Tristan Hale and the Dragon's Keeper

I Hijack A Smart Car

Fate is a funny concept. Some love the idea of having a soulmate that fate created for them, while others hate the possibility that maybe they aren't destined for anything. Many often find themselves wanting to change their fate and try to claw their way to power or happiness against the odds they were given at birth. One could argue, though, that those destiny-deniers were always going to thrive and that they only needed to have certain obstacles put in their way in order to become the person they're supposed to be. I just hope that Fate is almost done giving me obstacles because I don't know how many more I can take.

Today, fate has led to me to the empty cul-de-sac where I am currently crammed underneath a Smart Car. Yes, a Smart Car. It is a much preferable sleeping arrangement than the hole I dug last week under some old lady's porch. It could store food, it was mobile, and it wasn't covered in cat feces– although it did smell a little like cat pee.  Hopefully, it will be mobile soon. I had been jammed underneath the damned thing for over an hour and I still couldn't figure out how to disable the alarm system and unlock it. The youtube video I'd watched made it seem easy enough, but it was proving to take much longer than the 20 minutes it took to watch the video. 

I rolled out from underneath the car only because my stomach growled and I knew, if I didn't get a move on soon, it was going to be a rough night. The sun was setting and I still hadn't scavenged together any food. The last time I had a decent meal was when I found half of a chicken burrito from Chipotle in the trash can. That was almost two days ago. Since then, I'd been surviving off of stale bagels left outside a bakery.

I've found random snacks like these bagels over these last few days in order to satiate my hunger, but solid meals have been hard to get recently because the police have a warrant out for my arrest. Some Whole Foods cashier managed to snap a picture of me in the middle of stealing a watermelon –maybe a few pints of banana ice cream, too– but that's hardly enough to deserve jail time. 

Unfortunately, I'm very recognizable. Yes, the white-blonde hair has been a trend on and off for years but you hardly ever see it grow out of someone's head that color. My mom emigrated to the U.S. from Southern Italy so I have her easily-tanned olive skin, but I don't know much about my dad. I can only assume that I have his white-blonde hair and green eyes. Luckily, those two parts of me are easily covered. With my fake Ray-Bans and a beanie, I can blend in for the most part. My scalp is just unnecessarily sweaty on warm days.

I stood up and cracked my neck– it had gotten stiff from laying on the hard asphalt. Sunlight glared into my eyes and I was forced to shade them with my hand. My arm shook from that small strain it took to raise my hand to my forehead. I needed to get food soon. Otherwise, I'd end up looking like a haunted house prop on the sidewalk. 

I turned my back to the sun and looked at the Smart Car in frustration. I'm all for saving the environment but there had to be another way than these god-awful compact creations. Buy a Hybrid or a Tesla instead. The car was blue with little eyelashes glued to the headlights and one of those stick figure families on the back. Except there was just one woman stick figure and multiple cat stickers. 

I put both of my hands on the passenger side handle and stuck my butt out as far as I could in an attempt to stretch out my back. But instead of feeling a nice crack in my spine, I felt the handle click and my ass hit the asphalt. Hard. 

I cursed and rubbed my tailbone. Today was not my day. Actually, it was more like this entire month was not my month. I looked at the open door and smacked a hand to my forehead. 

You're such an idiot Tristan. Who forgets to just try the doors?

I sighed and hung my head. But I was relieved. If the car was unlocked, that meant that I hadn't needed to shut off the alarm system and the keys might be inside. I checked the cup holders, the glove box, the center compartment, and anywhere else I could think of. The sun visor was the ticket. As soon as I flipped it down, the keys tumbled out.