Ok, here goes chp two.

Chapter two

POV: The Traveler

I had been all over Canada, and now I felt it was time to head back to the states. I took the cold damp roads of Washington back into the U.S.. It didn't take long to reach the Oregon border. I had been riding for six hours so far this morning. I needed a drink and to get out of the wind for a while. I found a bar that used to be a barn. I walked in and was surrounded by smoke and bad breath. The amount of people inside was tolerable. The bartender was crude, but fast. I got my Guinness and found an empty table in a dark corner. There was only one other person back here. It was a small person. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman. They had on a black hoodie pulled over their face.

I sipped my beer and sank into my seat. I stared at the grain in the wood table, going over the route I wanted to take out of here in my mind. I noticed some movement to my right. A very large, very drunk man was slowly stumbling over to the person at the other table. He had a stupid, crooked grin on his face. As he took his last stumble to the table, his voice came out in a slur.

"Hey, sweet heart. What's a sweet, little thing like you doing here? You need a ride home?" He almost fell onto the person before his hand slapped on the table to steady himself.

"No, thank you." A very harsh, very feminine voice came out of the hoodie. It was a girl, a very young girl form the sound of it. What was she doing in a place like this? Looking for trouble?

"Oh, come on sweetie. I'll take you home to your mommy." He let out a laugh and touched her arm. He brought his face to her hoodie and it seemed like he was smelling her. Disgusting! Her hand disappeared under the table and she brought it back up quickly, slamming her fist onto the table. A blade shot out of her fist.

"I said, 'No!'" Her voice became loud and almost frantic. She was trying to make a statement, but the look in that man's eyes was amused, and excited.

"Oh, now, don't be like that..." His smile was making me sick. I stood up without thinking. I wasn't going to just sit there and let this man grope all over this girl. As I started to move, his hand came down hard on her wrist that was holding the blade. I knew he was putting all his weight into it. This would not end pleasantly.

"She doesn't want a ride, so, how about you back up?" I let the venom drip off my tongue. I couldn't stop myself. I was in a protection mode, one I had not felt in a long time.

"Why don't you go back to your corner and close your eyes." His eyes narrowed at me and he leaned in further.

"Why don't you go get another beer before I shove that one down your throat." My fists were in tight balls. My chest was burning. He took a long look at me.

"You're digging a hole stranger." He took his hand off the girl, and gave her one last glance. But he staggered off. Once I knew he was done, I decided it was time to leave before I dragged him out- side. I walked back to my table and swallowed the rest of my beer. I walked out of the bar and headed for my bike. I could her soft, quick foot falls behind me as I swung my leg over the bike.

"Hey!", a voice called out to me. What now? I glanced up and saw the girl in the bar. She wasn't very tall, but she had to be an older teenager. Her black hoodie was zipped all the way up. She had a green army bag stuffed to the max and slung across her chest and a backpack on under that. I was wondering how she was standing with all that weight. I gave her a look and raised my eyebrow to her. "I need a ride," she huffed.

"What gave you the idea that I would want to give you a ride?"

"Look, I'm not looking for some charity. I just want to get as far away from here as fast as possible. And as you can see from in there, my options are slim." Her arms were crossed and she was glancing me over. I finally got a good look at her eyes, they were a dark brown, and some of her hair was coming out of her hood. It was also dark brown. What surprised me though, were the dark purple circles under her eyes, and a small scar on her left cheek.

"Just cause I got the jerk off you doesn't mean I'm some saint that you can automatically trust and follow around like some lost puppy." I turned my face from her and reached for my helmet.

"I don't trust anyone." She said each word with harsh determination. Then I heard a pop, and turned to see her holding her blade again.

"I can see that, but threatening me isn't going to change my mind, little girl." I placed my helmet on. "And I'm not helping a run away. Nor am I going to risk getting caught with an underage girl."

"I'm not underage. And I have no home to run away from. No one will be looking for me." She put her blade back in her pocket. "Look, I can help with gas. You will only have to carry me on your bike as far as you plan to go. Then I'll get off and you'll never have to see me again."

"I don't plan on stopping for a very long time. I have no destination. I just ride until I crash. You'll be miles away from here and no way of getting back." I kick started my bike.

"Good. I don't plan on ever coming back. And the farther I go the better." She had her arms crossed again. She was not giving up. I looked back at the bar and saw the drunk fatass stumble out. I knew one thing; I wasn't going to leave her here to be picked off. I took a deep breath. Why am I going to agree to this?

"Look, I'll take you into Oregon and that's it." I reached behind me and unhooked my extra helmet form the back. "Get on. If you squirm and cause this bike to lose control, I'll throw you off and leave you on the side of the road. Got it?"

She nodded her head and took the helmet. She strapped it on, adjusted her bags and swung her leg over behind me.

"Grab a hold of my jacket so you don't fall off," I ordered over my shoulder. I felt her small hands grip the sides of my jacket. "Ready?"

"Yes," she said firmly.

