everyone seems to dig into their meals, apart from the kid. Still holding onto that damn doll of hers, but this time she’s looking at the pancakes.
I don’t even have to ask her what’s wrong this time, I just lean over to her and start to cut up her pancakes so she can eat. The kid is just skin and bones. By the time I’ve finished cutting the stack up, the kid is looking up at me, studying my face. I push the fork into one of her small hands and give a slight nod letting her know that it’s okay to eat. After a few more minutes of staring at the plate, the kid lifts her hand to take some pancake onto her fork and starts to eat slowly.
Whilst I finish drinking my also much-needed coffee, I study the small bunch of teenagers who I’m gonna be spending god knows how long. The twins Jane and John look no more then 13 or 14, and they've both got light blond hair and green eyes. They both have a small scar on their right eyebrow in the same place. They seem to be keeping to themselves. They keep looking at each other from the corners of their eyes, and watching the rest of the group all at the same time.
Mike, he must be about 16, with his flaming red hair and brown eyes. He’s also got a big build to him, which would explain why he’s not came up for air since he started to eat.
Jubilee, she looks about 17, maybe 18. She seems to be very stuck up, studying her chipped nails. Don’t get me wrong, she saved our lives using her powers on the chopper, but it just seems she was doing it to save her own skin, not anyone else’s.
And then there’s the kid, who won’t stop looking at me. It’s like she’s getting ready for me to rip her in two or something. Out of all of them, the kid seems to be the brightest one. She’s being very curious about people around her and what’s going on around her.
After 15 minutes of silence (first and possibly the last time would hear it in a long time), I nodded my head to the waitress, letting her know that we were done. She brought the bill over and took the dirty plates away. Paying the bill, I stand without saying a word to either of them and start to head for the door. As I reach the car I light my cigar and wait for the other five. But I don’t have to wait long as I can smell the five of them right behind me. Good thing at least one of them was watching. Mike’s the first to the car, jumping into the far back. The twins are next to enter the car sitting in the middle row, and last Jubilee holding the kid in her arm. Jubilee moves to the passenger side of the car and places the kid in the front. Once she’s settled in, Jubilee moves to the back of the car to sit next to Mike. After a few more puffs I stub the cigar out in my hand and enter the car. It was a start of a very long week’s worth of driving. Oh the fun.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Okay first let me say a BIG sorry for not getting this out sooner, but my email though it would play tricks on me and not send any eamils, to anyone, so it wasnt till a week went by that I realised this. And also real life just got in the way. so so sorry. Have fun reading.