Her breath was cold against his chest but Squid held tight. He pulled her
closer, the sweet aroma of her soft blonde hair dizzying him and making him
feel a drift in a sleepy daze. He wrapped his arms tighter around her
smooth skin, careful not to squeeze her too tight. But she didn't seem to
mind and leaned closer to him. Squid felt as if he was in Heaven; the
butterfly kisses against his skin as she blinked, the taste of her lushes
lips as they kissed, the beauty of her face as she stared up at him with
large blue eyes. Squid would have loved it to never end.
But nothing lasts forever and soon Squid found himself laying on the hard, dusty earth, blinking madly in the bright sunlight that now flooded the desert as the cursed sun rose up over the horizon. Squid sat up and brushed dirt from his smelly white shirt. He stared about him, forgetting where he was for a moment; damn, it had all been a dream. He looked over to Chase who still lay in sleep, her back facing him. He didn't really want to, nor was he willing to, but soon he found himself whispering her name, trying to wake her up.
"Chase," he whispered softly, moving towards her. "Chase."
He bent over her and put his lips to her ear; suprisingly her hair did smell sweet-even those she hadn't had a shower in weeks.
"Chase," he whispered again, his filthy du-rag lightly brushing her cheek as he moved even closer to her. Now he was so close his lips just barely touched Chase's neck each time he spoke. He had no idea why he was SO close to her; he knew he shouldn't be as she didn't like him, but he couldn't hold back.
"Chase.....it's time to wake up..........we have to get moving again." Squid kissed her neck, feeling like he was in Heaven again.
Chase's eyelids slowly raised; she'd been having a dream where she'd been crying at the edge of the top of Big Thumb, Zippy and the others yelling at her. She'd been about to jump from the ledge when her dog, Shoobie, had run up out of nowhere and had started licking her neck. That's when Chase had waken up and that's when Chase discovered what had caused her to dream about her dog licking her neck. Chase jumped back in surprise; had Squid just been kissing her neck? She stared at Squid with wide eyes as he just sat there, looking completely bewildered and embarrassed.
"I'm sorry," he tried to say, but Chase wasn't listening.
"What were you doing?" she cried, a surge of feelings rushing through her mind. She felt a whirl of happiness erupt beneath her skin; Squid had been kissing her! But at the same time she felt very confused and nervous; Squid was a criminal boy, there was no reason for him not to be a rapest. But Chase didn't linger on this thought long as she knew Squid-or at least thought she did-and the way he sat there looking extremely sorry and confused himself convinced her that he never meant to hurt or scare her.
"I was-I was," Squid began, not seeming able to find the right words. "I was just-I dunno-I dunno what i was doing. I couldn't stop myself, I-"
Chase set her hand on his as if to say she understood.
"Sorry," Squid said again, his cheeks turning red.
Chase nodded, then, blowing the subject away like a speck of dust, she said, "Well, we have a long way to go now, better get going."
"Yeah," Squid said quickly. He got to his feet and reajusted his du-rag, he then picked up his cap, which had fallen from Chase's head during the night, and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she said, slowly getting to her feet and taking the cap from Squid.
They made their way awkwardly down the side of the forlorn road, silent most of the time, not willing to look at the other as everything seemed so embarrassing. There were a few times when Squid's hand accidentally brushed against Chase's but that was pretty much the only contact they made.
"I wonder where Xray and the gang are now?" Squid said after a while, finally breaking the silence.
Chase shrugged. "Probably off sittin' in a nice air-conditioned truck listenin' to the radio," Chase said, returning to her origional sarcastic self. "I'm just curious whether or not Zippy will ever forgive me now?" she said, lowering her gaze to the dust beneath her feet.
Squid raised his eyebrow. "I'm sure she will," he said. "I mean, you two were like best friends, weren't you?"
Chase shrugged again. "Well she was my best friend, i dunno if I was her's."
"You were," Squid replied, and he sounded very sure of himself.
Chase smiled. "Yeah, I guess i was, wasn't i?" then she laughed.
Squid smiled back at her; the awkwardness was defeated.
Zippy gazed passed Static, out the dirt encrusted window of the truck. Nothing to see but the long stretch of desert that seemed to go on forever. She wrapped her arms around herself, wondering where Chase was now and if she was okay. She couldn't believe how heartless she'd been the day before; Chase was her best friend who'd just been going through a rough time. And now there was no telling whether Chase was safe with Squid or still with the man that had picked her up-or if she was somewhere else, completely unknown.
