The 11th Generation

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Day two of traveling, I've been tracking us on the map and we're only in the vicinity of Colorado. I thought we would've of been further than this by now. I glare out the window wondering what my father is going to think when we don't show up back at Russia today like we're suppose to. I wonder if he thinks something bad happens and he's sending a rescue team to the Nation, or maybe he gave up on us and sent someone else to do our job. I start to lose hope which I begin to realize is not good. I need the positivity, I need the energy to move on and stay strong for the Nation, for Salix, for my father. I can't lose hope.

"So, tell me about Russia," Aeryn asks. She twists her body in the passenger seat so she was turned around facing Salix and I.

"What do you want to know?" Salix asks casually. I look at Salix and press my eyebrows together, what was he doing? He can't be stupid enough to jeopardize the mission by telling this girl, all about Russia.

"How did you get there?" she says making direct contact with Salix. I notice whenever she talks to 'us' it's not us, it's Salix, she doesn't even bothering to look to me for any answers. I analyze how she's staring at him, I know that look, like he was the most beautiful and perfect being on this planet. I know the look because every single time I look at him that's how I feel, I have the same fire and passion in my eyes. My fists clench in a fit of jealously. "How did you know it was safe?" she asks another question. I notice how high her voice gets when she talks to him, her lips girl and her cheeks turn a shade of pink. It disgusts me how blind Salix is to this, I wish he'd stop talking to her.

Trying to break their eye contact with each other I foolishly blurt out. "My father found a map and an airplane, it's as simple as that," I lean back in my seat and cross my arms hoping that Aeryn would just turn around and leave us alone. I didn't want to answer anyone question, I didn't even want to tell her about my father, or the airplane.

Aeryn nods her head, her elbow on the arm of the passenger seat, her chin resting in her hand. "Why did he go to Russia, what was there?" her eyes shift from Salix to me. Her voice becoming deeper with a hint of annoyance toward me. I didn't know how or what to answer. I sure as hell wasn't going to give her the truth, but I didn't know how to respond so quickly with a lie.

"Something that needs to be protected, that's it," Salix spoke up before I could come up with a story.

My eyebrows went down, my lips pucker. Why did he tell her anything? I scowl him for even saying a word about anything regarding my father, I know I did first but how could he tell her that we're protecting something, she now knows we have something to hiding. I cross my arms against my chest and lean back in my seat, I'm furious at him I give him a glare, both of his eyebrows raised in confusion, he mouthed the word what to me. I turn my head away from him and out the window watching the truck drive by fields of long yellow grass.

I wait until the truck stops for a bathroom break so I can talk, or should I say yell, at Salix alone. The truck parks near one of the tall fields of the yellow looking grass I had just previous been gazing at for the past hour or so. The minute we come to a hault I fling the door open and climb out, I'm feeling extremely claustrophobic and closed in all of a sudden. I walk toward the field in hopes that Salix follows me, I begin the pace back and forth waiting as he catches up to me. I take a deep breath of the seemingly fresh air.

"You idiot!" my hands curl up and look like I'm about to choke somebody. My eyes are seething with pure rage.

"What? What did I do?" he shouts back but not loud enough for Aeryn back at the truck to hear.