I pull my panties and leggings up around my waist as I get off of the gas station toilet, which thankfully flushes automatically. My bum and thighs still covered in goosebumps from the freezing cold seat. "They need to get warm seats in this place." Note to self: create heated toilet seat. I walk up to the mirror and examine my facial features. The way my jaw and cheekbones line up to squarely. I poke at my caramel skin, try to focus on my one green one blue eyes. Being the only aulario-sapien on the planet and having bad vision really did kinda suck..
"Well aren't I just a special little snowflake." I wallow to myself and re-adjust my thick glasses.
I fiddle with my and nose piercing. My legs ache from the walking but I didn't enjoy sleeping on concrete or in drawn penis filled gas stations. The door creaks as I open it and walk out.
The overhead gas station lights shine over the empty lot, and a lone clerk stands smoking a cigarette and humming along with the music playing over the loudspeaker. Nothing that I would listen to, Today's music industry is totally doomed. I walk over to the clerk with a messy faux hawk. "Any idea what time it is mate?"
He looks at his watch. "Almost 3 a.m."
"Thanks." Great by the time I get anywhere it will be morning. "You know where the nearest city is?"
"Sure 12 miles that way." He points west with one lanky arm.
"Appreciate it." I say and grab my board that I conveniently left against a concrete post. "What you got for energy drinks mate." I say realizing how heavy my accent is.
"We're actually closed, but I can get you something. What'd you like?"
"Rockstar if you got it. Zero."
"All right stay there." He steps on his cigarette butt and runs inside the dimly inside the store.
A few minutes later he runs out of store holding A familiar white can. "This good?"
"Sure. How much I owe you?"
"It's fine they don't take stock often around here. And the boss always gives a drink to hitchhikers."
I smile at his gesture and put the drink in my bag. I go to say thanks but am interrupted by a low hiss.
The clerk's face pales slightly. "W-what was that?"
I sigh. "Just my snake."
"You have a snake." he says as if it were a question.
"Want to see it?" I ask.
His face pales a little more. "Umm, sure?"
I put my arm in the bag and feel his body wrap around my hand. The clerk (whose name is Garret) mouth almost hits the ground when I pull out my indigo snake. "I figured he was-"
"Smaller?"
"Yeah like, a lot." Midnights body is still half inside my satchel. I stand there and pet him for a good thirty seconds before Garret cracks.
"Okay can you put him back now? He's kind of freaking me out."
"It's alright, he takes some getting used to." I say putting him back in the bag. "I better go."
"I would ask you to watch your back but I think he is doing that for you."
I let out a small laugh and push off my board to wherever I'm going next.
Another car speeds by me, only this one didn't have the courtesy to move to the other lane and almost blows me over with the force. I give him the bird even though he's oblivious to my gesture. My legs are dead tired and under the weight of of a 40 pound indigo snake and another good 30 of provisions, even with my lean muscles from walking and carrying, feel like they are going to break. I hear the unclicking of my bag straps and a familiar hiss.
"Well G'morning sunshine." I say as Midnight crawls up my arm.
"Except this sunshine is almost as dark as me." He hisses on sunshine, and crawls up to my shoulder to look at the stars and new moon.
Having a talking snake who was also an astronomy enthusiast never did quite settle completely with me. Things that humans did could make the strongest of stomachs blow chunks. I try to think of what Jake could've been if he was a normal person. Sadly Harvard wouldn't accept snakes as astronomy professors. Not to mention nobody would ever want to hire a cat girl.
"That one's Apollo."
"Which one? I never was good with my constellations."
"I'd point but I don't have hands."
"And I don't have thermal vision but I see just fine." I say sarcastically.
"Twenty-eight degrees due west." He nods with his head to my right.
I can faintly see the shape of a man striking some fancy pose. "That's the big dipper right?" I joke.
He sighs and looks at more stars while I try to make out a sign ahead. I can actually see better in the dark than light and I'm a night person in general which made my life easier. "Beach city has to be good right? I mean 'Beach' and 'city' are right in the title."
"Well as long as it has warm white sand beaches I could give a heck." he says making fun of the meme we always joke about.
"Well gosh darn snek you do love your heats don't ya?"
"Heats make snek feel fuzzy."
"Sneks ain't no fuzz."
He lets out a small laugh of approval and slides back down my arm. "Heck this. Doing a leave."
"Snek where you goin?"
"Heck off hooman!" he laughs.
"Gosh darn it snek!" It always made me feel good when I made my brother laugh It never did come easy considering what we've been through. I remember how they…
Changed him.
Stretched his bones while he was in our surrogate's womb. Inserted indigo snake genes with his human genes. They tried to take away his emotions and make him into a cold-blooded killer, an assassin for stealth operations. But they forgot that humans are more than just factors in an equation, they have hopes and desires other than killing.
Another car drives by almost blowing my jacket off, sending a cold chill down my spine. A mouse scurries out of the grass and across the street.
"I see something."
"Just a mouse, relax." I reassuringly let him taste my hand. He has a few issues that make his pacifist nature not easy to control, being a pacifistic predator wasn't exactly easy but he tries. "I don't think I've ever asked, did you ever think of changing your name?"
"No I like midnight. It… suits me."
I laugh softly at his ability to joke so easily. In the full moon his scales would shine, but it would be at least a couple weeks until I saw that again.
I stick my thumb out at the next passing car and watch it slow down and come to a stop in the center of the road. The tinted passenger window rolls down with a mechanical whir.
"Where you headed cutie?" The tan d-bag from inside the bright sports car says with way to much 'suave'. I feel Midnight tighten inside my black bag and give the leather a soft pat. Telling him to keep quiet for now.
"Beach city. You?"
"Same here. I live there."
"That works perfectly then." I say as seductively as possible without literally purring.
"Get in." he leans over and opens the door.
I pause and contemplate whether or not I should get inside his car. The pain and tiredness had finally started to sink in and take its toll. Groggily deciding to get in the sloped sports car I slide into the seat and close the door.
"Kevin." he says offering his hand.
I think for a second. "Raven." I shake his hand.
He laughs in his head.
"Cool eyes." Kevin says practically smashing the accelerator to the floor.
"Oh wow so cool." I feel an unwanted blush creep on my cheeks. "Thanks."
"Wait until he sees the rest." He sends his thoughts into mine in the annoying way he does.
"Seriously shut your snoot." I say in my head to my invasive brother.
I decide not to make small talk, even though Kevin insists on doing so.
"So where you from?" he asks.
I can't think of an excuse so I just say, "West."
"We talking sandy beaches or snowy mountains?" He asks.
"West." I say again more intently.
"Alright."
The rest of the ride is quiet enough. He gets the hint after I close my eyes and put on my Beats. Every now and then I catch a glimpse of him looking at me. "Maybe he is just looking around the car." I think to myself.
"You always try to think the best of people." Midnight invasively says in my head.
"Yeah that's what everyone else says." I say as I drift off.