Redwoods

On My Way

Through the taxi trip, I kept finding my self glancing at Jonas. From his tattered red button up shirt to his sharp green eyes. I may have never met him before, but I had heard of him. My dad used to always talk about his high school best friend and all the pranks they would do and all the adventures and mishaps they had done together. He had described Jonas to me, but Jonas wasn't quite what my dad had described. I could see the way he had changed. Wild blond locks and pale skin to tamed, thin brownish hair and tanned skin. Shining green eyes to more quite, sad eyes. I understood the sadness in his eyes, it was the same reason the light had left mine. Finally after about half an hour, I decide to make the best of the trip and socialize. And also my MP3 died, so I didn't have many other options. I figured I should get it over with now.

"So," I asked, "where are we going?" He turns to me, the side of his mouth quirking up as if he wanted to try to smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. I got the feeling I reminded him of my dad. We did, after all, have the same midnight black hair and blue, silvery eyes. "We're going somewhere safe." He said. after a couple seconds, I pressed on. "What's it like?" I asked. "There's a lot of trees where I live. We got a lake in the back yard and only one neighbor to share the road with." I nod my head. Trees, lake, doesn't sound like too much of a prison. I doubt that will stop me of thinking of it as a prison, though. I was almost sixteen and a half. I just had to survive less then two months and I would be free at last. I could finally find a future, move on and not be kept down by the past, at least that's what I hoped.

A couple minutes later, which was also in silence, the taxi stops in front of the air port. Jonas opens his door, then holds it open for me while I scoot out. Looking around the airport, I felt kind of weird. I knew I should be excited, or nervous, seeing as I had never flown before, but I hadn't had a lot of feelings lately. I just felt . . . numb. Sometimes it's nice to feels numb, it may keep away the happiness, but it also kept away the feelings that were dangerous. Because if I faced those feelings, I would have to face the cause of those feelings. Shaking my head and trying to dislodge the thoughts, I turn to find the taxi gone and Jonas holding my bags. I feel like I should offer to help, but decided against it. It didn't matter who carried my bags, it would be the same out come either way. I sling the backpack over my shoulder and we make our way into the bustling air port. Long story short, there were a lot of people, all going their own way and pushing past one another to get to it. A girl who looked almost like a baby doll with her fake, plastic smile. Lines, seats, and yelling. That's all it was to me. When we finally make it to our seats, I fall into mine and look out the window. The seats weren't that comfy, more like stiff seats you usually use in the car, but I didn't mind. I didn't really feel it. I didn't really feel anything. We make our way down the runway and take our turn when it comes. Jonas turns to me and offers me a silver tube with colorful rapping and something bright red inside. Lifesavers. "It helps with the lift off." He says. I say a quick thank you, then pop a cherry lifesaver in my mouth. Leaning back in my seat, I watch as the wheels of the plane leave the ground and we make our way up into the clouds.

Nothing really happens through the flight. I watch the clouds outside, thinking about how smooth and fluffy they look. Looking down, I see green hills and tiny trees. I vaguely wonder if anyone's looking up at me. A flight attendant offers us some drinks, but Jonas declines. I have no objection. He may have been saving money, but I just didn't really have an appetite at the moment. It's hard to be hungry when your leaving everything you've ever known behind.

The flight lasts around three to four hours. I don't know if that's considered a long flight or short, seeing as I've never ridden in a plane before. When we land, it's very smooth. It was nothing like in the movies, how the plane would always bounce so high and everyone in the plane would be hitting their heads. I don't know if we were just lucky, had a good pilot, or if movies lie (I'm guessing the ladder) but we land all right. It's another bustling, noisy airport, just like the one before it and I'm guessing every other one. We soon make it out to the parking lot, and I look around. Jonas nods his head and leads me to an old, baby blue pick up. At least I think it used to be blue. It's so dirty and well used that I can't really be sure. Tossing my bags in the back, I climb into the old pickup truck and slam the door shut with a loud bang. Jonas gets into the driver's seat without another word. The trip home is a silent as the plain ride, him watching the road, me watching out the window. The small city becomes smaller and smaller as we drive, and finally disappears completely as we disappear into a green, rainy wooded area. I watch the trees go rushing past. At first it was farm lands, then even those houses were hidden as the trees got denser and denser. We drive for a good half an hour down this forest road and I count about twenty one other cars on the road, going either past us or behind or in front.