I slowly started moving out of the lot, making sure she had her balance. I thought it would be hard to maneuver with her on the back, but she was surprisingly light. I pulled out onto the highway heading south. We crossed the border quickly. She didn't move an inch. I couldn't even tell if she was scared by the bike, or even still breathing. The only thing I felt was her grip on my jacket. After about three hours we came upon a town. I saw a small diner on the right and I decided it was time for food, and possibly one less passenger. I pulled in to the parking lot, and into a space. I put the kickstand down and cut the engine.

She let go of my jacket, and I let her get off first. She unhooked the helmet and strapped it to the bike. She looked at me. She almost looked sad. Her eyes started to dart around, and her arms crossed. I took off my helmet and let out a long breath. I am such a sap!

"Lets get something to eat." I said as I got off the bike. She nodded her head and began to walk toward the dinner. I followed after her, taking my helmet with me. When we got into the door, and older woman told us to find our own seat. The girl started to walk to a booth in the corner. She took her army bag off her shoulder and flung it into the booth then she removed her backpack and did the same. I took a seat on the other side of the booth and placed my helmet next to me.

"So whats your name, kid?" I asked as I pulled out the greasey menu.

"Alice, and I'm not a kid!" She tugged at the end of her sleeves, pulling them over her thumbs. "What's yours?"

"Jasper."

"Thank you for the ride, Jasper." She looked up at me and smiled slightly before her head tilted down again.

"You're welcome." I felt a little sorry for this girl. She looked like a kicked puppy. Her clothes were worn, and she looked like she needed a good night's sleep.

"What would you like?" The woman that spoke to us at the door suddenly appeared.

"I'll have the steak and eggs, and a coffee." I ordered.

"And you?" She turned to Alice.

"I just want a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, and a coke. Please." She didn't even look at the woman.

"Alright I'll be right back."

We sat for a few minutes in silence, neither one of us looking up. Then she shifted in her seat. I looked up and she took her hood down. Her hair was in a long ponytail at the back of her head. She had small round silver studs in her ears, and pale pink lips.

"Look," she began. "I know you said you would only take me into Oregon, but I need to get farther out. I have money to split the gas with you, and a hotel. You could save money that way. I wont bother you, and you wont even need to acknowledge me, unless were on the bike."

"What about a bus?"

"I can actually save money this way, and I can go father without having to switch buses." She was looking at me now. Her face was emotionless. I got the feeling she didn't like to beg.

"Tell me why I should do this. I could get into serious trouble if I'm caught with you, no matter what I say to them." Right then, the waitress showed up with our drinks and then disappeared just as quickly.

"I'm nineteen. I'm over the legal age. Both of my parents are dead, and I'm out of school so they won't come looking for me when I don't show up for class. I also don't have anyone who will miss me, no friends, nothing. They will just right me off as a run away and wont even bother looking for me because I'm over eighteen. Trust me, I looked it up." She grabbed her coke and sipped it down half way with out taking a breath. When she stopped, she spoke again. "I can't give you a reason to do this."

I turned my head away from her. She was right, I had no reason to do this. I could walk out now and never have to see her again. She could find someone else. But who would she find? Where would she end up? Can I really just walk away and leave this girl to fend off the hungry wolves? What if I just took her somewhere safe, some cute little town? I looked back at her. She was smart and small and helpless. My heart melted at that moment. God, I'm a spineless sap!

"If you slow me down, or whine, or cry, or bitch and moan about anything, you're off the bike." I pointed my finger at her and tried to look serious. "You do what I say, you get up when I'm ready to go, and you get sleep so you don't fall off the damn bike. You don't touch my stuff and I won't touch yours, got it?"

"Got it. No crying, no touching, no shit." She nodded her head.

"Oh, and sharing a hotel room..." I gave her a skeptical look.

"Look we're both adults, whether you see it that way or not. I'm sure you don't want any complications and I'm not looking for any more in my life." She took another sip. "And most hotels come with two beds in a room. You'll have yours and I'll have mine. We don't cross each others' boundary line. We will be saving each other money by splitting a room. You think you can handle that?" Her eyes were locked on mine.

"I guess I can. But if it starts to get "complicated", as you say, you get your own room." I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Deal." She reached her hand across the table to me. I took it and gave it a shake. Our food came just then and we didn't say anything to each other as we ate. The sun was over the horizon when we got out of the diner. We got back on the bike and headed further down the road. As it got darker, I could feel her grip on my jacket start to loosen. I knew she couldn't hang on much longer. She looked like she would pass out at the diner. At that time, I saw a sign for a motel up the road. We were near Bruns, Oregon. When we reached it, I pulled in.

"I'll get us a room, you stay here with the bike. Don't touch anything, understood?" I got off the bike leaving her standing next to it. She nodded her head, and I walked into the front desk area.

I got the room, and walked back out. She had pulled some money out and had it ready.

"How much?" She asked quietly.

"It was close to sixty. Just give me twenty five." I lifted the kickstand on the bike and began to push it down to our room. When we got there, she silently handed me her money. I took it and opened the door after I set up my bike.

She walked in first and went to the bed farthest from the door. She set her army bag on the floor and took her backpack off and threw it onto the bed. She looked around, and rubbed her arms. She looked nervous as hell. This is going to be a long night!