It All Began With A Song [Editing]

Chapter 22: A Mission in the Past

 Two types of people exist in this world: one type completely loves road trips, while the other absolutely loathes them; I belong in the latter category. If you're like me, you will understand the aggravated feeling of sitting in the same exact spot for more than an hour, but if you're not like me, consider yourself lucky.

"You know, sugar cane, if you would go to sleep, we might actually get there faster," Chase suggests just as he turns down the air conditioner, seeing how I've been shivering for the past ten minutes even though I had used his black jacket as a blanket.

I sit up straighter in order to keep myself from slouching whilst turning up the volume of the radio.

"How far are we?"

"About an hour left," Chase grins excitedly, "I really wish Makenna went with us too; she would've liked my friends."

Pursing my lips, I think back to when Zoe have insisted that she will babysit Makenna as soon as I have announced to her that I am going somewhere with Chase. Of course, she probably thinks that we are going on a "date" when in reality, we're just meeting some of his friends. Heck, even Makenna doesn't want to go because she doesn't want to ruin our "date." Not that I'm going to tell him the real reason why Makenna isn't going with us this time.

 I've received enough laughs from him from my awkward moments to last a century.

"Is this the place where you went when you disappeared?"

In the corner of my eyes, I see him tighten his grip on the steering wheel, and I am abruptly confused that I have spoken the wrong thing until he answers calmly, "One of the places, actually. I was looking for someone."

I smile as I pull the jacket closer to me in order to keep warmth,  inhaling the smell of his cologne on it. "They must be really important to you, the person you were looking for."

He nods as he turns down the radio. "Go to sleep sugar cane, we still have a while until we get there."

"I'm not going to sleep," I mumble softly, although I can already feel myself drifting off once again, "You're not going to see me drool again. Never."

Seconds before I fall asleep, I could've sworn that I have heard him chuckle softly, "I wonder if you'll still talk to me after I tell you..."

But then again, for all I've known, I could have been dreaming.

+ + +

I know where exactly we are headed to the moment Chase turns to the corner toward a familiar looking brick building. 

"We're going to a foster home, aren't we?"

Chase briefly turns his head to look at me, confused that I know the place, before gazing back towards the road. It is only after he have pulled to the parking lot that he questions me, "Have you been here before?"

I nod, spotting the familiar gigantic "umbrella tree" near the tiny playground where I had hid from my parents years ago.

 "When I was five."

With the keys now pull out, Chase crosses his arms and stares silently at me, a sign that he desires to hear more.

"We were going to visit my grandparents that day, and then my mom happened to see her college friend standing near there." I point to the now non-existent gate that had once surrounded the tiny playground, "looking at the kids playing."