Friday came much quicker than expected. Not much occurred this week, just a bunch of Bethany and I preparing for our small road trip, and goofing off as usual. Tami came over a few times, always close enough to Trenton so he could save her from whatever he thinks is going to happen on a moments notice.

Days were spent with the girls, nights were spent with Cayton; nothing out of the usual. Well, except for the almost heart attack I gave Cayton.

Of course, I'm going to need a car to drive up there, right? And my mate just so happens to be the owner of my dream car. The problem is, I'm almost positive he loves that car almost as much as he does me. So, when I asked to borrow it, it was as if I had asked him to make a sacrifice with the blood of his first-born. Yea, it was that big of a deal.

Anyways, what happened was that he reluctantly let me use it, but not before making sure I knew how to drive it. He didn't believe me when I told him I knew how to drive a stick shift, and I had to 'prove it'.

I proved it alright, but not before messing with him and "almost crashing" and "loosing control." Long story short, he wasn't too happy with that.

However, I had a good laugh, so it was worth it.

As of right now, I'm braiding my hair back and preparing to leave. And as usual when I take the trip back to my mom's, I'm dressed in the comfiest clothes possible, being a pair of sweatpants and plain blue cotton shirt, and my worn out tennis shoes.

I don't know if I'm exactly looking forward to this trip, but I know it's necessary. After all, there are a few things I have to take care of there before I come back home. For example, someone that has completely slipped my mind up until this point—Lewis. That's going to be awkward, I already know that.

Then there's the fact that something's got to give with my mom. As much as I wish it would be true, I know she isn't letting me off the hook that easily. But what she has in store for me, I'm not too sure. Her being as predictable as she is, she could use anything from duct tape to military-grade weapons.

"Alright, I'm ready," I say to Cayton who is waiting for me by the door with my bag in his hand. I would have left earlier, but Cayton insisted that I wait until he got home so he could see me off. Right now, it's almost completely dark out. He got home two hours ago, and I would have left then but Cayton kept me busy for that time, trying to prolong my stay here.

Not that I mind, but I really hate driving in the dark. Especially since he's making me take the backroads, which will tack about another two hours or so onto our five-hour trip. All because the quick route goes through Joshua's territory, and he wants me as far away from there as possible.

I didn't argue with him there, mostly because it's a miracle he's letting me go 5 hours away from him in the first place. Besides, I like taking the backroads. There's rarely anyone on them, and all the twists and turns make it that much more fun, especially when you're going fast.

I follow Cayton out to the car. He opens the door and tosses my bag into the backseat, then allows me to slip into the driver's seat right before he shuts it.

I pull my seatbelt on and smile as I grip the steering wheel, thinking about just how fun it will be tearing through the backroads. However, that will have to wait until Sunday, because I'm not stupid enough to try a stunt like that while it's pitch black.

"You got everything?" Cayton asks, sticking his head in through the open window.

"Yep," I reply, turning the key and listening to the engine purr.

"And you'll call when you get there?"

"Yes Dad," I say mockingly. He gives me an austere look, and I lean in and peck his lips. "I'll call every hour if that would make you feel better."

He shakes his head. "Both hands on the wheel." He then grabs the back of my head and pulls me into a more demanding, fiery kiss. I pull away when I start getting lightheaded and my heart rate starts to pick up. I don't want to start rethinking this decision to leave for the entire weekend. Maybe I could just leave Saturday...

"I love you, be safe," are his last words before he gives me a light kiss on my forehead. "Seriously, be safe." At that point the lays his hand on the car and looks at it with an expression of worry, and I'm pretty sure he's talking to the car now.

"Love you too," I reply, rolling my eyes at his concern for his precious car. I'll never understand a man's connection to vehicles.

With that said, he backs away from the car and I put it in drive, waving my hand out the window before taking off towards Bethany and Carter's.

*

"Hurry up woman!" I yell, knocking repetitively on the truck stop bathroom door.

"Ok ok! Jesus, this takes time!" Bethany hollers back from inside. Groaning, I rip open the pack of skittles I bought from the vending machine and pop a few in my mouth.

We had to make a pit stop because sweet Bethany didn't take the oldest advice in the book and use the bathroom before going on a long trip. We've only been driving for about an hour, and in about thirty more minutes, we're going to have to start hitting the backroads.

The bathroom door opens and Bethany steps out, wiping her hands on her pants and commenting on the crappy quality of the hand dryers. Nodding in agreement, we both turn to exit the building, when someone catches my eye. For all the wrong reasons.

I can't see a face, so I can't confirm who it is, but everything about them is familiar. The well kept brown hair, the build of his body, even his demeanor and posture. Confident, brooding, and powerful.

He's leaning against the desk, watching something in front of him carefully with his back to me. I would examine him further, but Bethany grabs my arm that moment and yanks me forward.

"Come on, you rushed me, now don't hold us up," she says rather quickly, her pace matching.

"Demanding," I complain, to which she shoots me a pointed look over her shoulder.

I didn't think too much about what I saw, but I knew it was something that I couldn't quite get my mind off of, for reasons unknown to me. I think with everything going on has been making me paranoid. I mean, the other day I found a carton of orange juice suspicious. I was right, of course. It had way too much pulp in it.

Anyways, I push it out of my mind as I slide into the driver's seat and buckle myself in once again.

