Season Girl //SOON TO BE DELETED//

Chapter 14

Autumn's POV

______________________________

I think at some point in the journey I fell asleep.

I know this because I woke up and my glasses were squashed against my forehead and I was stretched across the two backseats.

To tell the truth, I was a little bit disappointed that I had fallen asleep, because it meant that I missed out on seeing part of the east coast of Australia.

I think it was jet lag catching up with me.

I looked up at Katherine. She was bopping her head to the radio, and occasionally glancing over at dad, who was slumped over sleeping.

"Katherine?" I asked nervously, pushing my glasses onto my nose.

"Oh, hey Autumn! You're awake! What's up?" Katherine turned around in the driver's seat quickly to smile at me.

"Turn around!" I yelled, clutching the seatbelt.

"What?" Katherine spun around as quick as she turned before to face the empty road ahead.

"What was that for, Autumn? We were fine!" Katherine sounded a bit annoyed.

"Umm..." I didn't really want to tell her about my mum and stuff, but I think dad probably already said.

"My mum, well she was in an accident," I whispered, looking down at my hands that were folded in my lap.

"Oh, I'm sorry Autumn," Katherine replied softly, glancing extremely quickly behind at me.

I felt bad for telling Katherine that. You could tell she was taken back a bit.I mean, what are you supposed to say to a kid that you just found out that their mother was murdered in a car crash?

"It's OK," I told Katherine, "it was a long time ago."

"How long?" Katherine asked gently.

"Three years ago," I mumbled, wiping my glasses on my t-shirt. They had fogged up again. It happens whenever I talk about my mum.

"Oh, Autumn," she whispered, "oh."

"I don't really want to talk about it," I explained, "it upsets me."

"Of course, I'm sorry, if there is anything you need, anything at all, you can come to me, OK?" Katherine offered.

"Thanks."

"So what did you want before?" Katherine asked, putting her sunglasses over her eyes. The sun is actually really bright, because it's setting.

"Um..." I thought for a second, "food."

"Oh, well sure, we will be driving for a good two hours yet, so we can grab something at the next drive in, OK?"

"Sounds good."

After about twenty minutes Katherine pulled up in the shopping mall of Lismore. It was pretty small in comparison to Brighton's pier, but I didn't mention it to Katherine, who looked extremely pleased with herself for finding it.

"Wake him or leave him?" Katherine and I debated, looking over at dad, who was snoring loudly and moaning pitifully in his sleep.

"We could get him something, and then when he wakes up if he's hungry he can have it?" Katherine suggested.

In the end I got a permanent marker and wrote in capital letters on a piece of paper on the dashboard 'KATHERINE AND AUTUMN HAVE GONE INTO THE SHOPPING CENTRE TO GET FOOD. DO NOT CALL THE POLICE WE HAVEN'T BEEN KIDNAPPED. LOVE AUTUMN. IF YOU WAKE UP STAY HERE.'