- WhiteBird -

- Chapter Fourteen - Sole

Casey had found himself sprawled haphazardly across the back seats of the two tone Trans-Am. His feet propped against the door, and one of his arms hanging down, laying against the tan carpet.

He had woken up nearly an hour ago, but he felt no urge to move an inch. The windows had been tinted darkly, allowing only a little of the outside world in, another of Karr's features. His arm was sore and throbbing, as was his back and legs.

His eyes were heavy and droopy, but they couldn't travel any farther, as they were finally in Sole.

Casey moved his arm to cover his eyes, leaving the other against the carpet, and let out a long sigh, filled with exhaustion and anticipation.

The car rumbled underneath him, and he felt the car make a turn. Karr was driving, ambling through the town, perhaps making a mental map of the area, waiting for Casey to come out of his unsociable mood.

He wasn't necessarily being unsociable, but a hidden exhaustion had crept upon him, taking him under its strong grasp. He was also a little scared. Karr had tracked down the house his father was living in, it was in the outskirts of the big town of Sole, a five story corner brown building that served as a series of apartments. Karr figured that the tall, but little building belonged to all of Casey's fathers friends, and Casey couldn't help but think of mafias and gangs, he hoped that was not the case.

Karr pulled to a stop, and Casey pushed himself up with his good arm, and swung his legs over onto the floor. The air conditioner was blowing icy air around him, as it was the only way to keep him from becoming car sick while laying down.

Karr slowly allowed the windows to become opaque once again, and Casey peered out into the world.

The sun was high in the sky, scorching the earth relentlessly, and the town around him looked empty and bare. Sole was the center of a cluster of smaller towns, like a county seat, but it was not as colorful as the town they had stopped at previously. It was full of life and people, but Sole seemed to dully droop with drabness. He suspected he was in the poorer part of town, and as he looked up at his dads building, a hard lump formed in his throat.

Why couldn't his dad live in the brighter part of Sole, and just be a good country person, instead of some mysterious gangster.

"Your mother loved your father dearly. April was a kind and bright woman, and I doubt she would be with an abusive and unintelligent man." Karr had said to Casey the day before.

Casey squeezed himself through the two front seats, and plopped himself down in front of the butterfly wheel, still tired.

He turned down the air, and took a deep long breath. He felt the anxiety in his chest like a solid ball of stone, or like hot water burning his lungs and heart.

He was not scared for his safety, he was scared of being disappointed by whatever kind of man he would find in the building before him.

Casey looked down at the dash of the car, and he felt comfort in knowing he always had someone there for him, Karr had proven to be a help to Casey in so many ways, including companionship.

"Should I wait?" He asked Karr.

Karr hummed, his voice box lighting up a bit.

"Is there a reason to wait?" He asked in return. "It's the middle of the day, and I'll be right behind you. I can't promise anything, but in all my thinking, Iv gathered the reasoning that your dad will not harm you."

Casey looked away from the dash, to the bright outdoors. His fingers twitched on the door, and when he finally stepped out of the car, his heart pounded with fear of the unknown.