Fire

Chapter Five - Blaze

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me," Cass said, fidgeting against his grip, "I know you heard exactly what I said."

"Stand still and look sad, damn it! We will talk about this later," Ignatio said through clenched teeth, trying to pull her under his arm. The intention was to look like two young runaways- a couple who wanted to get married but their parents had forbidden them- in order to receive the sympathy of the driver, but Cass was making it incredibly difficult by squirming against him.

"Not until you answer me!"

"NO, CASS. The answer is no."

The look of dismay on Cass' face was not faked. Ignatio was going to get rid of her –and soon- she realised as the pickup pulled up in front of them. A middle-aged farmer rolled down the window. A look of concern rested on his sun-worn face.

"You folks alright? You look like hell."

"Good evening, sir. Do you mind giving us a lift into town?" Cass turned her gaze on Ignatio, astonished at the very distinctive change in his accent. She knew a lot less of him than she thought, she realized.

A foreign look passed over the stranger's face; as if he was trying to gauge how truthful the Ignatio was being. He eyed them again; seeing Cass in Ignatio's shirt, hair full of twigs, face covered in dust, and Ignatio looking no better. Even though they both looked pitiable, he remained sceptical. Cass thought that wise of him because she was finding it hard to trust Ignatio these days too; she was entirely glad that she was not the only one a little distrusting of him at this moment.

"How did you say you two got out here this late?"

"We wanted to get married and our parents wouldn't let us, so..."

The lie came so quickly to Ignatio's lips that Cass had to fight the urge to hit him and scream.

"I'm guessing you two decided to pull a Romeo and Juliet and run away, huh?" this time, the stranger's eyes landed on Cass' face, probably sensing that she was a lot less of an expert at schooling her emotions. Ignatio's back went stiff beneath her fingers. His posture seemed to instruct her not to mess up.

"Please sir!" she begged drawing on her frustration and desperation, "Please help us! We're hungry, we haven't slept in a while and I'm worried about my baby."

Cass lay a hand over her stomach and began to cry. She was hungry damn it! She would use anything to get into that van and get something to eat.

Ignatio stiffened at herlast comment, but began to rub her stomach and console her, maintaining herruse. The stranger swore, jumped from his truck and gave them both blankets hekept in the back. He apologised and tried to get Cass to stop crying whilst she and Ignatio were loaded into the passenger seat of his truck. He offered the remainder of the sandwiches he had packed for his trip.

"How'd you two end up this side of the woods?" the farmer asked after, while they ate.

"We were supposed to meet my brother back in Chelsea City, but he didn't show up," Ignatio offered between ravenous bites. The man eyed them with pity.

Cass hoped the farmer hadn't seen the sharp look she had given Ignatio for that lie.

"Y'all are from Chelsea? In ain't ever heard a Chelsea boy with a Gatling City accent."

"I grew up in Gatling. Moved over to Chelsea when my parents divorced."

"Hmm," the man did not seem entirely convinced, "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, boy. What about your lady friend over there? She doesn't sound like Chelsea."