Ch.2: From Blue Eyes
Danny bobbed his leg up and down as he kept his arm in the air, silently asking the drivers heading towards the highway for a lift. People had been passing him all day and he figured he probably could've figured out the way to one of the train tracks by that point but stayed in his place either way. Vaguely, his ears could pick up Cujo barking at whatever he was chasing this time.
The seventeen-year-old perked when someone called out to him. He sat up, slipping the jacket from off his eyes that kept the sun from blinding him as he waited. His blue eyes immediately landed on a girl his age, half-sticking out the window of a truck. Another boy was sitting in the driver's seat, an unpleasant look on his face as his hazards blinked on and off.
Once she had gotten his attention, the girl asked if Danny needed a ride, to which he eagerly responded that he did. Danny's eyes saw the girl's boyfriend, or what he presumed was the girl's boyfriend, hiss something at her, probably about letting him ride with them. The ebony-haired female ignored him and told him to hop in without a second thought, which the white-haired male thought was ridiculous, if expression was anything to go by.
Danny assured the couple that he'd just ride in the back before he called to Cujo. The Saint Bernard listened to his call, as always, and sprinted over to join his companion. Danny made a motion towards the truck, watching as Cujo understood the message instantaneously and jumped over the truck's side and into the bed. Danny threw his bag in after Cujo before hopping in as well.
While he settled down against the back of the cab, the girl asked her new passenger for his name. Danny answered, making sure to leave out his last name, before the girl gave him her name. The violet-eyed female, Sam, slipped back into the cab of the truck after Danny asked if they could avoid the highway and take the back roads, knowing that if he got caught riding the way he was on the highway there was going to be some serious trouble.
Sam silently understood the message before getting her boyfriend, whom she called Elliot, to do as Danny instructed. The sounds of the radio and the two's talking died once Elliot merged back onto the road, driving onto the bridge that led over the highway. The white-haired male turned onto a narrower road once off the bridge and began the journey back towards the two's homes.
Cujo sat down beside Danny, panting happily as the boy wrapped an arm around his shoulders as he tilted his head back and stared at the peach colored sky. A smile graced his face as he closed his eyes, feeling the wind whipping through his hair and listening to the air rushing past his ears.
The car turned this way and that, following the road that ran with the land. Danny took each curve with comfort, watching the scenery pass by with the joy of a kid in a candy store.
With the forest on either side of him, Danny felt like he was wrapped in a blanket of safety. Even though the land on his right side was a huge incline and the land on his left was a downhill slope that could easily get him killed, the feeling of freedom he got with the way he lived shooed away such dangerous thoughts that could run him back to a settled lifestyle.
While they rode along the windy roads, Cujo curled up beside him and rested his big, multi-colored head in his lap. With his content smile still on his face and eyes still taking it the scenes around him, Danny rested his hand on his companion's head and stroked Cujo's fur lovingly. He ignored the tangles his fingers met and picked out the loose branches and bugs from his fur.
Soon enough, the content teenage boy was asleep to the lullaby of the wind rustling the trees and the tree frogs croaking in the forest.
When he woke up, memories of the girl, Sam, and her companion picking him up off the side of the road flashed across his mind. He assumed he was near some train tracks, scooping his bag off the bed floor and shaking Cujo awake. The two, groggy and tired, hopped out of the truck, beside Sam, and were confused when Elliot backed the truck up and drove away.
Danny looked around, asking which way the tracks were. He noticed how he was in a neighborhood, a very nice neighborhood, and knew he was in trouble. Cujo didn't seem to mind, standing next to him with drooping eyes.
Sam told him that he was staying at her house. Danny opened his mouth to protest, blue eyes locking with fierce violet. The look in the girl's orbs was enough to make his mouth shut with a small snap, to which Sam smirked and gestured for him to follow. Danny sighed, told Cujo to stick around, and followed the girl up the front porch steps and into the foyer of her mansion.
