#fff15

But the noise lowered as a driver took a turn elsewhere.

Between a bar and coffee shop, the car continued on wandering. To anywhere, having no destination.

Heaving a long, heavy breath, she swiped her bleary eyes, and tear-streaked cheeks. Before her, pavements and buildings appear blurry in her vision. She shook her head to get a clear view.

Jing-Fei turned on the music, letting lyrics and music block any worry floating in her mind at the moment. She pressed her forehead over the steering wheel.

Ever since her publishers rejected a concept of her latest manuscript, it had been taunting her. She had accepted defeat with a smile, knowing it could have happened. But not like that. Inside, her heart had shrunk, and her ribs tightened at words from the publisher. A crisp yet subtly plaintive words, which had told her they couldn't accept her work with a polite tone.

Her agent had been decent enough to comfort her, despite that crushing blow to her psyche.

She didn't reveal it to her friends yet because she didn't want their pity. Not their pity, please, anything other than that.

Once she couldn't sleep, she had enough, deciding to go out for a ride in her car.

So, she took whatever direction ahead of her. Left, right, left, right, left, right. . .

Her thoughts pulled up to a stop as her car slowed down. Still, she maintained her grip on her steering wheel to not fidget on it, maneuvering across an empty road.

Jing-Fei crumbled internally, thinking of how she shouldn't have sent the idea. Maybe she wouldn't feel small and thwarted. She had gone through tough endeavors to get into the book business.

Always stressed out whenever she was dra—

Headlights quickly flashed by, startling her. Her body temperature dropped cold and numb as she stared out at a front window, searching for anything posing as a threat.

Maybe it wasn't harmful. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice her surroundings.

Well. She couldn't stay up and in here until morning. Sure, she had been enjoying these sight-seeing. . . she failed to put a choked up feeling at bay.

Maybe all she needed was a break from the publishing industry. To not focus from one story to the next.

Pulling the brakes back, she arrived at a front entrance of Santa Monica pier. She parked it near the lot, deciding to stay here for a while. Maybe she might pass out before sunrise.

Having a midnight ride wouldn't fix her current problems but she still wanted to try. Some of the stress that dragged her down faded for a moment. Just for a moment.

If she needed to keep a good state of mind, she should do this. Because if she didn't, she might deal with consequences, which she didn't think of.

          It’s got to be midnight by now. The clock in this old car is long dead. It looks like midnight. Like I’m driving into nothingness, following the white lines and hoping they take us where we need to go. There’s no-one else on the road. It’s been like that all night. I guess everyone else has somewhere to be and here’s not it. I bite into another piece of jerky. Saves me from worrying my gums. Terrible habit. It used to scare me, when I was little, seeing a lone set of headlights was always worse than seeing none. Even before I had reason to be, I was paranoid about being followed. The radio is on. No-one’s really listening. I keep an idle ear out for news reports but it’s mostly just awful country music. The tinny noise is really just a distraction. It’s barely louder than the gentle lull of the car. I don’t know what the kid is thinking about. I wonder if he regrets it. Is he scared I’m gonna take him to some backwater cabin and do away with him? Hack him into little pieces and scatter him in a river? I wouldn’t blame him. It’s not every day you’re stolen away by some strange person with nothing but their word ‘it’ll be better with me’. I sigh, drumming my fingers against the wheel. Reminding my hands to stay awake. The little vanilla air freshener sways, dancing around at every bump in the road. I’ve been meaning to replace it. It hasn’t smelled like vanilla since before the clock stopped.

          The kid shifts again, half trying to wake himself up, half trying to get comfortable enough not to. Radio light catches on the tiny scales smattered across his skin. Freckles, if you weren’t paying attention. His hair is stuck in every direction like a chestnut bird’s nest. Twin horn nubs poke beyond the mess. His shirt doesn’t fit well over the fleshy wings furled tightly to his back. Am I going to have to learn to sew? My coat covers him well enough, trailing after his heels as he walks, but how long is that going to last? Kids grow fast. My fingers drum faster. What have I gotten myself into? Even my own mother would laugh at the thought of me being a caretaker. There isn’t a parental bone in my body. I’d never have even seen him if I wasn’t casing his house for crying out loud! How’s a kid supposed to turn out decent if that’s their role model? I don’t know what I’m doing. This seemed like a good idea before. How things change. But, I couldn’t do nothing. If you’d seen what his folks were like … . I almost don’t notice how tightly I’ve clamped onto the steering wheel. One week. I was watching their house for one week and I couldn’t just leave it alone. Kids don’t get hurt that often. I have to consciously unclench my jaw. Last thing the kid needs is to wake up to see murder written across my face. Deep breath. Hold it. Slow release. I’ve heard about Tainted people. We all have. But a kid is just a kid. Worse, he was their kid. They weren’t just some negligent owners, they were his parents for gods’ sake. So, I took him. Very much a thief in the night, I broke in, picked him up, and left. They can keep all of their useless junk. They can rot with it for all I care. I thought he was going to scream, fight back, do anything you’d expect someone to do. He didn’t. Even though he was trembling, he didn’t make a fuss as I buckled him in, telling him I was going to make things better. Somehow, that made me feel worse. It should go without saying, but I’ve never stolen a child before. Cash, jewellery, priceless heirlooms, it’s all fair game. I left it all. Left it to sit in the car with someone else’s kid, my kid now, I guess, driving into the night. God damn me. 

          That was yesterday. I’ve only made a food stop since then. Hopefully the distance will be enough to keep everyone off our, now literal, tail. Honestly, I don’t even know if they’ll get the police involved. Horrible as it sounds, I hope they don’t care that much. Regardless, we should be okay. There’s no connection between me and them. Just chance that I took interest in their possessions. Even if my … endeavours are known, I’m no kidnapper. Well, I wasn’t. This is really just a one-time thing. Hopefully. No, I think we’ll be okay. I’ve got a little place by the coast. I’ll take him there until I can work out the next step.

          “STOP!”

          Breaks slam. I throw my arm out. He’s shoved back against the seat. The wheel punches my chest, acquainting my ribs with my lungs. The radio murmurs, indifferent. Curses and static play tag in my skull. When my mind catches up to my body, I look around. Piece together what the heck happened. Check the kid first. He seems okay. He catches my puzzled look, pointing a shaking finger into the darkness. I follow. Squinting as though that will make my night vision better. Black against black, a form shifts ahead, barely touched by the high beams. Its shape registers in increments. First the body, it may as well be a wall to my car. Then the legs. Then the head. A cow, of all things. It’d wandered straight onto the road. I would have never seen it in time. Heart hammering my chest and nerves appropriately shot, I restart the engine. I kind of feel like giggling. I do not. We crawl past the cow, finding a place to pull over. The adrenaline drains, leaving a shuddering tiredness. I think I can sleep now. Just a few hours.  

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Next week I’ve got exams Wednesday through Friday so I’m not sure I’ll have enough brain power to do the prompt, but I’ll certainly try! 

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