The Darkest Minds: Red

Ten

There were, apparently, only two restaurant chains left in the state of Virginia, or at least the western half of it: Cracker Barrel and Waffle House - and one wasn't open before nine o'clock in the morning.

"Thank goodness," Liam said in a solemn voice as he parked the van a short distance away from Waffle House. "I don't know how we would have chosen between these two fine culinary establishments."

He had nominated himself to order whatever food he could afford with twenty bucks, and I nominated myself to go with him in case something happened.

Zu held up a small notebook, waving it to get his attention as we stepped outside.

"Done already?"

She nodded.

"Why don't you have Chubs check your answers? No, don't make that face. He's better at math than I am, anyway."

Zu flipped the flimsy notebook open to a blank page and scribbled something down. When she held it up for me to see, I grinned.

"Whoa, whoa - long division? I think you're getting ahead of yourself, sweetie. You still haven't conquered your double-digit multiplying."

We both hopped out of the minivan, and Ruby couldn't help being a bit jealous. She felt that everything would be easier if we weren't the only ones who looked old enough to pass for twenty. I felt her gaze and quickly turned around. Ruby focused her attention on the floor. I turned around, walking into Waffle House.

"You really have to stop encouraging him. Yes, only him. I get Lily was your roommate, so I know not to drag her into this. He needs to accept reality at some point." Chubs said to Zu as we left.

Zu's face scrunched up, twisting like a piece of hard lemon candy was stuck on her tongue. She punched him in the shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said, but clearly he wasn't. "It's just a waste of time and energy to teach you this stuff when you're never going to get the chance to use it,"

"You don't know that. She'll be ahead of everyone else her age by the time things go back to normal," Ruby told Chubs, causing him to turn to her.

"You know what I'd be doing if things were normal? I'd be picking which college I was going to attend later this fall. I'd have taken my SATs, gone to football games and prom, taken chemistry..."

Zu sensed the shift of mood. She looked between the two, lips moving silently. Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly saw Liam and me rush out.

       ********

"Alright, this should be enough for everyone," Liam announced, trying to balance the Styrofoam containers with both hands. I walked next to him, holding onto more containers.

A truck rolled past the restaurant window, and someone rolled down a window of the vehicle. Liam and I both stopped, paralyzed with fear. We saw a person's face, and I widened my eyes.

I turned to Liam, my breath hitching. We turned to the door, me motioning Liam to follow, and we were both careful not to make any noise. We slowly walked towards the door, and Liam opened it with a foot. I quickly and silently ran out the door, Liam following, and quietly closed it. When we were far enough from the door, we bolted to the van.

      ********

Chubs and Ruby leaned over the seat and popped the doors open, and we both dumped the containers on their laps.

"Oh, God, what now?" Chubs cried.

"Whoa-" Ruby began, trying to keep the hot food from spilling all over the seats. Liam and I hurriedly returned to our seats. 

Betty's engine started with a snarl, and suddenly everyone rocketed backward. With the sheet blocking the back window, Liam had to rely on using the side mirror to navigate down the road and up into the small back ally that divided the Waffle House from an abandoned jewelry consignment store. Ruby braced an elbow against the door as he steered the old minivan past the dumpsters to the cramped employee parking lot tucked away in a dead-end around the corner. The minivan lurched to a stop, throwing us forward.

"We're... going to stay here for a while," I announced, looking at them. "Don't panic, but we think we saw... I mean, it'll just be safer here for a bit."

"You both saw her." It wasn't a question; Chubs already knew the answer before he asked. "Lady Jane."

Liam rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned forward. I peered around Waffle House's wall to see down the alleyway. 

"Yeah, we're pretty sure," I panted.

"Holy hell," Chubs squawked. "Pretty sure or definitely sure?"

Liam and I looked at each other. After a moment, he responded, "Definitely sure."

"She's got a new set of wheels- a white truck-" I started.

"But I'd recognize that smug face anywhere." Liam finished.

"Did she see you?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Liam replied, "Probably not, otherwise she and whoever her new boy toy is would have tried to run us down. They drove by just as we were leaving."

I craned my neck, trying to see far past the wall of the restaurant and into the alley opening. As if on cue, a glinting white truck rolled by, two dark figures in the back seat.

I quickly turned around and flew back against the seat, pulling Liam with me. We looked at each other in alarm, holding our breaths. We let it out when we were sure no one was coming down the alley to investigate.

He cleared his throat. "Um... how about you pass out the food. I'll just check-"

"Liam Michael Stewart," Chubs and I said in a stern tone, which caused everyone to look at us in confusion. I grabbed his arm while Chubs gave him a warning look. He spoke up.

"If you step one foot out of this minivan, I will order Green to run you down with it."

"Don't think I won't," Ruby warned. She knew exactly what Liam wanted to do: go out and risk his neck by walking down the alley to make sure the coast was clear. I released my grip before handing him a Styrofoam container. He slumped back in his seat, accepting defeat.

The food we ordered was a simple meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and two pancakes without syrup. The others dug in, inhaling the meal in five bites, not wasting any time on the first actual meal they had in years. Ruby gave her pancakes to Zu before Liam or I had the chance to.