Songs of Nightmares and Snow

5- Conflicted Feelings

Thane

The silence is unnerving.

We drive along the dark roads quietly, our vehicle seeming to be the only one on the road right now. I sit in the middle of the backseat while Nesryn sits in the front seat, and Astrea drives. My mates familiar curled up on a pile of blankets beside me, the soft whimpers coming from her are what I assume are her equivalent of snores. We had decided to leave the truck at the motel and take Nesryn's black Chevy Impala, cramming everything from their stash in the trunk and putting our bags in the backseat with me.

For the past two hours we've been driving, nobody has spoken a word, not even the radio is on. And to be completely honest, the silence is killing me. With Nesryn napping, the only person I have to talk to is Astrea...and she's been acting strange.

She's been even quieter than before, and I know it's because of our conversation earlier this morning, and her sad words leave an ache in my heart as they echo through my thoughts.

"Because if you had any idea who I really am, any idea of all the things I've done...you wouldn't want anything to do with me."

She sounded so broken, so defeated when she whispered that...it's only left me wondering what kind of hell she's been through. What kind of things has she suffered to make her feel as if she is unlovable?

~One thing is for certain kid, we can't let her push us away. Not now, not ever.~ Kion states in my head, and I agree completely. I'll prove her wrong, that she's not unlovable.

But first, I need to break this silence.

"Where are we going next Snowdrop?" I ask quietly, and after a moment of silence I question if she's even going to talk to me now.

"Whitehorse Canada is where we'll stop for tonight." She says quietly, so soft I wouldn't have heard her if I had normal human hearing.

"Is it possible we could stop somewhere for a few minutes? I really need to shift and stretch my legs." I ask, and she stays silent.

"I could use a stretch myself Star, and we haven't eaten anything yet." Nesryn's voice mumbles as she stirs in the front seat, and Astrea sighs.

"We'll stop in Beaver Creek in a few minutes." She replies, and Nes turns in her seat to wink at me, and it makes me want to understand how she knows my mate so well.

She helped explain what the full situation was, and why we were on the run. What it comes down to is that someone has framed me for the brutal murder of thirteen humans and three ICE agents, and until we can figure out who it is and prove my innocence, we're going to have to keep moving and avoid being caught by the agency. Because especially now that my mate and Nesryn have gone rogue to help me, we more than likely won't be taken in alive.

Once we cross into Beaver Creek a few minutes later, I see Snowdrop put on a pair of black shades, no doubt to cover up her eye since she's no longer wearing a patch over it. I've been wondering about why she does...is it because the sunlight hurts it? Or something else entirely?

"Fifteen minutes, make it quick. I'll get breakfast." She murmurs as she parks at a local diner that's close to a large expanse of trees. Me and Nes get out first, both walking towards the trees quietly. Out of instinct, I turn to look at Astrea halfway to the tree line...and I catch her staring at me for a split second before walking into the building.