Undercover Badge; Next Generation

Chapter sixteen

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The awkward silence didn't last long.
"Oh my holy God." Her voice was light and airy and accented.
"You look positively terrified, Dove." I met her eyes then in the rear-view mirror. They were intelligent and smiling.

"Sorry." I said it timidly, glancing around at the others.
"I-I haven't exactly hitchhiked before and I really really don't want to be killed by a psychopath." the words spilled from my lips in a bubble that made me feel like an idiot for my lack of verbal filter. They laughed, all of them, but none of it was nasty- they were genuinely amused my blatant honesty.

"Don't worry, Dove." she said with a smile. "If we'd be insane, Miriam would have had us on a Rorschach test already." Her vowels were rounded, her 'R's rolled and were almost gravely. The way she spoke came from the back of her throat and sounded deeply honest. She was Scottish. Miriam- the woman sitting in the spacious open back of the SUV let out a bark of laughter, the man sharing the backseat with me chuckling deeply.

"Forgive us, Dove. I'm Veronica-" she started, but her companion cut her off. "We call her Vivi." He'd turned around in his seat to flash his own impressive teeth at me in a grin. "And hey, I'm Sam." His accent was not only American but Texan. Vivi had strawberry blonde hair in a pixie cut with a set of eyes so blue and light they reminded me of the arctic sea. Her skin was pale as porcalain and looked twice as delicate. Sam, the boy next to her had honey tones gracing the gloriously tamed strands of his hair and a deep tan, the Rolex off his wrist winking at me.

"Hi." the word was shy and I said it, feeling entirely out of place on the seats that were clearly expensive, hand stitched leather. My jeans were still damp and I was certain my hair could only be described as rats tails, my bra was sodden and the fabric felt awkward on my boobs, not to mention the itchiness of the raincoat on the bare skin. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack certainly didn't suit the leather.

"Hello." Boston. He was from Boston, New York.
"My name is Michael Asikitipki." he extended a hand and I shook it solidly. His skin was warm and his palms were rough. His black eyes twinkled with intellect and his skin was the same tone as freshly brewed espresso; dark and rich.
"Miriam, but you totally already heard it." She was a California girl, through and through with that accent. Her skin tone suggested African American, but her features were European; a small, pointed nose and delicately arched brows and a narrow face.
"David." The Scottish burr was back, but it came from the man behind me. His face resembelled that of his sisters in the front seat,his pallor similar as well. His hair, however was a deep choloclate brown with expertly styled highlights. He was the one who had seemingly bet that I'd been a man. I sent him a quick scowl when I figured it out.

"You thought I was a man?" I asked bluntly. He laughed, raised both hands skyward. "Hey, hey. That coat hid yer little figure, I could'na see yer hair fur nohthin, in this country yer men wear skihnney pants an' ye had a Ninja Turtles bag. The odds wer not in mah favor." his accent was far, far deeper and heavier than his sister's in the drivers seat.

"Don't worry, Hon." The passenger said, turning to smile at me. Sam, i mean. He waved the hundred dollar bill victoriously.

"I got your back." That made me laugh.

"So," Miriam started tilting her head, the few pink beads at the ends of her braids clicking toghter like tiny marbles.
"Who are you?"
I smiled.
"Uhm, I'm Reena. Its really nice to meet you. Thanks for picking me up- I'm sorry, I am such a mess." I rubbed my hands over my face and pushed my hair back in a vain and self conscious attempt to look better for the beautiful people in the car.
"Chill, girl. What's up, bad day?" Miriam asked, keen eyes locking onto mine.
"Yes, I'ma curious too. Though It might also help if I knew where you were going?" Vivi asked with a smile.