The Life of a Hunter

Chapter 2

Nakota managed to fall asleep almost as soon as they hit the road, laying down across the backseat while her brothers sat up front. She jolts awake a few hours later and sits up quickly, seeing that it's now daytime. She takes a minute to catch her breath before looking around, finding that they were now at a gas station.

"You okay?" Sam asks from the front seat. 

Nakota looks in his direction to see him sitting with his legs hanging out of the car, Dean's box of cassette tapes in his lap and his head twisted to look at her. Nakota nods and pushes her hair back. 

"Yeah. I'm fine." She says, taking another deep breath before opening her door. "I'll be back." 

Nakota walks into the building and quickly makes her way to the bathroom, locking the door before walking to the sink. She turns the cold water on and puts her hands under the faucet, letting the water pool in them before splashing it on her face, repeating the process a few times before grabbing some paper towels and drying her face and hands. She leans against the edge of the sink and stares at her reflection in the mirror, not recognizing the girl staring back at her.

Nakota sighs at the sight of the dark circles under her eyes which attest to her lack of sleep. She notices that her skin looks slightly pale, a contrast to her usual tan skin, which makes the dark circles stand out more. She looks down briefly before pushing herself away from the mirror and leaving the bathroom, walking around a bit before finding Dean at the chip aisle. Nakota walks unto him and stands by his side, grabbing a bag of potato chips from the display.

"Everything okay?" Dean asks, looking down at his slightly shorter twin. Nakota nods, making sure to refrain from making eye contact as she stares at the snacks in front of her. "Kota. You know you can't lie to me." Nakota sighs, rolling her eyes. 

"Sometimes I really hate being a twin." She mumbles, making Dean laugh slightly. 

"Nightmare?" He guesses, his face turning serious again. She nods, still unable to look at him.

"Sam noticed." She doesn't know why it bothers her that Sam noticed her panic when she woke up, but it does. "When will they stop, D?" She asks, finally looking at her twin, who sighs and shakes his head.

"I don't know, tag-along." He admits. Despite the topic and the seriousness of his face, Nakota can't help but smile at the use of the old nickname.

"Why don't you have them?" She asks. "You were there too." 

"I don't remember much of it." He says with a slight shrug. "Just the heat and carrying Sammy out."

"I remember it all." Nakota says quietly, but she knows Dean still heard her. He always does. 

The only thing Nakota really remembers about her mother is her death. The smell, the heat, the sight of her mother on the ceiling, the sound of her father screaming for her. She can't remember her voice like Dean can, sometimes she even forgets what Mary looked like. But she remembers her death like it was yesterday. 

"I'm gonna go back to the car." She says, handing the snacks she grabbed to Dean before walking out of the small building. She slides back into the backseat, ignoring the inquisitive look she gets from Sam. "Dean's almost done." Almost as soon as the words leave her mouth, Nakota sees her twin exit the building. 

"Hey!" He says, making Sam lean out of the car to look at him. "You want breakfast?"

"No, thanks." Sam says. "So, how'd you pay for that stuff? You, Kota, and Dad still running credit card scams?" 

"Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro-ball career." Dean tells him as he tosses the plastic bag in the car before putting the gas nozzle back on the pump.