To Be...

Chapter 5

We were driving through the border of Alabama and Tennessee. Mrs. Kain deposited the change and rolled through the concrete toll station. The gray haired attendant smiled as we edged by. She had no idea what I was going through, so I didn't blame her for the smile.

The journey so far included only the occasional question. Did Leon have all his belongings? Was the air too high? The air conditioner was set to a steady forty degrees, yet they both wore summer clothing. Leon had long before removed his jacket, and had no sign of a chill bump along his marble colored skin. It was already a cold autumn outside, but they seemed oblivious. My stomach released a horrible, loud growl. It didn't surprise me, but Leon and his mother both twisted their thin necks, and looked to me as if I were diseased.

"I didn't eat breakfast," I chuckled nervously.

She looked back to the road, but his eyes remained fixed on me, glancing between my stomach and face, avoiding the other parts. I remembered his face next to mine, and the painful expression. What am I getting into? These guys are beyond abnormal. We passed underneath a metallic green information sign. An exit sign stood half a mile down the highway.

"Turn off up ahead, Rosalyn."

She looked towards him quickly, a question in her face. She seemed eager for a 'yes'. He shook his head in an argumentative 'no'. She released an aggravated sigh. My mind was being overloaded. Was I imagining all of these strange things?

Soon, they pulled into the most mainstream fast food restaurant. McDonalds. I could smell the bubbling grease from miles away, and it drew me in like a moth to flame. My stomach lurched, and threw me out of the vehicle and into the restaurant. I ripped out a tattered twenty dollar bill, and raised it to my lips between thin fingers, pondering what to eat to take another day off how long my heart could last. Salt, grease, and sugar were the basic food sources my diet consisted of. McDonalds was my paradise. My friends back in Alabama were envious of the fact that, even when I eat fast food every day, my waist remains a steady size three. I had received the Night family legacy of high metabolism, even with unhealthy eating habits.

"A Big Mac - no lettuce, large fry, and a large soda!"

The manager's voice rang from the depths of the kitchen. When I received my food, I waltzed over to the table where Leon and Mrs. Kain had wedged themselves. They didn't belong in such a loud place. They were the type who would sip tea with the queen of England, and embarrass the queen by how much better they were at it. 

Mrs. Kain was swiping a napkin across the table with a disgusted countenance. She glanced up to see how far in my order was, and froze once she saw me. She slid the napkin to the side, attempting to seem normal. She smiled maternally, like the smile a mother gives you before you hit the playground. Throughout the whole meal, they only stared at me chomping nervously on fries and beef. Their eyes made me uncomfortable, and their smiles, suspicious. Every closed lip grin seemed to hide something deeper. 

Leon leaned over the table, provocatively, and nearly touched noses with me. I recoiled. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mrs. Kain's eyes darting between us frantically. Was she as nervous as me? My hands were shaking, so I jumped up to hide them.

"Let's go. I'm done."

I shoved my trash into the trash can, and sped to the double doors. Leon was right behind me, and then his mouth was beside my ear.

"I will fulfill that promise. If not today, soon after."

I stood frozen to the door, and he pushed through the one beside me. I couldn't feel my legs for a moment, whether from fear or butterflies, I don't know. He had been right next to me. He could have touched me, or killed me. I doubted he'd go public with that, but it was still a possibility.