"The air feels like it's getting thin up here," Tori leaning against the passenger window, pressing her forehead.
Jade moves her eyes and turns her head slightly to Tori's direction trying to keep her attention on the road. "You Southwesterners, anything higher than sea level and you just snap." She pondered that for a moment. "That might explain the freeway."
"And you live minutes away from me," Tori chides her teasingly.
"For the moment. This is my kind of place."
Tori flows her fingers through Jade's hair. "Why? Because it rains like every day?"
"Two weeks of sunshine a year, baby!"
"Kind of like how Alaska gets one month of night," Tori says turning her attention back to the scenery out her window.
Jade gives Tori a smarmy gaze. "You know you're somewhere special when people only remember the days when it's normal."
The road changes after ascending the mountain. Tall redwoods stretch toward the skyline on both sides, creating an ominous corridor. It felt like an eternity, watching the shrubbery and glimpses of deer before coming across real signs of civilization. Tori was surprised that it even registered on her PearPhone's GPS.
The signs read "LAKEPORT, OR – A Nice Place to Live – Population 5400."
It was like a Christmas landscape minus the snow. The tallest thing was the church steeple. Little shops, restaurants and other businesses lines the main street. Tori could imagine the whole scene strung with bright lights come December. Being from L.A., she was dumbstruck by how pretty this small town seemed.
"What do you think? Home sweet home."
"This is not what I expected," Tori thought out loud. "When I imagined a northwestern town, I assumed…"
"Now, what have a told you about those vampire romance novels?" Jade interrupted in a motherly tone.
Tori exaggerates a sigh and replies in monotone, "They're not real. "
"Good girl," Jade nods.
Tori reaches into the backseat to get the car charger for her phone out of her duffel. When she turns back around in her seat, facing forward she grips door and the back of Jade's seat to brace herself.
"Oh, my God! Jade watch out!"
Tori feels her body jerk forward only to be ripped back by the seatbelt. Jade has her arm on her chest in a protective manner.
The car stopped. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Jade scolded.
"I saw a man, he was walking across the street and…"
Nothing. "What man? Where?"
Tori's jaw drops along with her heart. "He was right there. He was about to get hit if we didn't stop soon."
"Tori," Jade began, mildly irritated. "There is nobody there. Don't you think that I'm a competent enough driver that I would see a person."
"You didn't see Sinjin or Robbie."
"Honey, those two times were intentional," Jade half smiles. Tori gives her a look. "They pissed me off."
"But…"
"Tori," Jade cuts her off. "Just relax. We have been in this car for eight hours. You're just tired. You're seeing things."
Tori relaxes in her chair, adjusting her seatbelt which tightened considerably. Jade puts the car back in drive and they resume their ride. Tori takes a look behind through the rear windshield. She saw the same man, this time standing on the side of the road. He stares at her. She holds her head in her hands.
"It's gotta be the altitude," she thought to herself.