Bus 114

Part I

As the engine began to muffle we came to a quick stop, we were picking up new people. The bus was already mostly filled with only a few seats left. I was one of the first people on so I got my own seat. Nobody had sat down with me yet, which I was thankful for because I'm terrified of strange people. The new people were looking just as terrified as the rest of us. There were three of them: one girl, probably in her late teens, a younger brother probably a few years younger and they both had that bleak expression that we all got when the bus stopped for us. There was another one though, a younger girl, no older than 12, maybe? She was skipping about and laughing, she must not have been told where she was going. The older siblings grabbed her by each of her hands and helped her onto the bus. The three sat down in one of the few empty seats left, just diagonally to me. I heard the two older ones talk in a hushed tone.

"What are we going to tell her when we get there...?" The boy asked, looking quite concerned.

"We'll think of something, for now, just keep her happy, just like Mom said." The older sister stated bouncing the young girl on her knee.

I felt my dark-yellow, soft hair blow in the breeze as the kid in front of me had put his window down, this made everyone quite angry. I heard several grunts and swear words come from the other kids on the bus, but they had other reasons to be angry or upset. The brisk Winter air felt like it was cutting my face but it did relieve the stench of the bus. The stench was arguably worse than anything else I've ever smelled. It smelled of gasoline and sweat, but where we were going I guess it didn't matter The interior of the bus wasn't exactly homey, there were ripped flyers and gum wrappers everywhere and there were spots of rust in the corners. I bundled up with my soft, fur coat that my mother gave to me before I left and I pretended I was back home, laying in my warm and inviting cot. I thought about what my Mother and sister might be doing at the moment. Before I was picked up, my mother packed me the leftovers from the roast last night in a brown bag. My sister tried to explain to me how this process would go, but I didn't really listen, mostly out of terror. The few days before today I was quite unsettled, I couldn't sleep or eat and I was soon having night terrors. Eventually though, I stopped. There was no use in being afraid, being afriaid would just make things worse. When the bus picked me up at the corner of the street, my Mother kissed me goodbye but I knew she was holding back tears. My sister high fived me, being strong for my sake and gave me her sparkling necklace as a comfort. As I saw them and my home grow smaller in the distance, I wonder if it would be the last time I saw them. I wondered if it would be the last time any of the other kids would see their parents.

The ride to the Government building seemed endless, but their were some interesting final stops. One Mother refused to let her very young daughter on the bus and patrols were called in. Eventually the girl got on the bus, covered in her own tears, unfortunately I don't know what happened to the Mother.

As I was about to take a nap before we got there, we made another stop and this time I heard a familiar voice shout "Hey, June!" I looked up and couldn't believe my eyes. When I was 14 my 9th grade class was split in half; one side went to the West school and one went to the East school They did this so we couldn't form an uprising against them, which was attempted several times, although none were successful and only ended in bloodshed.

I was split up from my childhood friend August, and I had never heard from him since that day we were split. For a second I didn't think I responded and he probably thought he had the wrong girl.

"August, is it really..." I said, still shocked.

"June, my gosh, its been...how long, 5 years?" He asked, as he sat down next to me in the seat.

I scanned him quickly just to make sure it was him, and he was wearing the same "Dinosaurs Rule" shirt I fondly remember him wearing, I was shocked the shirt even still fit. His blue eyes stuck out, as I always envied his ocean-like eyes. His brown hair had only grown a little bit and he still had the small scar on his chin from our childhood "adventures."He wasn't carrying much other than a torn and ripped satchel. He was much skinnier than I remember, but we've all lost weight since the Revolution.