out of control | the rewrite

⁸. ᵃ ᵛᵉʳʸ ᵐⁱˡᵉᵉ ᵉⁿᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗᵉʳ

CHAPTER EIGHT: PART ONE ; HER MUSIC SPEAKS AND IT STINGS LIKE A BEE
Dreams are weird. Mikayla knew that more than anyone, she swears she had weirder dreams than anybody else in the world- but this by far topped them all.

When she woke up, she thought she'd still been dreaming. With the wide expanse of a night-black lake in front of her, the warm breeze of summer, and the feel of grass under her palms, the brunette genuinely thought that she was asleep.

It wasn't until she tried to recall the strange dream that she actually remembered, the flood of information that was what she would call unbelievable flowed past her eyes, her ears, her mind and her entire body.

She jumped up with a start.

Her breath was jagged, a scream on the tip of her tongue. No one would ever hear her, let alone care. The lake was completely empty, save for the few abandoned cars on the sides of the road- drunk teens catching rides with their sober friends to play the night safely.

Mikayla wasn't a stranger to a party, but she didn't think she'd ever seen a lake party so clean after going so hard for so long. Slim Shady on full blast was hard to sleep through.

Her breath was quiet in the still-warm air, and she could see the outline of another figure beside her, body curled up against the bark of the small birch. It was good to know she wasn't exactly alone through all this.

The girl looked up at the night sky, knowing that less than a day ago, she'd been alive- in her own world, without knowing of her fate. So had Emerson. So had so many other people who died that day.

She wondered where they might have gone.

The rumble of an engine broke her from her thoughts, and she could hear it speeding up the winding drive faster than she thought was the speed limit. Then again, maybe it was the dead silence that made it seem so loud.

She turned to see headlights from the hill. Bright lights shining into her vision, at first small but growing larger by the second. A small revv of the engine told her that it wasn't a cop.

Mik walked up the grass with her hands wrapped tightly over her stomach- almost as if she were cold in the California night. Her breath only showed it's grey steam when she'd made it under the streetlamp, and a black and yellow camaro finally pulled to a stop.

There weren't any words said between the two for a while, just a silent invitation.

"You give Sam a run for his money yet?" Her voice sounded raspier than she'd like to admit, probably since nightmares had plagued her dreams. She knew her makeup was smeared and tear-stained, but the autobot said nothing about it as he slowed moved to meet her figure at the front window,

Bumblebee had his window rolled down, letting the slightly colder air inside meet the warmer temperature. "Aye captain, police called him.. boy who cried wolf."

If she were more awake she would have laughed at the poor attempt of a joke. She hummed into the open space as his engine filled the silence with a steady rumble. "Just glad you showed up, it's easier to explain when people aren't there to think you're crazy." Unless you're Emerson, in which your attempts at being subtle only make your craziness weirder.

"Had to see if you could be trusted.. can't go around talking to just anyone."

"And a human girl wearing your insignia on a hat counts as 'just anyone?'"

"Could have.. been.. a pretender, sweet cheeks."

Mikayla's face grew warmer under the light, and she wondered if it was the sudden hot breeze or the all too warm clothing she wore that caused it. "Wow, you're certainly the flatterer."

"I try my best."

She breathed out a chuckle, warm breath seeping into the breeze as it blew past. Mikayla let her arms rest at her sides. Honestly she was freaking out. Or, she felt like she should be. Her heart felt quieter though. Like the calm before a storm.

"So what happens now?"

"Dunno. Your call."

"And you're leaving this to me because.."

He hesitated. "You seem like a.. decent person."

"The confidence in your tone astounds me." She started sarcastically, giving him a raised eye. His engine sputtered, like he was laughing at her. Her eyes rolled. "Oh stop that."

The passenger door opened and stayed open, as a silent signal. Mikayla paused before sighing through her nose. "Alright, I'll go grab her."

--

Emerson curled into the backseats as they drove, not quite asleep but not quite awake either. Her eyes stayed open but her breathing and body were still and just barely moving. Mik glanced back at her through the rearview mirror, a little concerned, but overall she stayed still.

Bee played soft background music as they drove, following the center median on the freeway. She didn't think that they had anywhere to go. So she just let him do his thing.

The silence finally allowed enough time for her to think.

"What happens next?" She asked daringly to the autobot in front of her. "Do you take us with you? Dump us off at the nearest motel?"

There was a pause. "Nah. You have.. my curiosity, stranger."

"Curiosity?" Mik questioned. "Is that what this is?"

"Well, you can also classify this as.. kidnapping-"

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean- why did you come back?"

"Because.. the other lady said.. I should."

"You had a choice to pretend this never happened. Why take that chance?"

"There's never been someone.. that I haven't helped.. without good reason. And I couldn't find a good enough one.. to abandon you."

Mikayla turned to the window. "Oh."

There was silence as she thought.

Was there any kind of warning for this? No, she shook her head. Of course not, this was something they knew they would be signing up for- it was a choice.

They had no one besides each other to rely on. No family, no identity, no friends- at least any who remembered them. They were invisible- having to start over from the beginning with no one to guide them.

A rustling and a loud thump from the back caught her attention as her eyes turned to the rearview mirror. Em had shifted in her sleep, so much so that she'd fallen off the seat.

She let out a laugh at the sight. Em hadn't even realized her predicament, still sound asleep.

Bee buzzed worriedly, and Mik attempted to explain that the girl was okay- but a movement caught her eye. Soon, Bee had the blonde lifted back up onto the seat- shifting the floor to get her friend up from the ground.

He hummed in satisfaction as Emerson curled back up in an invisible cocoon.

"You should.. get some.. sleep." Bumblebee buzzed out. "Tomorrow is going to be.. a long day."

She watched the traffic light as it lit up the interior, passing by a stop light in the middle of an empty street.

The seat fell back so suddenly that she fell into it- laying almost flat. "Bee?"

"Just.. sleep.. I'll see you in the morning, sunshine!"

"If you say so." And with that, Mikayla fell asleep.

-- 

(Just kidding, she can't sleep in motion- neither can Emerson; they were just pretending and trying not to laugh whenever Bee started singing the lyrics of songs through different radio stations. Needless to say, no one slept that night).