**I thought this was going to be a short chapter. I have never been so wrong… this chapter is still about developing my human character further. I promise the next chapter will introduce the car's alternate mode! Please, tell me in the reviews, would you prefer a male or female Transformer?**
Not very many words are needed to describe Jasper. It's a small, dry town in the middle of nowhere, with a population just under ten thousand. Jasper is a dusty, quiet place, where the biggest news is a new-baby-being-born kind of level. Everybody knows each other; Annie was likely to say hi to seven people by name on any outing. She could hardly go anywhere, and within hours, somehow, her parents would know. That wasn't a problem for sweet little Annie, who never got into trouble and was just the picture of good, but it always meant difficulty for her brother. Annie smiled at the thought of Vince, wondering what he'd been up to since she'd been gone.
"Okay, had enough?" the car asked nervously.
Annie smiled out the window. "Let's check out the high school, chicken" she said jokingly. Memory lane was no good unless she had a visual to go along with it.
The car parked in the corner of the parking lot, well away from prying eyes but close enough that Annie could see the front doors. She rolled down the window, much to the chagrin of the car, and leaned an elbow out, just staring at her old school. Nothing had really changed, and yet, everything had. The same old flag still hung limp from the flagpole, and the sparse grass was still fighting the hundreds of feet that trampled over it daily. Annie smiled faintly as she spied her favorite tree, where many a times she'd sit under, waiting to get picked up.
A few kids were milling around the front of the school. She glanced at the car's clock; 3:20. The school day was already over, and everyone was waiting for their rides. Annie sighed. Sometimes, she missed her old life. And yes, she even missed school. It felt good to come back here, even if it was only for a few minutes. Annie closed her eyes, reminiscing about the old days.
"Annie?"
Annie's eyes snap open, and to her surprise, she sees another girl looking at her. She blinked a few times, and suddenly it hit her.
The girl walked closer. "Annie Dirkley? Is that you?"
Annie smiles, trying to hide her worried thoughts. "Oh, hey, Stacey." She cleared her throat. "So, how have you been?"
Stacey ignored her question. "Is it really you? I haven't seen you for six months. No one has." Stacey eyes the car. Annie quickly opens the door, hoping Stacey's loud mouth will keep shut just this once.
"I've been on vacation," Annie said, looking steadily into Stacey's eyes. "I'm only in town for a few days, just to visit. I actually leave tomorrow, and just stopped by to give the old school a look."
"Oh."
It bothered Annie how easily lying came to her now. And Stacey just ate it right up. Six months ago, Annie couldn't have said a lie to fool her dog. And here she was, lying to one of her oldest friends.
"So were'd you get that?"
"Sorry?" Annie looked up from her musings.
"That's a fancy car you've got," Stacey said suspiciously. Her eyes ran the length of the car again, lingering on the license plates.
Great, Annie thought. "It's my uncle's, isn't it great? He let me borrow it for the trip."
"Uh-huh." Annie didn't think for a second Stacey bought that one. They'd known eachother all their lives, and not once had Annie ever mentioned a rich uncle. Or any uncle for that matter.
Annie cleared her throat to get Stacey's attention. "So, how's Jasper doing? And Sierra?"
"Fine." Stacey barely gave her glance. Things were turning south fast. And Annie couldn't think of a single thing to say.
Stacey is just staring at her, analyzing her. Annie looks away uncomfortably.
"Do you need anything, Annie?"
Annie looks at Stacey. Is she serious. Immediately, she wanted to say no, that she'd never ask for charity… but then she remembered all the roadkill…
Annie sighs. "Look, honestly…" could she really do it? Could Annie just swindle her friend like this?
"…Honestly, I could use a little cash."
The look Stacey gave her made Annie want to crawl back into the car and never come out again. "Stacey, you know how hard it is to get a job! And no one's exactly hiring a seventeen year old with no experience and a fancy car parked out front."
Stacey just nodded and dug into her pocket. She held out a five dollar bill, not even looking at Annie. Annie took it, fingered it, and immediately thought of all the combinations of fast food she could squeeze five dollars out of. "Thanks," Annie mumbled.
"And, for real this time; who's car is that?"
Annie looks up. It's no one's, she wanted to say, that's the truth! But who would believe an Audi R8 doesn't belong to someone? Annie just stared into the pavement. "It's not mine," she finally said. At least THAT wasn't a lie.
Stacey is quiet for a few seconds. "Get a good meal, Annie. Gram Bakery's having a sale," she said kindly. "And then, for goodness sakes, GO HOME."
Annie just shook her head. She couldn't. Oh, how she wanted to. She missed her parents, she missed her brother, she missed waking up in one place. She missed sleeping in a real bed, and never having to worry what was for breakfast. But she couldn't go home. Not now, not ever. But how could Annie even hope to explain that to Stacey?
"I… I can't go home. I just can't."
Annie heard more rustling from Stacey. She glanced up, just in time to get another bill shoved in her face. She clutched at it desperately and looked up at Stacey. Her eyes were glistening, fighting back tears. "I can't believe how much you've changed, Annie. No, you're not even Annie anymore."
Annie watched Stacey stride away. She looked at the crumpled bill in her hand; a ten. She should give it back. Give it all back. Annie was stealing. Call it whatever, Annie knew she was just using her poor appearance to pawn a few bucks off her friend. She should give it back.
Instead, she clutched to the fifteen dollars for dear life. She should be grateful to Stacey, she should be shouting thanks to Stacey, and instead, all Annie could think about was how little fifteen dollars really was.
Annie slowly got back into the car. What a horrible idea this was. What was she thinking, coming back here? What could she have possibly gained?
"You okay?"
"Yeah," she muttered, fingering the fifteen. The car pulled out of the parking lot and drove away from the school.
Annie was deep in thought when she faintly heard the car shift into park. She looked uphead, recognized the street, and with horror turned to her right to see her house.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She screams, kicking the car. "Why? We need to be anywhere but here!"
"Just listen, Annie!" the car hissed. Annie closed her mouth and glared at the dashboard. The car never got mad with her before.
"I thought it was okay for you to travel around with me. I thought you were happy. Clearly I was wrong."
"I AM happy—"
"Quiet. I didn't know what all this was doing to you. I didn't know you before, only after. And now I see what I dragged you away from. Your family, your friends."
"I'm not… You haven't…"
"You need to see your family. You need to reconnect with humanity, before you lose yours forever."
Annie was silent. More than anything, she wanted to run up to the front door and knock as hard as she could. She wanted her parents to answer, she wanted give them a hug and bury her head in her dad's chest, just like when she was little. She wanted to tell her parents she loved them. She hadn't run away; She'd been forced to stay away. Annie so wanted to tell her parents the truth.
But she couldn't. She couldn't do that to the car, and she never would.
"I can't risk it," Annie said quietly. "I can't risk their lives, or yours, just for a little chat."
The car was silent for awhile. Annie stared into her lap, feeling miserable. The car slowly shifted into drive again, and pulled away.
Annie buried her head in her hands. She remembered Stacey telling her how much she'd changed. Six months ago, she was a straight A student with two loving parents and an older brother, and her biggest worries were pimples and boys. Now, she was on the run with a talking car for her only companion, trying to survive off of stolen chips and fifteen dollars she pawned off her oldest friend.
