A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 5: Entering Paradise

Early the next morning, I wake to the sound of scratching at the door. Initially, my heart spikes in dread, remembering the events of yesterday, but I'm quick to realize it's only Pixie. She's left my side. I rub my eyes. Her cotton bun of a tail wiggles against the carpet floor.

My hair's a mess. I check the clock on the bedside table. 6:47. My stomach rumbles. Dave said there'll be breakfast around now, down in the lobby.

I climb out of bed and unlock the door, opening it to let Pixie out. I tell her not to go too far and to stay out of sight; hopefully she understands me. I watch for a while as she hops to the outer fringes of the motel, and strangely, I can't help but get the sinking feeling that I've seen her for the last time. It brings an unexpected frown, but I quickly shrug it off.

I comb through my hair, brush my teeth, don't bother changing out of the slept-in tank top and sweats, and pack away my clothes from yesterday. I check the battery on my iPhone; I forgot to charge it overnight: 47%. I hold down the power button 'till the screen goes dark. There. That should save some battery. And stop those freaks from tracking me again.

Limited resources on my back, on the run from outlandish aliens, with a morphing rabbit at my heels—hopefully—while travelling three hundred odd miles to find another alien before a school is destroyed. The odds of making it in time are slim, but it's possible—I hope.

I leave the room and head down to the lobby. Dave smiles at me, says good morning, how's your night? I smile back and tell him it was great, thanks.

He nods and gestures towards a corner where breakfast food awaits. Another person is already helping himself, a man with dark hair that looks to be in his late 30s. There isn't much—fruit, juice, muffins, milk—but for such a small motel like this, it's plenty. I approach the man's side to grab a muffin from the basket and smile as I reach for it. He says good morning and I say it back, and that's it. I stow the food in my bag for later. That reminds me...

I should probably withdraw some cash. From my peripherals, I spot an ATM. I've read enough books to understand that police can track fugitives through credit card transactions, and though I'm not a fugitive and don't have a credit card, it's an unnecessary risk. If Mogadorians are after me, why wouldn't they check that? But what other option do I have?

Only $100 should do. I roll the paper together and bid Dave a farewell, then call out to my strange bunny, praying she's still close.

It isn't long until she's sitting at my feet as the same rabbit that I found her as. I pick her up, tell her we're going to Ohio, and hail a cab with my free hand. This should be okay, right? If I'm not calling for one... I bite the inside of my cheek, hoping that's the case.

"Where to, Miss?" the driver asks with an accent I've never heard before.

"Paradise, Ohio, please. I'm kind of in a hurry." And with that, he accelerates.

***

"Cute rabbit you got there," the driver notes, Henry, I learnt his name to be. I smiled, because of course it reminded me of Henri, John's Cêpan. It was a nice surprise to meet a man named after an alien, even if it's spelled differently. But it also makes me nervous; I worry I won't make it in time. If Henri dies, I fail. I might as well turn around and go home. They won't want me.

What makes you think they'll want you anyway, Emily? I hold Pixie close, dissuading the thought, as I configure a reply, "Yeah, she is."

"What's her name?"

"Pixie," I say, acutely aware of how silly it sounds out loud.

"How adorable."

There isn't much said during the drive. I let Henry focus on the road while I look out the window for any sign that we're being followed; we never are though.