Healing Hearts | Keelin

Chapter Eight

 They drove through the morning and into the early afternoon. Margret stayed in Louisiana, not sure if Keelin would be comfortable leaving the state with her. 

 "So, do you have specific ideas on where we're going?" Keelin asked her. 

 "No idea," Margret answered. "Is there anywhere specific you want to go?"

 "No, but I thought maybe you had somewhere specific. That's why I thought I'd ask." 

 Margret smiled and shrugged. "Let's tour a little of the state, nowhere specific." 

 In the afternoon, they stopped at a small gas station so Margret could refill the gas tank. 

 "So, do you have any family anywhere?" Keelin asked as Margret fumbled with the gas cap. "Or any friends?" 

 Margret looked up at her. "Why would you ask that?" she asked sharply. 

 "I-I don't know. You just...seem pretty lonely, so I thought I might ask if you do." 

 "Well, I don't," she said quickly. "Why, do you any family around?" 

 "No one alive," Keelin answered. "I'm guessing you don't, either." 

 Margret sighed. "No, I don't. I was an only child, and I don't know of any living descendants from my family. Do you not have any relatives left, then?" 

 "None that I know of. They were all killed by vampires while I was away at school." Keelin leaned against the car. "Well, there's my story. I get the feeling there's more I don't know about you than I thought there was. So, are you going to tell me anything?" 

 Margret thought about it. She rarely opened up to anyone about her early life or the friends she used to have, and there were precious few people left living she could consider to be any sort of friend. She wanted to open up further to Keelin, she really did. But the memory of the last time something like that happened hit her, and she closed up. 

 "There, we're all ready to get back on the road," she said, closing the gas tank. "Let's go." 

 It was a way to temporarily avoid the question, but she worried that Keelin was going to bring it up again. And she did. When they had driven in silence for a while, she asked, "So, are you going to tell me anything?" 

 "Anything about what?" Margret asked in her best casual tone. 

 "What we were just talking about back at the gas station. You, your past, your family. I don't anything about you from before you were a vampire. So, are you going to share anything with me?" 

 "No," Margret snapped, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. "I would prefer not to." 

 There was a short, uncomfortable silence, and Margret kept her eyes straight on the road ahead. She didn't want to so much as glance over at Keelin or say anything else because she knew she would feel some sort of shame if she did. 

 "You know, I know what it's like to have a hard time finding people to open up to, people you can trust," Keelin said, breaking the new silence. "I think I get where you're coming from. I just thought this road trip was about us both getting away from everything for awhile and maybe getting to know each other better." 

 Margret began to feel the shame. That was exactly what she wanted, and now she was doing the opposite. 

 Concerned about her driving skills would hold up (there weren't anything great), she pulled over to the side of the road, and then took a breath before turning to look at Keelin. 

 "I do have issues opening up," she said. "I know I do. I...I once had two great friends who I was able to share my troubles with. They're both dead now. And the last time I opened up to someone...I kissed her, and then she rejected me. I've had very few people in my life of that sort." 

 "Oh, Margret." Keelin gently touched her shoulder. "You have me here now. If you want to talk at any point during this road trip, then please, talk to me."

 Nodding, Margret leaned over and hugged her. That was exactly what she needed to hear, and it made her feel much better than she did before.