Chapter 2: An Autumn Ride
The next moment the impact of what she had said hit her, but the huge guy was already on his way back to the office to grab the keys and two helmets. She sent a mistrustful glance to the sparkling bike. She had told herself a hundred times that it hadn't been the bike's fault. That her sister would have found another way. But it did no good, the bike was still the way her sister had chosen.
Before her sister's life had begun to deteriorate they had been riding together often enough. The rush of speed, the power of the bike roaring beneath her - it had captured her the very first time. The Titan was fast as hell and when they stopped in front of one of the countless bikers' pubs, they had drawn every eye.
This milk-white Titan radiated a different vibe than her blood-red counterpart. When Ann let her hand glide along the polished steel a strong impression of innocence crept up to her heart. She bit her lip to stop that train of thought.
"Here you go."
Shaking slightly she nodded and took the black helmet.
"By the way, my name's Mark."
She shook his hand. The grip was steady but didn't hurt. "Ann."
"Nice ta meet ya." He said it with a ring of truth like it was more than a mere phrase.
She took her place behind him on the bike with the ease of an often done movement. Yet she felt strangely hesitant to circle her arms around his waist. She knew she needed to grab a fast hold but his back was so much broader than her sister's had been. The collision of the fuzzy feeling of familiarity and the slight shifts that altered this reality from the one her mind wanted to build gave her a creepy feeling and her stomach started to revolt. She took a moment to calm her breathing down, before finally holding on to his black shirt.
He touched her hands as if to make sure she was securely tucked against him then he nodded and revved the engine. The Titan sprang to life with a roar. Like a foal she buckled out of joy a few times before finally running smoothly.
Ann closed her eyes, savoring the rush the momentum gave her. Soon her tense muscles began to relax. She kept her tight grip around Mark but shuffled a little so she could turn and watch the streets to her sides. There was no way in hell she could possibly look over Mark's shoulder to see where they were going.
The streets lay empty. This wasn't the best part of town, the houses were gray and crouched down as if waiting for a whipping that was sure to come, no matter how well they behaved. Yet the streets were clean and the few trees bravely reached for the skies.
Mark took a swing onto the highway, finally releasing his tight rein on the Titan. The bike instantly took up speed. Ann felt the thoughts being pushed out of her mind when the air hit her face.
Before she realized they were off the highway and on a quiet road that quickly turned into a dust covered track. Mark slowed down enough to carefully avoid all holes in front of them. Ann could see a farm on the horizon but apart from that the rolling farmlands were deserted. After a while she began to wonder were they were going. She did not recognize any of her surroundings. Most of the fields were already harvested. Every now and then a few dusty green patches of catch crops rushed past. Then finally brushes began to grow thicker. There were meadows and a few trees. They had entered the woodlands. Mark took a turn to the right and after a few hundred yards he stopped and killed the engine.
The following silence was eerie. None of them moved. Then the song of a distant bird broke the quiet, startling them out of their stillness. A little unsteady Ann climbed off the bike. Her legs seemed not to remember how to stand, let alone walk. Still, somehow she managed not to double over. She took her helmet off.
The forest was entirely calm. The trees around them were tall, the sun glinted just barely in. There was a thick layer of old leaves to both sides of the track. Autumn hung heavy in the air.
She looked over to Mark to see he had removed his helmet as well. He was shaking out his hair after undoing his braid. The few sun rays that managed to reach down to the ground captured the flying tresses, lighting them up in a bright copper that matched the coat of leaves around them perfectly. She had been right: he fit in to the woods.