Skyborn

Skyblue - Chapter Eighteen

"What the hell Iska? We are running from Hinter, why do I need to slow down!?" Aris squealed as we stopped at a red light.

"I... um..." It was a ridiculous idea; that I might see Nio and Dee, it's just that I hoped I might, "Never mind," I sighed and slumped down against the back seats. 

I scanned the streets as we passed familiar street names until the city became less dense and the roads became foreign to me. We reached the edge of the city when I asked, "Where are we going?"

A silence followed the question we'd all been thinking. 

Aris had been zig-zagging through the city for hours and now we needed to have a destination in mind.

"I don't know" Aris exhaled.

"Let's just see where the road takes us" I could hear the grin in Ezra's voice, he entwined his fingers behind his head and kicked his feet up on the dashboard.

"Nope!", Aris slapped his legs and he retreated, bringing his knee up to his chin and rubbing his leg.

"That hurt," He whimpered.

"Good," Aris was laughing as she steered us out of the city and out into the unknown. 

We drove deep into the night and I fell in and out of sleep until I woke to Ezra and Aris whispering about stopping, I watched as orange glow streamed in the back of the truck from the infrequent streetlights. I turned to the front to see Paisley asleep against the window and Lystra was leaning on a snoring Howell. Paisley was asleep against the window in the front next to her angel. 

"You should get some sleep," Ezra was saying to my sister softly.

"I can't," She sighed, "Not until we're safe," 

"You've done an amazing job at keeping us safe so far Aris, let me drive for a bit please," Ezra showed concern.

"Aris you can sleep in the back here if you want," I chirped in carefully, so not to wake the others. Ezra turned to me.

"See! Your dear sister is concerned too!" He put a hand on her shoulder, "The most danger we are in at the moment is if you fall asleep at the wheel"

"Fine I'll pull over at the next services," Aris put a free hand over Ezra's, 

"We can get something to eat too, I'm starved!" Ezra licked his lips at me. Aris' tummy rumbled loudly and we all stifled our laughter but failed and the others woke up with grumbles and yawns. 

Luckily the next services was near and we all got out to use the restroom and grab a coffee and a bite to eat.

It was just after 2 AM according to the clocks in the services, but that didn't stop us from having McDonald's; "Hey it's 24/7 for a reason; hungry Skyborn!" I giggled at my own joke as did the others. 

When we were fed and watered we got back in the truck and this time I sat in the front with Ezra driving and Paisley sat next to the window again. The rhythm of the orange lights and flat road let everyone fall asleep par me and Ezra. We spoke quietly about books and where we could go.

"What is it like?" I inquired,"To be an angel?" Ezra smiled his side smile at me and then let his eyes drift back to the road ahead of us.

"It's fulfilling, when you know you've really helped somebody, and I get to help her everyday," he sighed, "I think she saved me just as much though,"

"What do you mean?" I asked before thinking.

"Well we... um... saved... Paisley first, it was on the rough edge of the city and... we were lost and looking for a place to stay and I heard a scream..." Ezra looked past me at paisley and smiled a soft smile, the same way he smiled at me when I was a half-ling, "She was... she was pinned against the wall by three men... they were going to... they were trying to rape her..."