Ellis squinted through the windshield and turned the wipers up another notch.

"I wonder how bad this storm is gonna get…" Coach murmured gloomily from the backseat.

The southerner shook his head. So far the rain had only gotten worse and worse. It wasn't in a downpour yet, but the young man had no doubt that it was only a matter of time.

"Just thank God we found this car," Rochelle said. "Ellis, honey, you're a genius."

"Amen to that," Nick inputted, his feet still propped up on the dashboard.

Ellis felt himself flush a tad at the compliments. "He's lookin' out for us yet," he nodded, his gaze forward, concentrating on the stretch of soaked asphalt ahead of them and the double yellow line that ran down the middle of it.

He turned the wheel, banking around the slight curve in the road. Progress hadn't been quite what he would have liked; because of the weather conditions, he had been driving twenty miles under what he really wanted to. But it beat all hell out of ending up spinning out onto the side of the road. Keith had done that once, in one of his uncle's fixer-uppers– a powder blue 1955 Thunderbird no less. What he'd been driving it for in the first place was a mystery, his story to his uncle that he was 'giving it a test-drive' wasn't particularly believable considering he had a girl with him when he'd come to pick him up from the whole mess. Ellis was fairly certain his friend had suffered some sort of minor concussion in flipping the vehicle, what with his equally wild claims about eloping and buying the girl a pretty blue dress to match the car and getting wed in a little upstate chapel and raising half a dozen kids in Birmingham, Alabama– Hell, Ellis had never even seen the girl before, and for that matter he never saw her again after he dropped her off at the bus stop she requested she be returned to. Though she did ever so faintly bear resemblance to a cousin that showed up one of Keith's family reunions a year or so later, he thought, only real difference was the cut and color of her hair…

Nick leaned his seat up and looked out the window. "How much further, sport, or do you know?" the conman asked, glancing to him.

Ellis took one hand off the steering wheel to scratch at the back of his head. "Well, we passed up Middleburg a few minutes ago… so I know we're at least more than half'a the way there."

Rochelle unfolded the map behind him– he could hear it crinkling as she smoothed it out over the back of his seat. "Looks like we've got a lake to pass up first… and a junction with highway sixteen," she elucidated, running her finger across their road. "Starke's only a couple miles after that."

Ellis shifted in his seat, the destination's closeness making him both anxious and excited. Next thing he knew, the conman had placed a reassuring palm on his thigh, and Ellis just about melted at the touch. "Almost there, kid…" the man said quietly. The hand squeezed and it struck a match against the inside of his skull, bringing last night's dream roaring to the surface. Lord, his hand was so close... It was all the young man could do to keep focused on the road, his grip on the wheel involuntarily laxing.

"Ellis, I think that's our junction!" Rochelle blurted, pointing.

The mechanic snapped out of his little fantasy and yanked the wheel to the right, just in time to make the exit. The other three survivors instinctively grabbed for whatever solid part of the SUV was nearest. The tires made a small squeal, but held fast to the wet pavement; any faster though and they might have slipped. Ellis chuckled with chagrin as he recovered the vehicle from the sharp veer. "Sorry y'all, guess I missed the sign fer the rain."

"Christ," Nick looked shaken. "Where'd you learn to drive like that, NASCAR?" he joked, trying to regain his cool.

"Hey now, I'll have you know I like NASCAR," Ellis said, lifting his chin.

"What about it? Being packed like sardines into the nosebleeds or the mind-numbing boredom? It's like, how can anyone honestly be entertained by watching cars go around in a circle for hours upon hours?" Nick went on, upturning his hands in exasperated gesture, clearly trying to rankle him.

"I dunno, how kin anyone be entertained watchin' a little white ball go 'round on a roulette wheel?" Ellis shot back snidely, playfulness returned.

The gambler grinned a large toothy grin.

"Are we gonna have to separate you two?" Coach asked, unamused.

"Nah, we's jus' playin'," the southerner allayed his concerns.

"Well then maybe you oughta be in the backseat," the football player said gruffly. "Where you kids can 'play' all you want an' not get us killed."

Ellis shrunk into his seat a tad guiltily, averting his eyes from the rear view mirror and the elder man's stern gaze.

"Hey hey hey," Nick interrupted, mediating, "he just didn't see the sign, okay? If you want me or Ro' or you to take over the driving, we can pull over."

"Yeah, m'fine wit' that…" Ellis mumbled in agreement to the conman's words, perfectly willing to back down if it would get Coach off his back. He wondered subtly if this was what he had to look forward to until Tallahassee... His throat clenched with distress. The very thought… that they'd be without him soon… Ellis still couldn't believe the older man's plans to separate from the group, even though he'd been told that was what was going to happen. A part of him just refused to believe it.

"How about you boys all just relax, we're literally three miles from being there," Rochelle said, crossing her arms and legs, the voice of reason. She pointed out her side of the car. "See? There's the lake."

Ellis shook his head out of his brooding. He had to squint a touch to see the landmark, what with the heavy rain. "Sure is a weird lookin' lake…" he wondered aloud, "bein' completely round like it is."

"Is it man-made?" Nick asked.

"I think it's a 'sinkhole'," Rochelle interjected. "I'm no geologist, but most of the lakes in Florida are made up of them. Lots of soft soil, susceptible to water erosion, and the whole thing just eventually collapses in on itself. Forms a pocket for the water," she explained.

Ellis tipped his hat up to look at the girl in the rear view mirror, impressed by her display of knowledge on the subject. "Shoot, ya could'a fooled me, Ro'."

The producer smiled back at him almost bashfully. She shrugged her shoulders, "I dated a guy in college from the earth sciences department for a few months."

"Was he 'rock-solid' in bed?" Nick punned shamelessly, turning around in his seat to flash her a smirk.

"Oh sweet Jesus," Rochelle laughed, mildly embarrassed. She put her hands on her hips. "Well, wouldn't you like to know, Nick."

The man laughed and turned to face front again, but oddly, he didn't confirm or deny the claim.