Legend of Kataria (Draft Version)

Chapter 23

Nothing was spoken between the two teens as the car sped away from the once-hidden village. The engines rumbled in the midst of the silence, providing a means of escape for both sides and preventing the unnecessary display of emotions that neither would be able to manage right now.

Greeny kept his eyes squarely on the asphalt, only giving the rearview mirror the occasional glance. The countryside had long vanished into the distance, along with any trace of Morto's invading party. No more than five cars rattled past them in the opposite direction and according to his phone's GPS, they were thirty miles from the nearest town and forty from the nearest police station. They were out. They were safe.

So, why then, did the clutches of evil feel more constricting than ever before?

He knew the answer. He could still see the fear and determination in his friends' eyes as they stood up to the very man who wanted them dead and sacrificed their lives to protect him.

He flashed a quick look toward the passenger seat where Pinky was sleeping, head lolling against the window. For the moment, she looked so peaceful and he had to remind himself; he hadn't been the only one the boys had tried to save. He had her too. Whether or not that was a good thing was yet to be determined, but he knew he felt better just having her there. He didn't want to be alone and, as stupid as it sounded, he didn't even mind that it was Pinky. Perhaps it was her fierce demeanor (which would come in handy later if he had to face down Morto again)--or maybe it was something entirely different--either way, he was glad she was there.

Even if he wasn't about to tell her so.

The vehicle rattled as he cruised over an uneven portion of the road and Pinky stirred, groaning as she slowly pulled herself into a more dignified position and wiped the sleep and tears from her eyes. "Where're we?" she mumbled, sitting up and blinking just as another car whistled past them. Tight-knuckled, trying not to panic, swerve, and crash, Greeny didn't answer right away.

Seeing his reluctance to say, Pinky's eyes drifted to his phone, settled securely into the cupholder between their seats. "Nowhere," she muttered, sitting back with a wince. "We're in the middle of nowhere." She then frowned, as though just thinking of something. "And how are you driving, anyway? I thought you said you couldn't!"

"I said--" Greeny started to respond, tensing as the car drifted dangerously close to the middle line. "I said," he repeated once he'd managed to straighten them out once more, "that I didn't know how. Fortunately, I'm a quick study."

And just to prove his point, he held up the car's manual and waved it under her nose.

Pinky scowled, snatching it from him and flopping back against her seat with a huff. "And were you reading this the entire time?"

"Well, I mean," Greeny tried to correct. "I did stop a couple of hours ago to rest. According to the manual, one is not supposed to drive more than two hours at a time without stopping to break and--"

"--and they also are not supposed to read while they're driving," Pinky finished with a deadpan. "You know you could have asked me to drive? Or at least have let me show you how it's done."

And would you have taught me? Really? Greeny momentarily flicked his gaze to her. Without yelling or criticizing or telling me what a horrible job I was doing? But he didn't say any of that. Maybe out of concern...or empathy...but most likely because, when he looked at her, he saw her fear. This wasn't the same girl who had saved him from a collapsing building, determined that he was too weak to fight and would only get in her way. This girl, the one he saw now, was different. She was strong, determined, brave--but she was also human. And a part of being human was understanding weaknesses. She had just watched her two closest allies sacrifice everything for her, the ones who had meant the world to her. Greeny didn't blame her for being upset. He hadn't been with the team long, but he shared her emotion.