It All Started When...

Under the Stars

"3...2...1! We have official made it to Washington!" I threw my hands up in celebration, grinning over at Liam. He just shook his head with a smile on his lips, keeping his eyes on the deserted road.

"We're so close! By this time tomorrow, we'll be in Canada! The land of the maple trees." I imagined that moment, that final step that would put us over the border. Away from The General. Away from Margaret. Away from that weird military camp thing.

"I wonder if their maple syrup tastes better." I leaned my forehead against the window, pulling the hood of my new jacket up to protect from the cold glass. "I bet it does. You know what?" I asked suddenly.

Liam hummed, checking the rear view mirror. He shifted his position so that he was driving with one hand clung loosely to the steering wheel. I was momentarily distracted by the contours of his arm under his long-sleeve, olive-green shirt.

   I coughed tearing my eyes away. I felt a blush start to heat my cheeks, but it was one hundred percent the cold. Yeah.

"The first thing I'm going to do, when we get there, is order a thick stack of pancakes." My stomach growled with the thought, even though I had just had a granola bar.

"Pancakes?" Liam asked, his brow furrowed.

I turned to him with disbelief etched across my face. "You've never had pancakes?!"

He lazily lifted one eyebrow. "Uncultured. Remember?"

   "Flap Jacks?"

  He pulled his mouth to the side. "No."

   "Slap Jacks? Hot cakes? Griddle Cakes? Blini? Crêpe? Blintzes? The Most Important Food in the Entire WORLD?!"

   "The most important huh? I'm not sure I believe you." He flashed me a cheeky smile.

I laughed. "Okay, change of plans. The first thing I'm going to do is force you to eat pancakes."

Liam couldn't hide the grin that slipped onto his features. "Force me? You're serious about this, aren't you?

"You're right. I probably wouldn't have to force you. You'd fall in love at first bite." I smiled and crossed my arms over my chest, pulling the cuffs of my sweater over my hands. I wished I had grabbed warmer clothes from the store. Maybe some thermals. This truck was so cold.

"We should probably stop soon. It's getting hard to see and I'm struggling to stay awake." Liam drug a hand down his face and rubbed his eyes.

I nodded as a yawn broke through my mouth. I peered down at the atlas, searching for a truck stop. I frowned when my tracing finger came up empty. There wasn't a truck stop for another hundred or so miles. I was suddenly grateful we had filled up at the last gas station.

"Looks like it's the woods tonight, Liam." I say, putting the book back on the dash. "No night lights for us."

I was referring to the tall, black lamps that inhabited the parking lots of the truck rest areas. Most were strictly reserved for commercial semis, so we had to sneak in and doge around the many loitering trucks. Normally, we would park far away from the semis, but near a light. That way we could clearly see, but still get some shut eye too. Tonight, however, would probably be pitch black.

Liam didn't respond, so I stared out the window in boredom. I found myself bored a lot these last two days, with nothing to do except look at the road map and talk to Liam. The latter was harder and more awkward to do, so I took to memorizing the entrances to Canada. Legal... and illegal.

"What do you think the Rockies will look like? From above?" I had asked Liam the day before. He was driving, staring thoughtfully out the windshield.