Chapter 48

"That was way too close." Dr. Milldred gasped as they drove up the road I-10 again.

"Yeah, it was." Daniel sighed in relief. "Let's just hope that nobody called the cops back there."

"Don't jinx it, Daniel!" Seladon hissed. "We don't need to deal with your crazy driving two days in a row."

"You're right, you're right." Daniel nodded. "But hey, we should be out of Boerne soon, so if someone did call the police, they won't be able to follow us."

"We'll probably have to get a new car again." Dr. Milldred sighed. "Someone was bound to get our license plate back there."

"Can we afford a new car?" Penelope asked.

"… Not really."

"Gosh, what a shitty way to start the morning." Brea sighed.

"Brea!" Seladon gasped. "Watch that tongue of yours."

"Oops, sorry sis." The younger Vapra blushed. "I guess the human language is rubbing off on me."

"That's no excuse." Seladon shook her head. "You're a princess, act like it."

"Oh, and I suppose you're the perfect All-Maudra, aren't you?" Brea hissed back.

"Don't start this right now!" Rian snapped, ending the argument before it could even start. "Now is not the time to be fighting over your royalty ranks."

"Rian's right." Deet nodded. "We have to think about what we're going to do if the cops start coming after us again. We can't afford a new vehicle, and the disguises aren't really helping either."

"Frank it we only changed our hair, but we can't exactly change our faces too." Seladon sighed in agreement. "What are we going to do, Dr. Milldred?"

"… I guess we'll just have to stay on the road and hope for the best." The human woman sighed. "We can't risk stopping anywhere. At least not for a while."

"If we keep driving we should reach the Palo Alto Airport before nightfall." Daniel assured. "Hopefully, the ship will still be there when we get there."

"You mean they can move it?!" Rian gasped.

"Not exactly." Dr. Milldred frowned. "But they can empty the fuel tank. No fuel, no power. No power, then no way of getting it into the air."

"Dammit all." Rian hissed.

"We'll just have to hope that daddy didn't think that we'd make it back." Penelope said. "And hope that he didn't order for the fuel tank to be emptied."

"But what if it is?" Brea asked. "What do we do then?"

"The only choice we'll have to fuel it ourselves. There's no other way to get you guys home." Dr. Milldred sighed. "Trust me, if there was another way, I would tell you in a heartbeat."

"It's alright, Dr. Milldred." Rian nodded. "You're doing your best, and that's all that we can ask for."

Dr. Milldred smiled at him. "Thanks Rian. And you know what? Don't call me Dr. Milldred anymore. By now I probably already lost my job, so I'm not exactly a scientist anymore. From now on, you guys address me as Milldred or Millie, whichever you prefer."

The Gelflings all smiled at her. "Thanks Millie."

Milldred chuckled and turned back around in her seat, keeping her eyes on the road to watch out for any incoming police cruisers. As they finally reached Comfort Texas, Daniel smiled.

"Why don't I turn on some music for us?" He decided. "So that it's not so quiet?"

"That sounds nice." Milldred nodded, turning back to the others behind the adults. "Sound good?"

"Sure, I'd like to hear what humans listen to." Deet chuckled.

"Why not?" Seladon shrugged her shoulders. "It's starting to get a little boring anyway."

"Nothing is boring with a little music!" Penelope giggled. "Turn it up, Daniel!"

"Alright." Daniel chuckled and turned on the radio. Immediately, Life Is A Highway from Rascal Flatts started playing.

"I love this song!" Penelope cried excitedly, already dancing a bit to the beat.

Milldred chuckled and bobbed her head before she started singing along. "Life's like a road that you travel on. When there's one day here and the next day gone. Sometimes you bend and sometimes you stand. Sometimes you turn your back to the wind."

Penelope giggled and started singing too. "There's a world outside every darkened door. Where blues won't haunt you anymore. Where the brave are free and lovers soar. Come ride with me to the distant shore."

"We won't hesitate." The girls sang together. "To break down the garden gate. There's not much time left today."

Suddenly, all three of the humans were singing together, the Gelflings slightly bobbing to the music themselves.

"Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long. If you're going my way. I wanna drive it all night long."

Then Daniel was singing by himself.

"Through all these cities and all these towns. It's in my blood, and it's all around." He glanced at Milldred and smiled. "I love you now like I loved you then. This is the road, and these are the hands."

Milldred blushed and giggled before singing again. "From Mozambique to those Memphis nights. The Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights. Knock me down and back up again…"

"You're in my blood; I'm not a lonely man." Daniel interrupted with a chuckle. "There's no load I can't hold. A road so rough this I know. I'll be there when the light comes in. Tell 'em we're survivors!"

And then suddenly, everybody was singing the chorus, even the Gelflings.

"Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long. If you're going my way. I wanna drive it all night long."

"All night long." The human sisters sang.

"Oh gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme yeah!" Daniel chuckled.

"Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long. If you're going my way. I wanna drive it all night long."

"All night long." The Vapra sisters sang.

"There was a distance between you and I." Rian was suddenly singing along, looking at Deet as he blushed a bit.

Deet blushed and sang too. "A misunderstanding once. But now we look it in the eye."

"Oh yeah!" Daniel sang as he suddenly let go of the wheel and started air guitaring to the solo. Milldred laughed and reached over to the wheel, grabbing it and keeping them stable. Daniel grabbed the wheel again and they all started singing together.

"There ain't no load that I can't hold. A road so rough this I know. I'll be there when the light comes in. Tell 'em we're survivors! Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long. If you're going my way. I wanna drive it all night long. Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, yeah! Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long. If you're going my way. I wanna drive it all night long. Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, yeah! Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long. If you're going my way. I wanna drive it all night long. All night long!"

And with joyful laughs, they all kept singing whatever came on the radio as they drove through the Interstate, not giving a single care to the world around them.