Inside the elegant front room, Danny felt like he had made a mistake by jumping into the girl's boyfriend's truck. If he hadn't gotten in, he wouldn't be in the mess he was currently sinking in. But he needed a ride because he knew the nearest tracks were miles off. Danny wasn't even quite sure where they were in the first place.
Even worse for him, the mansion wasn't a place for a person like him; it wasn't for a nomad roaming the country in search of freedom.
Two adults, whom Danny assumed were Sam's parents, walked loosely into the foyer but stiffened upon seeing him. The ebony-haired boy smiled sheepishly at the two while Sam stood in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest. He couldn't see it but he was sure she was glaring at the two.
The two parents had a small hissy-fit interrogation with their daughter before all three left the room, barely audible yells coming from the next room over.
Danny sighed, looking over his shoulder and out the window. He couldn't see Cujo but was confident the Saint Bernard had not left the premises. Thoughts of grabbing his bag, finding the nearest gas station, and finding the tracks himself crossed his mind but it was night out. He didn't have any desire to travel the country in the darkness. Cujo was more than capable of detecting danger in the inky blackness but the darkness still made him uneasy.
The teen was brought out of his musings by the sound of rustling fabric. Danny looked back into the foyer and his stunned, blue eyes locked with a small figure in a hover-round, riffling through his things without so much as a thought about not doing it.
Danny watched for a little while longer, getting noticed by the older woman in her scooter. She shrugged at him and went back to her original task of looking through his stuff, telling him her name was Ida with the tone of an afterthought lacing her voice.
And Danny laughed. He laughed because it was the one of the most hilarious things he had ever seen in his life.
The ebony-haired teen didn't worry too much about her finding something incriminating against him. He carried just the bare essentials with him and a couple of things that made him feel better if ever got homesick, which wasn't too often for him, thank goodness.
Danny walked over, telling the older woman she wouldn't find anything of much interest. Ida shrugged, telling him she was still interested either way and pulled out a notebook. She opened it, gazing at the first page with interest while Danny smiled and blushed as she became engrossed in it.
The set of pictures inside started an interview session. Danny answered all the questions to the best of his ability. His answers must have been satisfactory because Ida drank the stories in with gusto.
Danny hardly noticed when Sam and her parents reentered the room, stopping at the sight of their 'guest' talking with Ida. He looked up briefly when Sam calmly walked over to stand by her grandmother's side, looking over her shoulder to see what all the fuss was about. Soon enough, Danny had the entire family enraptured with his stories which he didn't think were all that exciting, just normal for his line of living.
Story-time was interrupted when Sam told them the time and suggested Danny take a shower before they all went to bed. Her parents, named Pamela and Jeremy as Danny learned, agreed. Ida asked if she could continue looking through his notebooks full of sketches. Danny gave her permission, saying how he didn't mind at all that someone else enjoyed his memories just as much as he did.
Taking a shower was one of the most physically refreshing things Danny felt in a long time. His greasy hair became squeaky clean and his body was washed of all the grime he had gathered over the months. His tan skin didn't have the sandy edge it originally had, making him look a lot more approachable.
When he got out of the shower, Danny noticed the clean clothes that had been left for him. He put them on hesitantly, not used to high neck t-shirts or sweatpants. They were comfortable, yes, but he still felt awkward wearing someone else's clothes.
Danny used his old toothbrush to brush his teeth. He'd had it since he started the journey and knew he should probably find a place to buy a new one.
Once done with getting everything set for the night, Danny checked on his faithful companion and found him lying on the front porch steps. Cujo was in a peaceful slumber when Danny found him and the teen couldn't resist sneaking over, petting his fur, and kissing him on the head before running back inside, assuring Sam everything was fine before he went to bed for the night.
Danny was up before the sun peaked over the horizon. During his travels, he found that rising with the sun was the best way to start the day. You got to watch the world wake up and you got the most out of the daylight.
Besides, the sunrise was beautiful.
