Chapter Four: Planning:

It was a pig truck. The smell made me back up. Sayuri held my hand.

You have to hold on. This is the only way right now. I had to help her into the back of the pig truck. She slipped, but I managed to pull her up.

“You alright?” I whispered. Sayuri nodded as she sat beside me.

“Everything okay back there?” a truck driver asked.

“Yeah!” I shouted.

“Where exactly are you two going?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not familiar with the area.”

“Do you want go to the next town?”

“Okay.” The truck started up and continued down the road. I lay back on the truck bed floor, surrounded by pigs.

You going to sleep now?

“Yep,” I said. “It’s been a long night and I need to sleep. Night.” I put my arms behind my head and closed my eyes. Somehow, the road sounds and the pigs were rather soothing.

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By morning, I awoke to seeing Sayuri staring at me. I blinked as I looked into those deep brown eyes.

“Have you been watching me all of this time?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

Yes.

My eyes shifted left and right. That’s not creepy at all. I glanced behind me to the cab part of the truck in the front. Best to talk to Sayuri with my thoughts so that driver doesn’t think I’m crazy. My eyes shifted back to her.

Did you even sleep last night?

No.

Huh?

I can’t really sleep because of the thoughts I hear.

Yikes! So what do we do now?

What do you mean?

I sat up, propping myself up on my elbows. Well, we need money, new clothes, something to eat, and a way to get to Chicago without being seen.

How do we do that?

I frowned. You didn’t plan this out too well, did you?

I’m sorry.

I waved her off. It’s fine. We need to get to a gas station and find a way to get money, food, and a map.

How do we get all of that?

I rolled over onto my side. You need to let me worry with it.

Don’t tell me you’re going to steal those items.

I looked over my shoulder. If it comes down to that, then yeah.

Don’t!

What choice do we have? We are fugitives and we don’t have much of anything. We have to do what we have to do to survive until we find your brother.

Sayuri pulled her knees to her chest and lowered her head. I reached up and pushed her messy black bangs from her face. She didn’t look up as I gave her a sympathetic look.

Come on. It’s the only way. I lowered my hand. Just let me deal with everything while you try to get your powers back and learn how to function without them. I tried to close off my mind before she could argue with me. I already decided that after I find Sayuri’s brother, I would turn myself in and do the time. What she and her brother did would be none of my business after that. I lay back down and began to plot out what we would do once we hit town.