Briar Preparatory Academy

Hot Pursuit

Kate POV

It's been several hours since my driving experience. We've been in this car way too long in my opinion. If there's one thing I've learned about myself through this road trip... it's that I hate road trips.

"Are we there yet?!" Seth whines from the back seat. I resist the urge to bang my head against the dashboard repetitively. Preston simply tightens his grip on the steering wheel. His knuckles turn white.

"Guys." Seth says dead serious, leaning forward between Preston and I. "I. Have. To. Pee."

Preston and I both groan simultaneously. This is the reason it's taking us forever to get to Maine. We have to stop practically every hour so that Seth can pee. "There should be a small town up here, maybe 4 minutes ahead." Preston says with a sigh.

"Good." Seth says, whimpering slightly in the back when the jeep would hit a bump or a dip in the road.

I glance over at Preston to see a smirk growing on his face. He grabs a water bottle from the cup holder and starts shaking it loudly.

"GOD NO PRESTON I HATE YOU!" Seth hisses out over the swishing water. Preston breaks down into a fit of laughter, shaking the water bottle even harder, keeping one hand on the wheel. I gasp for air and grab my sides, laughing until I can't breathe.

Finally, we pull into the town. Preston drives up and parks at a CVS pharmacy. Seth immediately leaps out of the car and bolts into the building as if his life depends on it.

"I'll get some supplies and food." I tell Preston. He simply nods and hands me a few twenty dollar bills. He climbs out the driver side and walks into the store with me, clutching the keys tightly in the palm of his hand.

"What do we need? I mean, the car has some food." I ask him.

"Let's get some more stuff for a first aid kit. Just in case I 'accidentally' run over Seth by the end of this trip. And let's get some more food. Preferably anything that doesn't taste like cardboard." He replies. All the food in the Jeep is meant for survival. That means it's tasteless and never expires.

"Sounds good." I tell him. I grab a few waters and head down the snack aisle while Preston looks for more stuff to stock the first aid kit. I grab trail mix, beef jerky, a couple bags of chips, and several boxes of protein bars. I meet Preston at the checkout counter, and he is fully loaded with medical supplies. I'm pretty sure he bought out the store.

"Dang you really are planning on hitting him hard." I tell Preston with a laugh. I set down all the food and water on the counter and glance at all the assorted candies. My eyes settle on a pack of Swedish Fish. Celeste's favorite. I instantly grab a package and toss it onto the counter. Preston looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"They...they're Celeste's favorite." I tell him, the heat rising to my cheeks. He simply nods and hands them to the cashier to pay. Seth comes out of the bathroom looking a lot happier.

"Yay you guys are getting food!" He says excitedly. The cashier bags all of our items and Preston hands him the cash. In the middle of the cashier giving him change, two men walk through the front door. I look at them. Their demeanor is weird. They walk in a stiff manner, staying in step and in a formation. I look at their necks and notice a tan wire taped to them going up to their ears. Comms. They are wearing comms. They turn to go down one aisle and I get a good look at their jacket. FBI. They're FBI agents.

"Preston!" I grab his arm and hiss under my breath. Seth is holding all of the bags. Preston looks at the agents and realization crosses his face.

"Keep the change." He tells the cashier. I grab Seth's arm and we bolt out of the convenience store.