It would take literally days for Val to arrive in Altis Point by foot. The infrastructure that made traveling convenient for those by car would not be accessible to Val and Foofy. Without access to public transit neither, they had no other option but their own two—or four—feet. So, for the time being, Val walked westward towards Altis Point.

Along busy roads, Val stuck out her thumb. Hitchhiking would be the way to go. While technically against the law, she saw no reason to abide by this one.

Who did she hurt, walking along with an arm extended on the roadside? Sure, she may be an eyesore, but this did not exactly make for an area with beautiful scenery for her to spoil anyway. Anyone old enough to operate a vehicle could make the decision to pick her up by their own free will and take her however far was convenient for them.

Thanks to the kindness of strangers, Val received her first lift. A rusty truck pulled to a stop alongside her and the window to the passenger’s side rolled down.

Foofy leveled his chest against the leash but did not pull. He stood at alert, body angled into all hard lines. By appearances, he looked ready to give off a woof and so much more if need be.

“Where are you headed?” the man inside asked.

“Altis Point.”

“Lucky for you, I am heading that way now. Hop in.”

Val did not require any additional invitation or encouragement. She opened up the door to his truck, the handle requiring more than a little tug. Using some additional strength was all the same to a demigoddess because both tries she had to be gentle, not wanting to damage a kindly stranger’s vehicle.

Foofy lunged into the vehicle first, making himself at home right on the seat.

“Hey there, dog!” the man behind the wheel gushed.

“Foofy, down.” Val swatted him to get down on the floor of the car and took her spot on the seat. “I’m sorry about that.”

“No, no, you have a fine-looking dog, there. It’s good for you to be traveling with one, a young lady like yourself.”

“Yeah.” She had already experienced that for herself, what with the way that no one had bothered her at all.

The door to her side shut with a slam. Then, the engine of the truck puttered and roared as it got back up to speed and rejoined the traffic. Val knew nothing about automobiles, but this one sounded like it belonged in a repair shop or junkyard.

“My name is Jaime, by the way.”

Rather than looking at the man who had picked her up, Val shifted in her seat to face the window. The surroundings blew by at fifty or so miles per hour. Within the hour, they would have covered well over the amount of ground than Val could have on her own, walking all day.

“What would be your dog’s name?” the man asked.

“Foofy.”

“Ah, Foofy! That’s a classic for a big, ole boy like him.”

“Yep.”

“Would Foofy like a window open?”

Given the way that Foofy had clambered up from her feet, into her lap, and took to putting his doggy nose prints on the glass, Val would wager to guess that he would like that indeed like.

“Yes, please. I think that he would like that.”

The window rolled down, sending Foofy to stick his nose up to the beginning of the crack. Then, his whole head went out the window as soon as he could. Eighty pounds of Doberman pushed down onto Val’s lap from his four pupper paws. She helped support him, allowing Foofy to live his best doggy life with his tongue dangling from his mouth.

Some of his slobber took to the wind and slapped against the back window. At least the addition of dog saliva could not make Jaime’s truck look all that much worse, but Val still had to wince at her dog making a mess of anything.

The wind continued to whip into the car, sending Val’s hair every which way into her face. Her fingers pulled it away and tilted her face back to the window in Foofy’s lead, allowing her hair to blow back and stay out of the way from then on. This felt incredibly nice, enjoying the gust of a moving car with her dog.

“So, what’s your story?” Jaime asked. “Are you a runaway kid?”

Val shrugged, though hopefully the man could not see her do so if he watched the road properly. “No, not really. I don’t think that I count as a runaway since I am an adult.”

“Did you just turn eighteen today or something? You don’t look a day over seventeen.”

“Thanks,” Val snapped, though she should get used to people thinking that she looked young. Eventually, a time would come when her age spanned over a hundred years and she would never look a day over twenty-five. “About two weeks ago was my birthday.”

“Happy belated birthday,” Jaime stated.

“Thanks,” Val said again, her voice a little lighter this time.

Another pause held throughout the truck, nothing but wind drowning out the vehicle’s rackety noise.

The man filled this pause quicker than the last. “Does this mean that you are still in high school? How are you going to make up all of the work that you miss while you’re gone?”

The last thing that Val cared about was her schoolwork. Finally, she would get to drop out just as she had always wanted, so she stated this with maybe too much pride. “I’m dropping out.”