The blue-eyed teen found the laundry room after quietly tiptoeing all through the house. He took his clean clothes from the dryer and quickly changed into them, noticing how they felt much more comfortable now that they had been washed. He folded up his borrowed clothes and laid them on the counter in the kitchen. Danny walked out of the house, grabbing his backpack as he did so the house wouldn't be tainted with his presence much longer.
Cujo was beside him the instant he closed the door, jumping onto his hind legs and putting his paws on Danny's shoulders. Danny couldn't help the large smile that overcame his face as he shushed the dog before he barked. Jerking his head to the side, the teen led the dog into the driveway where he allowed them to goof off as the sun rose, waking the world up as it did.
Sam found him soon enough, still in pajamas as she leaned on the railing of the front porch. Danny thanked her for the night and asked for the directions of the train tracks.
Much to his nervousness, the violet-eyed girl asked him why he lived the way he did and other such questions. Danny answered to the best of his abilities while repeating his earlier question again and again. Sam managed to keep him long enough for her grandmother to wake up and join them.
Danny didn't have the heart to ask to leave in Ida's presence but stared at Sam in questioning while they talked. He watched her as she shot him a smug smile and shook her head.
He was utterly horrified when the two managed to convince Pamela and Jeremy to give him permission to stay a few days. He hid it well though and did as he was asked, though he much preferred to find the train station on his own and begin his travels again.
Over the next few days, Danny revealed many things to the family he had only allowed Cujo to know over the last two years. Though he was uncomfortable with the place he was staying because it was obvious he didn't belong there, he was happy with the company of the people that lived there.
The ebony-haired teen met Sam's boyfriend, Elliot, personally on his second day. Danny knew he made the other teen nervous, though unsure of why, but he did manage to make the other calm to an extent.
Danny also met Sam's best friend, Tucker, and instantly connected with him over small things they both enjoyed.
Even though his time was mostly occupied with the Manson family, Danny always made sure to keep Cujo company as well. The Saint Bernard had been with him since the beginning of his travels, being his constant and loving companion. Danny wasn't going to abandon him, even if temporarily, for anything and if the Manson parents had a problem with that, then so be it.
During his stay, Danny found himself occasionally staring out a window. His ears could almost hear the trains roaring in the distance. He longed to be riding it with Cujo by his side, even though Sam was his friend and he enjoyed her company.
On the fourth morning, Danny announced that he had definitely overstayed his welcome and asked for directions to the nearest train tracks. Jeremy was eager to give them to him while Sam and Ida were worried that Danny really thought he had intruded. Danny knew that, yes, he had intruded for far too long. He was willing to admit it and move on.
Once he had the directions written down, Danny said his goodbyes, grabbed his bag, and left the house. As he was walking down the driveway, Cujo trotting beside him, Sam caught up to him and asked if he would like a ride. He hesitated before taking the offer, getting into her Acura and letting Cujo in the back, despite his lack of cleanliness.
The two rode to the train station in silence, though it was easy and lulled. Cujo occasionally stuck his head up front and Danny had to push him back every time.
Sam parked her car in the train station parking lot and the three got out, heading to stand by the rail separating pedestrians and the various train tracks. The two friends stood there, admiring the trains as they came and went. Cujo sat beside Danny's feet, ready to go whenever he was told to.
Sam asked Danny if he would come visit her sometime, to which he agreed he would with a smile. He got her address so he could find her again and wrote it down in his notebook.
Without any warning to the girl, Danny told her he loved her, kissed her on the cheek, and quickly hopped over the rail. Cujo jumped after him quickly, sprinting beside the black-haired teen as they raced for one of the tracks. A train was slowly accelerating and Cujo easily jumped into one of the cargo trains. Danny threw his backpack in after, grabbed one of the poles, and kicked off the ground and into the opening. Danny turned, waving to his female friend as she quickly fell out of sight as he rode away.
