Oracle

Lizzie Ch. 3

Elizabeth frowned a bit as she gazed down at her phone. The car ride was bumpy, every so often they would hit a pothole or a loose rock on the road, but it was never too big to jam the tires.

She was buckled loosely to the leather seat in the middle row in the car. She was leaned up against the car door. She sighed, looking a bit sad, eventually pressing the button on the side of her phone, the screen going black as it turned off. She looked back at the window, leaning the top of her head against the cool glass, watching the trees and mountain landscapes as they passed while on the road. It looked like a ghost town, hardly any cars out besides their own, yet it appeared beautiful. 

In Elizabeth's opinion, tourists would ruin the vibe and feel of a whole landscape or environment. Sometimes it was needed for the atmosphere, but during times like this, Elizabeth liked to pretend she was the only person in the world.

Annoying country music was playing loudly from the radio, her father humming along to the music as he tapped his finger on the steering wheel, his back leaned and slightly slouched against the driver seat in the car.

She knew better than to tell her father to turn down the horrible music. He was a rather humorous man, finding his own jokes funny, while some people, including Elizabeth, might've found them irritating. She just had to bear through it. Maybe they'd get to the campsite sooner so she didn't have to listen, and could fill her nose with the pleasing smell of campfire and pine instead.

Elizabeth enjoyed the outdoors, especially camping. Although, she figured this was a bad time for it. She had been rather caught up with school, and her parents had the impression that she could have a few days out of school. It would affect her perfect attendance, but they didn't seem to mind or care. She seemed stressed lately, so a camping trip seemed like the right choice for her. At least that's what her parents thought.

She brushed her thick dyed hair out of her face, grabbing the few loose strands and pressing them behind her ear.

Her black hair had vibrant blue tips, the black acting as a curtain while the inside of her hair was a rich and bold blue; her favorite color. She had just recently dyed it, and she was content with how it turned out. She had dyed it a few different colors in the past. Purple, pink, green, and red. She enjoyed all the previous colors, while the red was mostly just a joke to mimic Jamie's hair back in middle school when they were friends.

Jamie. That was a name that seemed to be a blast from the past to her. It felt like years since she even spoke a word to Jamie, let alone saw him around campus. He usually showed up more often for the morning classes rather than the classes in the afternoon. They didn't share any subjects, though, so Elizabeth was slightly confused on why she was questioning it.

The last time she spoke to him was in 10th grade, and that was during the time she caught Jamie developing a crush on some boy on the basketball team. She never learned anything more about it, though. Considering the fact that it was a crush and Jamie had fallen for many other people in the past, Elizabeth figured it wasn't anything permanent.

Riley sat on the other side of the middle row, sitting up in a pink flowery booster seat. She was speaking and humming along the music, butchering the already rather annoying lyrics with her high-pitched voice.

She was holding a Barbie doll with matted blonde hair and a long t-shirt that was a poor excuse for a dress. It was a hand-me-down from Elizabeth. Elizabeth remembered playing with it when she was a child. She took more care of her, she thought, more than Riley was anyway.

Elizabeth bounced her knee as she sat impatiently. During times like this, she just wished she could control time. She often had those thoughts, often stuck in her head. Moving through time, being invisible, being the only person in the world. She often found herself longing for that. She never was quite social, preferring her own company rather than anyone else's.

"When will we get there?" Elizabeth asked eagerly as she kept her gaze locked onto the

"We'll get there soon, Bug. Don't be so impatient," Her father chuckled.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She hated that nickname.

"Bug, bug, bug!" Riley laughed, gazing over at Elizabeth, while Elizabeth exchanged a pouty expression with her.

"But, how soon is soon? Seriously, dad," Elizabeth glared at her younger sister. She always became more annoying when she was stuck in the car for a long amount of time.

"Maybe another 30 minutes. Like I said, it shouldn't be long!" Her father said in a reassuring tone.

Elizabeth groaned, looking back out the window, laying her head back up against the seat. She continued to watch the view outside as they passed by forested hills and mountains, overgrown with vines and wildflowers. It was beautiful.

Her stare shifted to the few pieces of garbage that was thrown about the environment. Cups, plastic bags, crushed cardboard boxes.

She frowned. Well, what it used to be was beautiful, at least.

A sigh escaped her nose as her eyes narrowed.

30 more minutes. She probably could sleep for that long, time should pass rather quickly while she was unconscious.

She shut her eyes, leaning her head up against the cool glass softly.

Again, she began imagining herself on her own. Able to do whatever she wanted, not having people there to interrupt her own time and thoughts. It was her comfort space, she enjoyed pretending that she was the only one in the world. On her own.

By herself.