Disclaimer: I do not own the I Am Number Four series, or the song Life is a Highway sung by the Rascal Flatts.
Life's like a road that you travel on
There's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
Life was like a highway for Six. Each day of her life ever since she left her home planet Lorien, she had been on the run. Whether it was with her Cêpan, Katarina or with her newly found friends John, Sam and Bernie Kosar, her life had always been one hell of a rough road.
She had spent almost her whole life travelling. One day she was in a small suburban city and the next she was on the road again, on the run from the terrible Mogadorians. Six sometimes wished that she could escape somewhere- anywhere- where there was no danger. She wished that she didn't have to sleep with one eye open all the time, or watch her back every few metres she walked.
After Katarina's death, Six was a mess. She didn't know what to do or where to go. Six was left all alone in a world that she knew contained people who wanted to kill her. Of course she had the other Loric children somewhere in the world. The problem was that they didn't know each other. If they did meet, the special connection which saves them from harm unless they're killed in consecutive order by their numbers would be destroyed. That would mean that all the kids could be killed at the same time by the Mogadorians.
Going through three years without anyone's help was hard. Six had to figure out all her legacies by herself. She had to think for herself, too. Six had been on the run alone and she had hated it. She missed the human companionship of her Cêpan. She missed the love and care Katarina provided. Six missed her with all her heart.
Six had moped around and sulked. She knew that Katarina would not have wanted her to end up like this, possibly with a gruesome ending at the hands of the Mogs. Six decided to pick herself off the ground and get back on track with her life. She made up her mind to find another Loric child. At this point, she didn't care if she broke the Lorien safety charm. She was alone in this world and what she craved the most was human love, comfort and support. Sure, she was being mighty selfish, but they were all going to die one day if they didn't pick themselves off the ground and join together to fight.
There's a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you any more
For the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
Three long years passed and Six found Number Four. He was living in Paradise, Ohio. Six was ever so relieved to find him. She had heard about the strange happenings in his town and thought she should check it out. Six knew the risks: either the stories were true and there was actually a Loric child there, or it was a hoax by the Mogadorians, trying to lure Loric kids into a town where they could easily ambush them and kill them.
When she arrived in Paradise, she found herself in a big battle at the local high school. She fought bravely, along with her newly found friends against the invaders which were the Mogadorians (no surprise there). After that battle Six left the small town, leaving with Four and his friend Sam. The fight was over and it would surely be on the news. They had to get a move on before word spread and they were captured.
Being with Four and Sam, Six was exposed to that lovely feeling of companionship, loyalty and trust for the first time in years. John, who she found out was Four's chosen Earth name, was a Loric, just like her. She had automatically trusted him. Sam on the other hand was a human. Six trusted him too, after learning about John's strong friendship with him.
During their time on the road, she realised that the friendship she had with those two boys had opened a new door for her. She had once thought she was alone in a dark, cold world, but never ever again will she ever be. Her past wouldn't haunt her any more; she had a new future which was shining bright.
Six also learnt that her friends were brave. John was brave for facing those Mogadorians and for saying goodbye to his girlfriend, Sarah Hart, whom Six disliked partially because she had a crush on John. Sam was brave for fighting the Mogadorians and standing up to them when he had no Lorien legacies of his own. Sam was also brave for continuing to search for his father, and for not giving up hope.
It was these boys who inspired Six. They had hope and faith and they wouldn't give up. Six was glad that they were her friends. She would be happy to stand alongside them any time.
We won't hesitate
To break down the guarding gate
There's not much time left today, Yeah
Six thought that there was something strange about John Smith. He was the only person ever to break down Six's barriers. Six had these special barriers which she reinforced daily after Katarina's death. Six had guarding barriers. She had never let anyone get too close to her before. But here Number Four was, with his special charm. She would randomly blurt out detailed bits of her life to him and she didn't know why.
Six didn't know why she told him that her chosen Earth name was once Maren Elizabeth. She didn't know why she told him anything. It just felt so right to let everything off her chest, and John seemed to be the right person to tell. She just felt so safe and secure with him.