Zippy turned away from these thoughts and turned her eyes passed Zero, to the truck driver that sat beside him. He was an overweight man, tall, plump, yet kind. Half of his face was hidden beneath his thick black beard that stretched up to his curly black hair. Every time he noticed one of the D tent kids goggling up at him he would smile merrily as if to say, "Hello! I don't mind that you're staring at me so go right ahead!"
Zippy studied the lines of age, carving themselves in the man's face. She wondered how long he'd been a trucker-how long could he have withstood being a trucker. The man noticed her looking and quickly turned and smiled at her. Zippy, feeling embarrassed as if she'd been caught trying to escape from a jail cell, lowered her eyes to Zero, who sat half sleep, his head lolling against his chest. Zero looked so peaceful and content and Zippy just wanted to curl up beside him and rest her head against his shoulder, falling asleep just as he was.
Zero's chin bumped against his chest and his eyes shot open, but soon they lowered again and Zero's breathing became heavier, a sign that he was finally asleep. Zippy rubbed her eyes; she'd been up all night angrily fretting about Chase and Zero had been up most of the night trying to get her to go to sleep. Now as she sat there, beside Zero and Static, the truck's low hum lulled her to sleep, and she leaned to the side, resting her head against Zero's shoulder.
Magnetic furrowed her brow and folded her arms. It wasn't fair, why did Zero, Static, and Zippy get to sit in the cushioned front seats while the rest of them had to sit in the cargo area, surrounded by boxes and boxes of dried goods.
"Would you stop it!" Magnetic yelled at Magnet who sat opposite her.
Magnet, who'd been playing footsie with Magnetic for hours, raised his hands innocently in the air and shook his head. "I'm not doing anything chica!"
Magnetic glared at him, then turned away to face Lei. "Where exactly are we going?" she asked.
Lei shrugged her shoulders. "I have NOOOO clue!" she said. "Zippy, Zero, and Static are like the only ones who do know!"
"I'll tell you what's not fair!" Zigzag said. "Magnet gets to be with you," he pointed at Magnetic, "but I don't getta be up there with Static!"
"Well I'll gladly trade places with Static!" Magnetic cried, kicking Magnet in the shin as he had started playing with her foot again.
"Wasn't me," he said laughing.
But nothing lasts forever and soon Squid found himself laying on the hard, dusty earth, blinking madly in the bright sunlight that now flooded the desert as the cursed sun rose up over the horizon. Squid sat up and brushed dirt from his smelly white shirt. He stared about him, forgetting where he was for a moment; damn, it had all been a dream. He looked over to Chase who still lay in sleep, her back facing him. He didn't really want to, nor was he willing to, but soon he found himself whispering her name, trying to wake her up.
"Chase," he whispered softly, moving towards her. "Chase."
He bent over her and put his lips to her ear; suprisingly her hair did smell sweet-even those she hadn't had a shower in weeks.
"Chase," he whispered again, his filthy du-rag lightly brushing her cheek as he moved even closer to her. Now he was so close his lips just barely touched Chase's neck each time he spoke. He had no idea why he was SO close to her; he knew he shouldn't be as she didn't like him, but he couldn't hold back.
"Chase.....it's time to wake up..........we have to get moving again." Squid kissed her neck, feeling like he was in Heaven again.
Chase's eyelids slowly raised; she'd been having a dream where she'd been crying at the edge of the top of Big Thumb, Zippy and the others yelling at her. She'd been about to jump from the ledge when her dog, Shoobie, had run up out of nowhere and had started licking her neck. That's when Chase had waken up and that's when Chase discovered what had caused her to dream about her dog licking her neck. Chase jumped back in surprise; had Squid just been kissing her neck? She stared at Squid with wide eyes as he just sat there, looking completely bewildered and embarrassed.
"I'm sorry," he tried to say, but Chase wasn't listening.
"What were you doing?" she cried, a surge of feelings rushing through her mind. She felt a whirl of happiness erupt beneath her skin; Squid had been kissing her! But at the same time she felt very confused and nervous; Squid was a criminal boy, there was no reason for him not to be a rapest. But Chase didn't linger on this thought long as she knew Squid-or at least thought she did-and the way he sat there looking extremely sorry and confused himself convinced her that he never meant to hurt or scare her.
