Chapter 1: Highway of Hell.

Piper sat uncomfortably in the back seat of the old chrysler her parents called a car, as they jarred their way down the interstate.

She may not know fashion well, but fashioning an old car with a carp-mustard paint job best described as throw-up, didn't seem too fashionable.

What idiots.

Piper readjusted her stiff neck as she stared out the window at the passing trees, road signs, and assorted variety of roadkill that lined the scenic route. She could tell by the dead badger corpses and guts spread across the asphalt that they were now drawing deeper into Minnesota.

Watching the passing of her own state's dead mascot wasn't exactly what she'd planned for her monday afternoon, but that was the harsh reality of life.

"Only 110 more miles and we'll be there," her father announced from the driver seat.

"More like 110 more dead badgers to go," she muttered under her breath.

Damn these people needed to clean the roadkill, but then again the roads were 110 times better to compensate. Damn they not only payed for better roads, but also paved them with her state's mascot that she'd never seen in her own state. Ironic.

"Piper, honey, you need to get ready for that admissions interview," her mom chimed in incessantly, all sunshine and rainbows.

Piper could practically feel her brain cells crying out in utter relief as they committed suicide and quit all functionality.

Lucky bastards.

Soon enough she would be left only using 10% of her brain, then she'd be like the rest of people and their bad interpretation of science.

"Honey, please acknowledge that I'm speaking to you, this is very important."

Yeah right. If it were important she'd obviously not be moving her lips. Bitch.

"You just need to be ready before you get there and appear super awkward and socially inept as you normally do."

Thanks a lot Mom, your confident is so inspiring.

Piper sighed and slumped back against her seat with utter boredom of the situation. She didn't have either the will power, or more importantly, the caffeine to deal with her mom's perpetual pestering.

"Hey, I don't want to hear it," her mom snapped fiercely.

Hm, maybe that's why all the badgers weren't in wisconsin; they'd innocently gone to talk to her mom about refinancing their mortgage payment on their 5 year den loan, and had decided after 5 minutes to run off and get run over by a car in Minnesota. Lucky them.

"Hey, pay attention here young lady. Arkale University has one of the highest ranked medical schools in this nation. If somehow a miracle occurs and you're grades become moderately decent, then this is your best hope of landing a good position as a doctor. If you want any level of success you need a good medical school with all the good competition there is out there."

Good. Good, good, good. Maybe if she said it enough the noun she'd describing might be fucking good for once. But the martingale system clearly ran away from her mother faster than roulet ever did.

"Well answer me young lady!" her mom demanded.

So now she wanted her to talk?

"I got it mom, I just need to get good grades, make a good impression, and be a good girl. I understand," Piper soothed as slowly and reassuringly as she could.

"Don't be sarcastic with me," her mother snapped. "I wasn't born yesterday."

And you couldn't have died then huh?

"Okay, I've got it mom, I'll make this work."

"You better. The world doesn't revolve around you!"

"Yeah I know Mom, but why did we have to do this today?" Piper complained. "I mean I've waited months for this free day. I had plans with my friends, and we were having a smash tournament followed by an all night long charity speedrun organized and running tonight. I run 4 of the 5 games for that event, and my friends will never get the world record we need without me. The website also has to be revised because there's always a douche bag hacker out there ddosing and..."

"Language," her mom screamed. "Now, the plan for your medical education takes precedence over everything else. Or would you prefer to be some computer geek with no job and no hope after you serve your time?"

Fuck that control freak clause. Fuck that bitch, fuck her. But she needed to stay on her good side right now. No wonder her dad was cheating her mom with every woman possible. Still she needed to play this one right or her freedom would be gone faster than all else.

"Well at least I'd have a choice in what I was going to do with my life," Piper whispered.

"Hey, you know that our plan for you is the right one. Now I don't want to hear anymore complaints," her mother scoffed.

Piper sighed and slumped back as rested her head against the seat. The chrysler moaned and creaked as it rumbled along mile after mile as she continued to fall deeper into miserably as the country faded past her heavy eyes.

The badgers continued to flow by, one by one, as the sky grew darker with nimbus storm clouds. Piper smiled as she stared headlong into the darkened shapes.

Soon enough she be free of her parents. Only 453 days, 7 hours, 36 minutes, 42 seconds. Then she'd be off at college and their eternal grip on her would have to slacken.

But as the miles flew by the clouds only grew darker, and the dead badgers more frequent.