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it
All night long
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it
All night long
Six sat in the driver's seat of Sam's truck. She was driving, of course.
She wore her reflective aviator glasses which glinted gold in the warm sun. The truck's windows were all winded down as the old truck didn't have any fans or air-conditioning. The cool breeze blew through her wavy dark hair and the sun shone brightly, casting a warm golden glow on her sun-kissed skin. She felt content and relaxed for the first time in long, long while.
John and Sam were sitting at the back, bickering away like an old couple but Six didn't have the heart to tell them to be quiet. Instead, she turned up the radio. Let the boys enjoy their freedom, she thought.
They were driving on a long highway through some random desert in the States. The sun was setting, sending brilliant colours of red, orange and pink across the sky and the clouds were white fluffy marshmallows. Six wanted to capture this moment forever. There were no Mogs after them. It was just her and her friends, riding the long road of life.
And it was perfect.
Through all these cities and all these towns
It's in my blood and it's all around
I love you now like I loved you then
This is the road and these are the hands
From Mozambique to those Memphis nights
The Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights
And so the trio travelled. They searched far and wide for the remaining Loric teens. Now that the Lorien safety charm was broken, each teen could be killed regardless of their number. It was the utmost importance that Six, John and Sam find each Loric before the Mogadorians found them.
For most of the journey, they travelled in Sam's truck. Through all these cities and all these towns they searched. Yet, they could find nothing. There were some truly interesting stories about teenagers with supernatural powers doing things out of the ordinary in many different towns across the State. However the trio were wary of these, as the stories could be hoaxes, carefully planted in the news by the Mogs.
Six didn't give up hope though. It was in her blood to keep powering on and searching for them. She must find the other Lorics, and she would find them. She would make sure of that.
Later, Six's and her friend's hard work paid off. They had found a genuine story and soon they found Marina who was Number Seven, and also Number Nine. Six also found Ella, who was an Aeternus. That was a term which meant she could change her age back and forth. She was the secret Number Ten, who was aboard the second ship which had landed Earth.
"You see?" Six told John after finding them. "Never give up hope!"
They knock me down
And back up again
You're in my blood
I'm not a lonely man
There's no load I can't hold
The road's so rough this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors
The Loric children had one big threat: The Mogadorians.
The Mogadorians hunted the Loric children wherever they went. The Mogadorian's main objective was to kill the remaining Lorics.
However, though the Loric kids were hunted nearly every where they went, they always managed to stay strong. It was in their blood, that fighting spirit.
Each Loric child had their own story to tell. More than a thousand times their life was in jeopardy, but more than a thousand times they managed to escape. There were a few exceptions however. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 were hunted down and were successfully killed. It was the killing of these Lorics that made the survivors all the more strong. Each child knew they weren't alone on this planet. They had each other- this thought alone was their light, their golden hope to survive. And they would survive. They were survivors.
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it
All night long
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it
All night long
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it
All night long
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it
All night long
There was a distance between you and I
A misunderstanding once
But now, we look it in the eye
There was quite a distance between Six and the other Lorics. Not just physical distance, but also emotionally. Because of the time in which they had spent without each other, they were strangers to one another. They couldn't remember each other's names nor what each person looked like.
When they met for the first time since they were young, they didn't know what to make of it. Now they join together. Not just because they're the survivors of their race but also because they share a strong friendship.
There ain't not load that I can't hold
The road's so rough, this I know
I'll be there when the light comes in
Just tell 'em we're survivors.
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it
All night long
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it
All night long
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it
All night long
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it
All night long
Life is a highway, I wanna ride it
All night long
If you're going my way, I wanna drive it
All night long
Yep, life is a highway. And Six planned to ride it all night long.
A/N: Just a small songfic that I did on Six's perspective of her life, and how life is long and rough.
The song was in the movie Cars which I watched with my baby cousins and so it gave me this idea to write something.
I hoped you like it!
~ Skye :]