Insomnia

Chapter 3

I walked briskly behind Cal until we finally broke free of the forest. I let out a breath in relief. We had been walking for at least 2 hours. I looked around, expecting to see magic, but so a long dark path heading in both directions. It was large, and on the side of it sat a large black machine with wheels.

I was surprised when Cal started to walk towards it. He pulled pieces of metal out of his pocket and pressed a button on one of them. Lights on the machine flashed, which I jumped out. As we got closer, I could see handles on what I assumed to be doors. Cal walked to the other side and opened the doors, he sat inside. Nervously, I opened the doors on my side and did same thing.

Cal put a strap over his chest, so I proceeded to do the same thing. He jammed the metal into a slot behind a wheel in front of him. I jumped as the machine roared to life. Cal looked over to me.

"Shit, don't tell me you've never seen a car before?" Cal looked at me with a shocked expression. He dragged his hand through his hair. "This is going to be interesting." Cal pulled at a handle in between us, and all of a sudden we were moving.

My jaw dropped as we increased in speed. I looked out the window and saw the trees zoom past us. I could hardly see the path we came from anything. I had officially escaped.

I started to laugh, which sounded more like a giggle. It got louder which momentarily drew Cal's attention towards me. He started to laugh at my expression.

"I should have known you've never actually left that place, considering you hadn't brought any different kinds of clothes." He gestured to my outfit which consisted of a tan shirt, tan shorts, and tan flats. "You didn't even own tennis shoes."

I didn't bother questioning what tennis shoes were, and continued to stare out the window as the scenery passed by us. All of a sudden, the glass barrier between me and the outside started to lower. I looked at Cal who was grinning as he held his hand down on a button. I stuck my hand out the opening and felt the wind as the machine, or car, raced down the dark path. Eventually, I stuck my head out and I felt free. I could hear Cal laughing as I took in everything around me.

Eventually I stuck my head back into the car. Cal laughed again and made a comment I didn't really pay attention to.

"We have about an hour drive till we get to the city. Might as well get comfortable. We'll eat when we get back."

I nodded then leaned my head against the window (as Cal had told me). I could feel myself drifting off. The orange from the sun still visible through my eyelids. I was able to fall asleep.

~*~

I jumped up as Cal poked me over and over. I rubbed my eyes and looked at him, but he wasn't looking at me.

"I figured you'd want to see the entrance as well." Cal pointed ahead, so I turned to look forward. My jaw dropped as I saw tall buildings come into my vision. The sky had fallen dark, and I could see the stars. But not the stars on the sky. No, I saw stars among the buildings in front of me.

Each one looked as if they touched the top of the sky and had a billion windows. I wasn't sure why the buildings were so high but I loved them.

Cal laughed, "Welcome to the city." It didn't take much longer till we entered the city officially. All around me I saw cars of many different colors. I saw flashing lights and people lining the paths, lots of people.

"Now I know it's late, but I have a feeling you're not tired." I shook my head fiercely, I wanted to explore. "Alright, we can stop at a diner to grab a bite." I frowned at what he said, I figured now was a better time than ever to finally ask questions.