Remnant Book 1

Chapter 5

The silence continues for about fifteen minutes.

I don't know if it is the effect of his kiss or the shadow positioned under the light of the store that has caused me to remain silent. There is no way of knowing who it was or what the person looked like.

What did Cyrus mean about not wanting them to recognize me? Did I know them? Had we met someplace in time? No one seemed familiar at the store. To be quite honest, I was too busy planning my escape to detect a specific person that brought forth a memory.

Then there was the kiss.

He had used it in order to distract me, to keep someone from noticing me. Now, the affection has opened unknown doorways, and I feel foolish for acting the way I did. Cyrus had an uncanny ability to manipulate my emotions and I resented him for it.

If this was a taste of what was to come, I couldn't allow him near me again! I am conflicted with my own mental state and unanswered questions that I want to explode in frustration.

"Stop!" I demand.

"Stop the car now!" I yell louder this time.

He ignores my pleas.

"I don't care where the hell we are or where we are going, but if you refuse to stop this car, I will jump off and god forbid, you will be unsuccessful at keeping your cargo safe." I snap unable to control my anger. My arm reaches for the door attempting to prove a point.

My eyes flicker from my window to the vision ahead as the headlights cast a glow onto the darkened street. He curses to himself and manages to pull into a small dirt road on the right side in the middle of nowhere.

Cyrus proceeds to maneuver the vehicle slightly forward and turns off the engine, leaving us completely obscured, away from the road or any moving cars. The only visible light is from the twinkling stars and the illumination of the moon, but I don't care.

He lets out a sigh and hits the steering wheel scolding me like a child, "Are you satisfied?"

"Screw you!" I rant and jump out of the car preparing myself for the onslaught of daggers sure to be forthcoming between us.

I was not going anywhere until answers were given. His essence of superiority doesn't sit well with me either. If he expects to have a meek little girl twiddling her thumbs on this long excursion, he is dead wrong.

Damn it! I realize a little too late how cold it is as soon as I slam the door shut. I left my jacket on the passenger seat and had not given it an ounce of thought in my angry state as I begin pacing near the outside of my door.

My grandmother and Cyrus have weaved a pattern of confusion that will not let me rest. Yes, I had agreed to go on this journey with a complete stranger, but something doesn't feel right. The mystery of who he is or how I know him invade my every thought. It's infuriating and unsettling all at once, to feel utterly lost about your past or what's to come.

Cyrus steps out of the driver's seat with such grace as usual and closes his door quietly. He rounds the front of the car heading towards me, and I panic moving away from his presence. Heat begins to rise as soon as my body feels him close, and I am ashamed of such loss of control. I prepare myself to run but instead, he opens the passenger door and pulls out my jacket.

Instantly, he is beside me placing the jacket over my shoulders. Even his slightest touch makes me flinch, and I jump away clenching the jacket between my trembling fingers. I want to take flight and hide within the trees, but reality sinks in at my unknown surroundings. There is no place to go, no place to run in this piece of uncivilized terrain.