Eight.

Something felt different here. I wasn't sure what it was. When the green California sign flashed by, my stomach turned and my heart skipped a beat. We were here, finally here. I saw big rocky mountains in the distance, and the sun was beaming so bright my vision was flashing and I swear that bright light looked like heaven. I looked over to Sage who stared ahead at the long road. In the rearview mirror I could see Jayden smiling, and I felt a glimmer of hope flutter around in my chest. I so wished that again, this was a new start.
I swallowed my fear and let myself live in the present. The sky was so fucking crystalline blue that the red and orange of the desert boldly stood out. I could feel that hope in my chest again, balloon so big that I could practically feel my lungs exploding. Tears welled in my eyes but they were happy ones, and I tried not to let them fall down my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly. This would be a new life for me, I would make sure of it. Nothing would come between my dreams and me, otherwise there'd be some problems. I thought of the way Sage held his gun steady while he fired away at that truck behind us, and I thought of Jayden's cold hard glare. We were all fighters I thought. All three of us. We had to be, at that point. You have to be some kind of relentless crazy to destroy everything stopping you from being free. I ached with heartbreak still though, whenever I thought about Father and Mom. Regardless of what the police think, or the town thinks or the people watching the news think, I did love them.
And, I'm not a bad person and neither is Sage. We had to escape, or we would die there in that town, in that house, Sage locked in that barn. The scars are still on our skin from what he did to us but now, he can never hurt us again. Yes, I lit the match, but he beat that fire into me so badly that I used to think my whole world was on fire, but it's not. Not now, when the sun is gleaming and the wind is gushing through the car windows and Jayden is humming to a song on her ipod and Sage is still driving. I'm not sure what the future holds but I know that Sage and I will always be close. We're bonded now, our lives branded into eachothers like a sigil, for better or for worse. And, as I look at him in this light, I don't feel that guilt in my stomach or the urge to kiss him. He is just my brother, and that's all he's meant to be I think. What I've done, what we've done, is bad, but can you blame us? We're just kids trying to survive and right there in the passenger seat I promised to myself to never repeat any of my old mistakes. I am in control. This is my godamn fucking life. I look over to Sage. "Do you need me to drive." He raised an eyebrow. "You're not that good at it." But, a sigh snuck out from him and although he concealed his exhaustion well, I could tell he was really tired. "But, go ahead. Just please don't crash." I smirked, "Hey we survived running from the cops, some crazy truckers, and almost being shot so I don't think me denting the car a little bit would hurt." Jayden laughed. "So you think but do you know how much a mechanic costs. This old thing has gotta last us until Los Angeles." I rolled my eyes as I switched places with Sage, "I'll drive carefully." With that said, I slammed my foot on the gas and all three of us started to speed down the long road again, this time, me in the driving seat.