With a blow to the head, she was unceremoniously jerked from her sleep. She was, not long after, furiously shaken awake. It took a few moments for her to straighten up and brush the few strands of hair from her face. The blanket with which she was covered slipped past her shoulders and she let out an involuntary yawn.
"Welcome back Miss."
She automatically looked towards the direction of the voice as it finally came to her senses that she was in the cab. She had even forgotten that the driver was still there. How was something like that even possible? Cabs didn't even have autopilot and to be honest, that would just make Saki feel uneasy.
The pale blue eyes of the lady at the wheel beamed at her through the rearview mirror before moving back onto the road.
"Did you sleep well?" She asked, probably not expecting an answer considering the little time she waited for an answer. "You will be delighted to hear that we will be arriving soon."
Saki's stomach stirred with excitement at the words of the driver. She was indeed happy, but nervousness and anxiety prevailed over all other emotion. Her hands moved down to gently clutch the blanket that now lay on her lap and the 20-year-old looked out of the window. The view was different. The road had long been reduced to a dusty dirt path and she could spot a hill a little ways away with an entire mountain range even further away. The ground was green and dotted with puddles under a grey sky concealed with clouds.
"Still excited? I thought a little sleep would do you good" The driver sighed, almost annoyed at how silent the girl was.
The addressed had a rather sad look on her face. "Excited" was too downgraded a word. She would rather be anywhere but here. Sure is was her own decision to accept the offer and come here, but at what cost?
"Hey" said the woman, interrupting her train of thought. "You don't need to worry. You're a tough girl. I think you have what it takes."
Saki was honored. but avoided looking at the driver. She had a point though. She had all the necessary qualities to be here. She was polite, friendly, looked relatively good an she could also cook and clean. The only thing she was lacking was self-confidence and fear of the unknown.
To tell the truth, Saki wasn't entirely sure what was awaiting her at her destination. All she knew is that if you qualified you were granted a "unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." It sounded ridiculous when you think about it, but now it was too late to back down. Saki had already travelled several hundreds of kilometers on land, sea and air and it was not easy. The car was hot and the sea was choppy. She even had a panic attack on the plane. The only comfort she had was the cold window pane.
"We'll see..." Said the blonde. You could hear the sleepiness in her voice. She pulled the blanket over her chest and pulled her legs to her chest. Soon she would be there. A place she has never been before, but the driver was probably right. Things will take their course. All Saki had to do now was expect the unexpected.