The Dark Hearts

Chapter 1: Clarke

I turned the volume up on my phone as to better drown out the world around me. My sister's head rested on my shoulder and her short blonde hair floated around my face. Her breathing was even and slow as she dozed on.

The scenery outside of the car quickly changed from pine forests to palm forests as we headed further south east from our home, or rather for me, the place where I lived for the past year.

Having spent the last five hours driving myself to my parents' house, I wasn't tired at all, but I wanted to drift off to a sound sleep. The more I let my thoughts cloud my mind, the more restless I became.

My sister's head rolled forward and off of my shoulder as my dad made an abrupt stop as traffic slowed on the expressway.

The day was nearing it's end as the sun's projection of dying light displayed orange and purple hues across the sky.

"Hmm...Are we there yet?" My sister rubbed her eyes and glanced at the GPS on the dashboard.

"In about ten minutes, honey," my mother turned in her seat.

"You mean I missed the whole ride?"

"Yep. That SAT must have really worn you out, Sarah," my mother patted her leg.

"Ah, sweet sleep," Sarah mumbled as she rested her head on the window.

I flipped through my playlist on my phone and selected a song from my alternative collection. As I was turning the volume back down, the banner notification on top of my screen alerted me of a text.

Octavia: Hey, sis!
Me: Hi
Octavia: Tell your dad to pull over. Our van is making weird noises.

I did as she asked and my dad glanced in the rearview mirror and made his way to the shoulder of the road.

When we stopped, I pushed open the door to greet my best friend. Her long blonde hair and deep sea blue eyes still shone in the light darkness of dusk. Before reaching my door she bent down to adjust her jet black boots.

"I am so tired, Clarke."

"Same, why don't we ride together? That way we stay awake," I suggested.

"Sure. I just hope the car is okay." Octavia turns slightly to look at the van behind her.

The smoke wasn't thick, but it was enough to cause concern.

My dad came into view and he rolled up his sleeve, stroked his beard, and lifted the hood of the van. Octavia's father joins him, repeating my father's actions. The two men hunched over the engine tweaking parts and turning bolts, a process I had no hope understanding.

Octavia laughed softly as her eyes met mine. I couldn't help but laugh with her, even if I had no idea what was so funny to her.

"What?" I asked, as I took a breath.

"Nothing, I just was thinking about how much fun we will have together, but to be honest I am a bit nervous, too."

I took her hand. "There is nothing to be nervous about. It's just a cruise."

"I know, but what if it sinks?"

"It was probably not a good idea to watch the movie Titanic so close to this trip, huh?"

Octavia squeezed my hand, "Yup, but it was still a good movie."

"Yes, ma'am." I agreed, smiling.

"Well, it looks like you need a new spark plug," I heard my dad say.

"Damn," Mr. Hart said.

Octavia glanced down at her feet, digging her heels in the dirt.

"Hey, what's up?" I took her face in my hands so she could see the concern and love in my eyes.