Broken Arrows

03 | a night's ride

"It's scary the way nobody stays together anymore."

—The Parent Trap (1998)

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Erin, despite her insistence in staying awake, had fallen asleep a half hour after their stop. They'd found some traffic following their Starbucks detour, so they were still at least forty-five minutes away from Crimson Lake. Sachi fought slumber for as long as she could, and though she yawned every few minutes, she was still conscious when they pulled off the highway and onto one of the lesser-known roads.

            Even Lola was starting to fall prey to the idea of a good night's rest. She had to keep blinking to prevent her eyelids from drooping, and she tightened her grip around the steering wheel, so much that her knuckles were white.

            Sachi leaned forward, or as much as she could with a seatbelt restraining her. "Lola? Are you okay?"

             "'Course," came her swift reply. "Just fine. You can fall asleep, y'know."

            "No thanks." She swallowed. "I don't like sleeping in the car; I can't. The roads are too bumpy for me to rest for more than a few minutes."

            "Oh. Does Erin know that?"

            "I don't think so."

            The conversation dulled after that, but Sachi could see just how exhausted Lola was. "I can drive," she suggested, "so you can take a break. I mean—it might help."

            "I couldn't ask you to do that." Sachi could see the idea was tempting, though, and her pride was making her reject the offer.

            "Really. I insist."

            It took a few minutes of insistent pleading for Lola to accept her offer. She pulled over onto the side of the road, and the two quickly switched places. Once Sachi had shut the car door behind her and buckled in her seatbelt, she allowed herself to straighten. She wrapped her delicate fingers tentatively around the steering wheel, letting out an uneven breath as she did so.

            It wasn't that she hated driving. She just didn't like it. She could do it if necessary, but she always worried about the possible situations that could result if she drove recklessly. Public transportation seemed to be the easiest way to go.

            "Okay." She spoke to herself, because she was sure Lola had already dozed off in the backseat. Carefully, she restarted the car and eased back onto the road.

            They started off slowly, since Sachi wasn't all that confident in her ability to follow her phone GPS, but the car sped up as she became surer of herself. Her grip on the wheel loosened, and the tension in her shoulders dissipated. Her back rested against the seat, and she kept her gaze firmly set on the road ahead.

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            When she and Lola switched off again, they were a mere five minutes away from their destination. It became difficult for Sachi to keep her eyes open, and every few seconds, she found herself drifting off until she caught herself.

            Erin had woken up, and now their entire party was awake to watch their entrance into Crimson Lake.

            Sachi could tell they'd arrived when the roads shifted into alcoves shaded by trees. The world shifted into a mural of bright colors: the leaves' green, the sky's blue, the bark's brown. Despite her fatigue, she couldn't help but stare, wide-eyed, at the sight. It was unlike anywhere she'd ever been, and though she hadn't traveled much, there was an allure to the darkness of the forest mixed in with the light.