Envelope Challenge

Chapter 14 - Flying Under the Radar

It was crazy! So, I was getting on to upload the next chapter, opened up Word and BAM! My document is GONE. Like no trace, dissapeared into thin air. It took me two hours and a system repair to recover it and I was practically hyperventalating during that time. I seriously thought I was gonna die. But it's back so here you go!

"You're sure you know where we're going?" Polly asked for the umpteenth time since they'd gotten into Maria's car.

"Yes!" she cried in return. "I have the GPS running right here and it's sending us straight there. It'll only take ten more hours to get there, but we can stop at a hotel later. We are on the right road, Polly!"

"And you're sure you entered the right address?"

"Polly, shut up," Nathaniel told her from the passenger's seat. They'd decided that, since those two would be taking shifts while driving, Nathaniel should ride in the passenger's seat so he could recline and nap when he needed to. "We're going to the right place so just let it go and do something with your time."

"I'm bored! I don't have anything to do. My phone's broken so I can't even play any games on that."

"Then read a book. I saw one in your suitcase. Just pull it out and do something productive with your time."

"My suitcase is in the trunk. I can't get to it." Her voice was taking on a whining tone, but she didn't care. She was bored out of her mind with boredom after five hours in the car already with nothing to do except ask questions and stare out the window at the never changing surroundings.

"Maria, stop the car," he growled and she quickly pulled over to the side of the road. "Thanks. Can you open the back?" he asked, already half out of the car. The door was open and he was leaning on it to look in at Maria.

"It should be unlocked. Just press the button and it'll pop open," she told him and he gratefully did. Moments later, he came back into the car and threw the book he took from her suitcase at her. She caught it with her face, happy that it was a paperback.

"Ow!"

"You should've caught it better," he hissed. "There, we can keep going now. I just had to take care of the child in the back."

"Jerk," she grumbled, but picked up the book. It was her favorite book, one that she'd found at a yard sale recently. It was a touching story about a woman who thought she'd never have children. However, after years of trying to no result, she got pregnant. She always thought that the woman's spirit was so wonderful, that she could keep trying even after all of her efforts failed. If only she had that determination.

By the time she finished reading, Maria was pulling off the highway to a side road and she looked extremely tired. Nathaniel was stretching his arms as best as he could in the limited space and she could hear his neck crack as he bent it.

"Are we changing drivers?" she asked and put down the book. Maria pulled into a dirt pull-over off the road and parked the car. Still without answering her, they both got out and switched sides. Obviously, they were changing drivers and she just hadn't heard them talking about it.

"Go to sleep," Nathaniel growled at Polly.

"Don't be such a jerk," she mumbled and went back to staring out the window. Occasionally, she would flip a page in her book without reading it. She rubbed her hand over the ridges of dog-eared pages and highlighted portions as the scenery flew by outside of the car. Feet passed into miles as she watched it fly by, not touching or affecting anything about the beauty of nature.

Finally, after what felt like days, but the GPS showed they'd only been driving for seven hours in total, they pulled over into the dimly lit parking lot of a hotel and turned off the car smoothly. She'd always admired the ease at which people managed to start and stop cars since she couldn't even drive.