“That is a terrible idea. You should at least graduate, even if you have to take an extra year to do it. Otherwise, bare minimum, you need a GED.” Jaime spoke straight facts for anyone wishing to function in the mortal world.

“I know,” Val said. “Don’t worry, I will turn out just fine.”

Jaime continued to question her. “Do you have family or friends in Altis Point that you are going to stay with?”

“No,” Val said, adding on, “not exactly.”

“How about a job lined up?”

“Nope.”

“Do you have enough for the security deposit on an apartment and a couple months pay to get yourself situated?”

“Definitely not.”

“It sounds like you are not ready to move out on your own yet, kid.”

Still looking out the window, Val gave a slight shake of her head. She supposed that it was only fair, having to endure an interrogation in exchange for a free ride. In fact, Jaime turned out to be an incredibly kind stranger, trying to counsel what looked to be a runaway kid.

“Instead of taking you to Altis Point, could I convince you to let me drive you home instead?”

“No.”

Another pause occurred, this one filled right away by Jaime. “I don’t know your situation, and I’m not going to ask for your life’s story if you don’t want to share,” he began. “Whatever you’re dealing with at home though—alcoholics, drug addicts, generally abusive parents…. You might just be better off staying there. At least it’s known territory, you know? You’ve lasted there this long, so you know how to keep your head down the best you can and get on with your life. That might be a better option for you, at least until you get your feet under yourself some more.”

“Thanks for the advice, but you really don’t know anything about my situation.”

“I’m speaking as someone who tried the whole runaway bit before, in my youth.”

Val looked at Jaime and really tried to take him in for the first time since getting in his truck.

His small eyes stayed on the road. Jaime was either a man in his early thirties who had aged well, or a man in his mid to late twenties who had not. Already, his eyes looked weary from time.

Many nights with not enough sleep and too much worry must have done that to him. Seeing him like this, maybe Val would not look so young at an apparent age of twenty-five. Whatever issues he had in his mortal life, though, Jaime probably had a harder life than her, especially if he still rode around in a run-down vehicle like his truck.

“I used to hate my dad, so I upped and left,” Jaime said. “He had a little more respect for me when I got back and tried to treat me kinder after that. So, if you’re just trying to give your family a good scare, that might not be a bad option. I would not recommend you trying to stay out on your own forever, though.”

“Actually,” he continued, “I am on pretty good terms with my old man now. He’s getting older so I try helping him out when I can. He lives in Altis Point, you now, but sadly for you, I am not going all the way out to visit him today.”

“That’s nice,” Val said, not in a dismissive way. She really did mean that. It was nice of Jaime to forgive his father for whatever he had done to keep some semblance of a relationship there.

“Are you still set on going to Altis Point? It is still not too late if you would rather head home.”

“No. I told you that I would not change my mind.” Adding on, Val said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I am actually going to get fare for a boat to meet up with my older brother.”

“Ah, that’s good! Now why didn’t you say that when I asked if you were going to stay with family?”

Val could only shrug again. She did not particularly see any reason to divulge any information about herself to a total stranger, albeit an immensely kind one.

They passed several exits, and eventually, Jaime took one and dropped her off.

“Well,” he said, “I hope you have safe travels, meeting up with your brother and all. Do you have enough money to make the trip?” Without waiting for her response, he retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and pushed a ten-dollar bill in her direction.

By the state of his truck, it looked like Jaime could use his own money well enough. While Val did not know exactly what lay ahead of her for sure, her journey had just begun and also seemed to be nearing its end, so she waved her hand. “No thanks. I have brought plenty of money with me, so I’m in good shape.”

“Still, this does not look like the most well-planned family visit ever, if you have to hitchhike to get to your boat in Altis Point. At least this could get you an extra meal to put some food in your belly.”

Really, Jaime was too kind. With a tight smile, Val tried rejecting the money again. “I worked a part-time job all summer, so I really do have enough money.”

“Just shut up and take it.”

Obediently, Val reached her hand out to accept.

Jaime pulled the bill back, observing her with careful eyes. “No drugs or alcohol though, you hear me? Stay clean while you're out on the streets.”

“Don’t worry. I have never been into any of that, and I have no plans to start.”

“Good.” Jaime handed her the money. “Bye, Foofy.”

When Val opened the door, Foofy leaped out without a second of consideration for their driver. As the human, Val took care of the social interactions.

“Thanks again for the lift.” She got out and waved to Jaime as he wished her well one last time and drove away.