"I was-I was," Squid began, not seeming able to find the right words. "I was just-I dunno-I dunno what i was doing. I couldn't stop myself, I-"
Chase set her hand on his as if to say she understood.
"Sorry," Squid said again, his cheeks turning red.
Chase nodded, then, blowing the subject away like a speck of dust, she said, "Well, we have a long way to go now, better get going."
"Yeah," Squid said quickly. He got to his feet and reajusted his du-rag, he then picked up his cap, which had fallen from Chase's head during the night, and handed it to her.
"Thanks," she said, slowly getting to her feet and taking the cap from Squid.
They made their way awkwardly down the side of the forlorn road, silent most of the time, not willing to look at the other as everything seemed so embarrassing. There were a few times when Squid's hand accidentally brushed against Chase's but that was pretty much the only contact they made.
"I wonder where Xray and the gang are now?" Squid said after a while, finally breaking the silence.
Chase shrugged. "Probably off sittin' in a nice air-conditioned truck listenin' to the radio," Chase said, returning to her origional sarcastic self. "I'm just curious whether or not Zippy will ever forgive me now?" she said, lowering her gaze to the dust beneath her feet.
Squid raised his eyebrow. "I'm sure she will," he said. "I mean, you two were like best friends, weren't you?"
Chase shrugged again. "Well she was my best friend, i dunno if I was her's."
"You were," Squid replied, and he sounded very sure of himself.
Chase smiled. "Yeah, I guess i was, wasn't i?" then she laughed.
Squid smiled back at her; the awkwardness was defeated.
Zippy gazed passed Static, out the dirt encrusted window of the truck. Nothing to see but the long stretch of desert that seemed to go on forever. She wrapped her arms around herself, wondering where Chase was now and if she was okay. She couldn't believe how heartless she'd been the day before; Chase was her best friend who'd just been going through a rough time. And now there was no telling whether Chase was safe with Squid or still with the man that had picked her up-or if she was somewhere else, completely unknown.
Zippy turned away from these thoughts and turned her eyes passed Zero, to the truck driver that sat beside him. He was an overweight man, tall, plump, yet kind. Half of his face was hidden beneath his thick black beard that stretched up to his curly black hair. Every time he noticed one of the D tent kids goggling up at him he would smile merrily as if to say, "Hello! I don't mind that you're staring at me so go right ahead!"
Zippy studied the lines of age, carving themselves in the man's face. She wondered how long he'd been a trucker-how long could he have withstood being a trucker. The man noticed her looking and quickly turned and smiled at her. Zippy, feeling embarrassed as if she'd been caught trying to escape from a jail cell, lowered her eyes to Zero, who sat half sleep, his head lolling against his chest. Zero looked so peaceful and content and Zippy just wanted to curl up beside him and rest her head against his shoulder, falling asleep just as he was.
Zero's chin bumped against his chest and his eyes shot open, but soon they lowered again and Zero's breathing became heavier, a sign that he was finally asleep. Zippy rubbed her eyes; she'd been up all night angrily fretting about Chase and Zero had been up most of the night trying to get her to go to sleep. Now as she sat there, beside Zero and Static, the truck's low hum lulled her to sleep, and she leaned to the side, resting her head against Zero's shoulder.
Magnetic furrowed her brow and folded her arms. It wasn't fair, why did Zero, Static, and Zippy get to sit in the cushioned front seats while the rest of them had to sit in the cargo area, surrounded by boxes and boxes of dried goods.
"Would you stop it!" Magnetic yelled at Magnet who sat opposite her.
Magnet, who'd been playing footsie with Magnetic for hours, raised his hands innocently in the air and shook his head. "I'm not doing anything chica!"
Magnetic glared at him, then turned away to face Lei. "Where exactly are we going?" she asked.
Lei shrugged her shoulders. "I have NOOOO clue!" she said. "Zippy, Zero, and Static are like the only ones who do know!"
"I'll tell you what's not fair!" Zigzag said. "Magnet gets to be with you," he pointed at Magnetic, "but I don't getta be up there with Static!"
"Well I'll gladly trade places with Static!" Magnetic cried, kicking Magnet in the shin as he had started playing with her foot again.
"Wasn't me," he said laughing.