The Pariah

"Beauty maybe dangerous, but intelligence is lethal." ---Unknown

Nick tried to feel out the bumps and curves of the road they were traveling on, he was hoping he might remember his way back through that. Nick wasn't a tracking expert. Nick did not have any military experience so it was pretty much useless. He thought they were going up a hill for three hours, but he knew that was highly unlikely. He might not have had geography but he knew that there was no three hour hills, at least, that's what he thought logically. He made a note to himself to ask Mia about that later, she would probably roll her eyes and call him an idiot but now he needed to know.

There were very few things that interested Nick, and that was mostly because he didn't have time to be interested in other stuff. So, the ride in the dim lit van felt like years because he had no creativity. The stories he told Mia were ones that had already happened with a bit of his own spin on them. Nick wished he was back home in his little house in his little crappy situation. He would give anything to not be here in this van going to his doom. He felt as if his life was over, but he knew that was just being dramatic. Nick was a fighter, and he raised one too. They weren't just going to fall over and take it. Armonia had to try a lot harder than that to get the Hart siblings to throw in the towel.

Before the first restroom break, he had found out how to rub his muzzle just the right way against the van wall to knock it free. It was now hanging on his neck and he was happy about that. He was now a lot more comfortable than he was before. Nick smirked at himself in satisfaction he couldn't wait to see Commanding Officer Ass's face when he opened the van doors to see Nick had houdinied his way out of his little muzzle he was so proud of. It was a little victory but after a day of defeats he would take a little victory.

About five hours into the ride to hell, Mia's green eyes fluttered open and she looked at her brother in confusion. Why were they in a van? What in the world was going on? Why was Nick locked down like some insane criminal? Then it hit her. The whole little event that took place just hours ago wasn't just some nightmare, it was reality. She sat up with her mouth set in a thin line as she tried to accept the situation, but it was hard. She knew Nick didn't need anymore stress or for her to break down anymore than she already did so she was keeping it together.

She noticed that Nick had gotten out of his muzzle and it was hanging at an awkward angle on his neck. She also noticed her brother was lightly breathing because he was a light sleeper. Mia rolled her eyes as she got on her knees on the bench. She slid one of her hands behind his head so she wouldn't wake him up and then used her right one to start unbuckling the muzzle. She felt Nick falter in his breathing and knew he was awake.

"You know," Nick spoke as she tugged the muzzle off of his head. "You're really not good at being stealthy, you're nails literally dug in the back of my skull." Nick said shaking his head to adjust his dark brown hair. "That hurt like a bitch, by the way."

Mia rolled her eyes at him, why did she help unstrap the muzzle again? She should have just shoved it back on him. "You're welcome," Mia replied with a shrug and threw the muzzle across the van. "You're lucky you looked utterly ridiculous or else I would have left it on." She teased him as she got herself in a more comfortable position on the bench.

Nick laughed gently at her as he watched her adjust herself into a sitting position. "I'm sure you would have," he drawled out with a smirk. "But you know all too well I would get you back twenty times harder."

Even though Nick was like a parent to Mia, he was still her brother. He was still going to mess with her and annoy her. It was his job! He had to be mother, father, brother, doctor, and whatever else to keep a fourteen-year-old alive. It sucked, man did it suck, sometimes he just wanted to quit. Some days he wanted to quit everything, again, Nick wasn't suicidal just wishful that the responsibility would eventually disappear.