Bad Habits • K. Parker

SEVEN

Still December 23, 1960- kind of
'Are we there yet,' Kai whined for the hundredth time since he'd woken up.

'I already told you, the drive takes two days to get to Mystic Falls, longer if you want to stop somewhere to sleep, and longer still if I have to bury your ass after you finally drive me to insanity,'

'Aww, I drive you insane?' he said with that annoying smirk that made her want to throw him across the highway.

'All it takes is one little incantation and you'll go flying into the street, and I will take the opportunity to run you over for good measure,'

'I thought expression witches didn't need incantations,' he said, almost as if it was a question.

'Well, we don't. I just use them because I'm used to using them,' she said, 'But don't think for a second I'd need an incantation if I didn't want to use one,' she added, turning to glare at him for a moment for added effect before moving her eyes back to the road.

'Fine,' was all the boy could manage, turning to stare out the window.

Ana sighed, victorious. She got Kai Parker to shut up for once, it didn't even matter if it lasted only ten seconds- although, she hoped it would last longer than that- but, even still, it was a win in her book.

Of course, Kai being Kai, he held out for all of twelve seconds before finally breaking his silence. 'God, it's so quiet in here, can I at least turn on the radio? Geez,' he complained, reaching for the radio controls, immediately being swatted away.

'Hey. My radio,' she said as if she were scolding a two-year-old, 'if you want me to turn it on, I will,' she turned the dial, instantly greeted by strange music, practically jumping out of her seat. The voice was beautiful, she had to admit, but the song was so strange, so foreign. What was happening to the prison world?

'And IIIIIIIIII will always love YOUUUUUUUU,' Kai sang, mostly off-key, completely interrupting Ana's thoughts. She looked at him as if he were some foreign creature. 'Whitney Houston,' he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

'Who?'

'Oh my gosh. That's right. Whitney Houston wasn't even born yet when you got locked up in here,' he said, 'that must suck,'

'Don't know who she is so it doesn't affect me,'

'And that is just mind-blowing to me,' Kai said, making explosion noises, 'And if this is supposed to be 1960, why is there 90s music playing?'

'It's you,' she said, 'When you got here, 1960 and 1994 started on some weird collision course. So now they're kind of just balancing themselves out,'

Kai seemed to accept this answer, going quiet again, looking out the window. 'This car ride is so boring,' he said, picking right back up from where he left off in his complaints. 'Are we there yet?' he asked.

At this, Ana pulled the car to a complete stop and turned to look at Kai, glaring at him for a long moment. She sighed, loudly. Suddenly, the only sound in the car was a snapping sound. Kai collapsed in his seat, silent. Ana put her foot back on the pedal, getting the car going again.

'Finally,' she breathed, 'peace,'

She drove off towards where hopefully, in about two days, she'd see Mystic Falls. Paying no attention to the body in the passenger seat, she hummed along to the Whitney Houston song, learning the melody as she went.