The Safehouse

Juniper

Juniper stretched out her neck the best she could in the passenger seat of the undercover police car as she brushed the tangles out of her messy brown hair. Her long legs had started to tingle and her butt was numb from being in the car for twelve hours. She wiggled her toes before pressing them against the rubber sole of her converse and pushing it free of her heel.

She scowled. Her bottom lip jutted out upon seeing that her one sock, the cute lavender one with the cat on it, sadly had a hole in it and she could see the chipped red nail polish on her last three toes. The lump in her throat, the horrible one that had been lodged there since the day she watched John Walker shoot that man in the back of the head unprovoked, wouldn't dissolve.

Her stomach growled forcing her out of her silent bubble of safety, she looked over at him and anxiety flooded her. His scruffy jaw tensed tightly the second she cast her blue eyes on him. His gloved fingers gripped tighter on the steering wheel as her stomach growled louder filling the silence between them.

"I'm driving you to the safe house in Washington, I'm not your friend."

He hadn't spoken a word to her since he had taken her into possession. She wasn't sure he would stop to feed her even if she asked nicely. Juniper went to open her mouth but was left silent when he turned to look at her.

"Whatever it is. No." He snapped. "We're an hour from the first safe house, we aren't stopping."

Juniper sighed before she spoke but her stomach grumbled audibly before she could say anything. His piercing blue eyes turned to face her, a look of annoyance marred his rugged features.

''Alright, let's get some food in you before I get accused of letting you die of starvation'' he said his voice low.

Somehow the tone of his voice got under her skin and a wave of goosebumps formed on her skin. Fucking hell it's cold. He might not let me die of starvation but she might as well freeze to death.

"Thanks," she muttered bitterly, turning her head to stare out of the window once more.

The highway was lined with pine trees, their branches laden with snow. Through the gaps in their trunks, she caught turquoise flashes of water, a lake she presumed, the grey of the sky reflecting from its still surface. It would be beautiful here, Juniper thought, if she were here for a different reason and with someone, anyone, else.

Juniper pulled her hoodie sleeves over her hands to try to keep any and all body heat enclosed. How the hell is he not cold? Juniper thought to herself. Her escort had turned off the heat about four hours ago and it seemed he wasn't going to turn it back on anytime soon.

Juniper decided that maybe talking would take her mind off the tragic scene she had witnessed and her continuously growling stomach, "So, quick question, we've been driving for twelve hours, and the last time I saw a sign for food was about five hours ago. Where exactly are we going to find food out in the middle of nowhere?"

She turned her attention back to the road in front of them when he didn't answer her. There were hardly any cars on the road.

"You know, if I had known we would be driving for hours I would have packed some food. It's kind of hard to pack a bag without any warning or details about where I am going or for how long" she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Sure princess," he sneered, his icy blues turned in her direction for a second causing her face to heat up, "next time your life is in danger, we'll be sure to let you know beforehand so you can pack food."

The car sped up a little before slowing down as he finished, leaving Juniper flustered in anger at him and the situation she found herself in.

Bringing her hand up to the window for the fourth time within twenty minutes, she wiped the foggy window clean in hopes of distracting herself from her hunger.