We hit the road once more, and Bethany settles comfortably in her seat to take a nap. We agreed to switch off later so I could take a nap and not have to drive the full trip.

I turn the radio on to banish the silence, keeping it at an acceptable volume.

I sigh once again, already missing Cayton and wishing this whole thing was over with. Maybe it would have been easier if Mom would have just flipped out, kicked me out and disowned me. Ok, maybe not easier, but less time consuming.

*

Bethany decides to give up on sleeping, claiming the music is too loud.

"If the music is too loud, you're too old," I say, turning it up more to spite her. She scowls at me and I respond with a childlike smile.

Now the night has come, and with the looming trees on both sides of the road, the light of the moon isn't reaching the ground, washing us in complete darkness. Well, not complete darkness; the headlights let us see some of our surroundings.

"Let's play I Spy," I suggest, turning the music back down so I'm not shouting over it.

Bethany cocks an eyebrow. "Can you even see anything?"

I shrug. "Enough I guess."

"Ok... You go first."

"Alright. I spy with my little eyes something... grey."

"The road," she answers immediately. I frown. Ok, so other than the green and brown of the trees, I can't see much else, giving me limited options.

"Ok, this isn't fair. I can't see a lot," I whine. She smiles.

"That's the problem with human eyesight, huh?" she teases.

My frown deepens into a pout, and she laughs. "Your turn," I say.

She looks all around the car, her eyes scanning carefully over the whizzing scenery. Her eyes lock on something, and I prepare myself to guess.

"Macy?"

"Yes?"

"Do you see that?" Bethany points to my left, and I squint into the darkness, trying to see what she is pointing to. The headlights allow me to make out a shape at the edge of the woods, something that resembles a boulder, I think, but other than that I can't see it.

"I thought that we just established that I only have human eyesight," I say, focusing back onto the road.

"Did you at least see something?" She turns around, looking back at whatever it is she saw. I glance in the rear-view mirror to try to catch it. All I see is the blackness of the night, and the faint red glow from the taillights.

"A rock," I say. "You know you're supposed to say a color, right?"

She shakes her head, settling back into her seat, suddenly looking uneasy.

"Never mind," she murmurs.

That was the second suspicious thing that happened on this trip.

The drive continues for another ten minutes before the most questionable thing happens. Flashing lights appear behind us, the red white and blue that usually represent freedom, but in this case usually result in some big fine or a trip to the slammer.

The reason this is suspicious is because I'm almost positive cops don't hide on the backroads at night. And the fact that we have neither been speeding nor have any malfunctioning lights is a big question mark.

"That's weird," I mutter. Bethany turns to look around once again, a perplexed expression on her face.

"What did you do?" she asks me, as if I had any idea. I give her a flat look.

"Obviously I'm too much of a speed demon," I say sarcastically. With a heavy sigh, I pull the car to the side of this tiny two-lane road and fight the urge to slam my head against the steering wheel. Cayton is going to kill me if I get a ticket.

"Did you miss a stop sign?" she asks.

"There are no stop signs," I say obviously. "There's barely any form of a structured civilization out here, let alone a red octagon on a pole."

My fingers drum against the steering wheel nervously as the lights stop behind us. What could I have possibly done? Is a Mustang driving in the dead of night suspicious, or did someone set up an elaborate prank?

That seems likely. I mean, you can't be wrong about being on a prank show twice.

The officer, a tall man fully decked out in a blue uniform and badge, knocks on the window.

"Why is this noob wearing sunglasses at night?" I whisper quietly to Bethany as I push the button to roll the windows down. I can see her stiffen from the corner of my eye, but I'm too focused on the man staring me down through black sunglasses.

"Hi, officer. Is, um, is there a problem?" I ask nervously.

"What are you two ladies doing back here so late at night?" he asks gruffly, and I have to pause for a moment before I can answer.

His voice... I swear, I've heard it before. It sounds familiar; I just can't put a face or time to it...

"Macy," Bethany whispers urgently, causing me to snap back to the situation. I look to her, but she isn't looking at me. She's staring at the officer, her face the picture of a perturbed and fearful look. "Hit the gas."

"What?" I ask, my eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.

"What, never seen a cop before?" the officer teases.

And with that sentence, everything clicks.

I know exactly where I've heard that voice. Similarly, the last time I heard that voice was in the middle of the woods. Except, he wasn't wearing a police uniform. In fact, he wasn't wearing anything at all. Just a smirk, similar to the one on his face as he sees me put two and two together.

Bethany didn't have to tell me twice. My foot hits the gas pedal so fast and with so much force I burn rubber before the car is zooming full speed ahead.

The speed causes me to slam back into the seat, but I don't dare slow down, especially since the lights are once again flashing behind us, getting closer. I'm pushing eighty, and although I'm afraid to slow down, I'm afraid to speed up.

I look back for just a split second to asses how close he's getting, and in that time, three things happen.

All of it seems to go in slow motion. First, Bethany screams. This causes me to put my eyes back on the road, where I notice a black truck stretched across the path, blocking any chance of us getting around.

That's the moment I realize we are so utterly screwed. I can't explain exactly what's happening, and I can't tell you why it is, but all I know is that it is.

I close my eyes as the impact jolts me forward, my head slamming painfully against the steering wheel. Glass shatters, the sound of collision and screams, both Bethany's and my own, and a feeling of spinning out of control all occur at once.

I don't even have time to form a thought or reaction, because in that moment everything turns to black.