Just like that, he was back to the life of wonders and travels. Danny closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and opened his blue orbs again as he looked at the blue sky passing above him. With a grin, he tilted his head and looked at the dog grinning at him. Danny fell onto the ground beside him, letting his legs dangle out of the side of the car, no matter how dangerous. The teen dug out his harmonica from his backpack, showing it to his loyal companion.
Cujo wagged his tail when he saw the instrument and Danny began singing a song from before his travels. Cujo happily howled along with him and the two jammed out in their own, special little way. In-between verses, Danny played the harmonica while Cujo gave low growls to go along with the beat.
Danny and Cujo drifted between towns, hitchhiking and train-hopping to get around. They drifted far from Sam's hometown but Danny always found time to write a letter to her, sketch a picture of the sights he saw, and send it to her. He did the same to his parents, though he didn't take as much care in it the routine.
One night, while lying around a fire with a few other travelers and using Cujo as a pillow, Danny wrote to Sam again. He paused near the end before he scribbled down that he thought he was due for a visit before he began sketching the fire and other 'hobos' hanging around the fire to send to her.
The next day, Danny sent the letter to Sam by putting it a random person's mailbox. He shrugged his backpack better on his shoulder before he walked across the street, towards the train tracks. Cujo trotted beside him, happily panting.
Danny began the long process of heading back to Sam's town. He had to take less trains and risk getting a ride from strangers to stay on course most of the time. He did it, though, and even managed to meet a few interesting people he'd forever remember as being outrageous and crazy.
Walking into Sam's neighborhood made Danny beam with pride, even though he looked no better than the first time he had met the ebony-haired girl. He was surprised when Sam met him a ways off from her house and gave him a big hug around his middle.
Over the years, Danny came and went, drifting around the country without a steady course in mind. He always wrote to Sam, sometimes wishing she could write back, just to see how she was doing. He always made time for visits though and always caught up with her then, making sure to give her his full attention.
Every time he visited, she seemed to ask him the same question again and again. She wanted him to stay settled so she could see him more.
Danny tried a few times. He really did try. But the trains were calling to him and his dreams were haunted by the blue sky above a highway. The first time he abandoned his settled home, he told her "If I don't have to, I wouldn't settle down. I love you, Baby, but you gotta understand when the Lord made me he made a ramblin' man."
After that, he and Cujo hopped on a train and he waved until he couldn't see her sad, smiling face anymore.
Time passed. Danny came and went, traveling all over as he pleased. Sam grew up and continued her education. The teenagers grew until they weren't teenagers anymore but adults, living their lives as they pleased.
Cujo died when Danny turned twenty-one. It left Danny lonely and sad but it was comforting to know that he went peacefully in his sleep. Even so, after a few weeks of slow traveling because his strength and will was gone, Danny came across a stray Irish wolfhound and took him in, calling him Wulf. Though very different from his first companion, Danny was happy with the company the playful dog provided. His energy was renewed with his new friend.
When Danny visited, Sam always asked her first question again and again before he left. He tried a couple of times more but, eventually, he came to tell her the same sentence every time she asked.
"I love you, Baby, but you gotta understand when the Lord made me he made a ramblin' man."
I had to write Danny's POV. If I didn't, I wasn't going to explode. So many images in my head, not enough people to talk to... XD
Thanks to these people for favoriting/following: Poohbearmorris, Kimera20, Roselin, Saramaster, Jessica Jayme Bell, Kimori Takahashi, MaterMind, KainVixenheim.
Reviews:
Poohbearmorris: Haha, that was the whole point! I just wanted something calm. XD And Sam knows it's fruitless to try and get him to stay but why not try anyways, right?
SomeItalian: I'm more likely to yell 'Batman' or 'Jason Todd'. And if I ever get into the show, I can try.
Roselin: The song is fantastic. XD And thank you!
Jessica Jayme Bell: Aw, thanks! I think friendship goes deeper than romance sometimes. :D
Kimori Takahashi: Sad? Interesting... Glad you liked though. :)
KainVixenheim: I want to meet a Saint Bernard one day. They look so fluffy! XD