"Draco?" Lindsey asked, popping a Dorito in her mouth. Having his name called seemed to knock him out of his thoughts and he looked over at her.
"Sorry, you looked kinda sick," she said weakly, grabbing another Dorito from the bag, "You sure you don't want one?" Draco looked at the triangular chip, really not wanting to eat it, but suddenly subconscious about his eating habits.
"I…fine. Just one…" he said, taking one from the bag. Trying not to make a big deal about it, he ate it, purposely ignoring Lindsey's face which was probably covered with a smirk.
The Dorito tasted alright, until it went into his stomach. The moment it entered his stomach, he became nauseous. How long had it been since he had last eaten anything? A few days maybe?
"You didn't have to eat it if you didn't want to," Lindsey said, seeing Draco's sickly face. He didn't respond, and continued trying not to throw up then and there.
"We have the car," said Malinda, walking over with a pair of rusty old keys. She gave her daughter and Draco a weak smile, and started walking outside to the parking lot. Draco followed first, trying to act as normal as possible, and then Lindsey, eating yet another Dorito from the bag.
"I'll drive it for a while," said Malinda, assuming Draco's pale face represented anxiety. Draco nodded absently, glad he wouldn't have that pressure of keeping down a chip and driving a car around.
The car they were given looked about five years old, and had a dent on the right passenger door. It was covered with black paint that had been worn off in some places, particularly the hood.
"It's all they had on such short notice," Malinda said quietly. Draco tried not to think about anything as he got into the passenger's side. Malinda got into the driver's seat, tossing her bag into the backseat. Lindsey, her face sulky, got into the back seat behind Draco, placing her bag next to her mom's.
Lindsey had never enjoyed being the youngest in any group of people, and having to sit in the back alone made her feel like a little kid again. Her blond hair was covering most of her face as she read the Dorito bag, clearly trying to get her mind off of the bigger issues.
Malinda started up the engine, tucking a wisp of brown hair behind her ear as she did so. The car sprang to life, and she began to backup so that she could get onto the road.
Draco looked out the window at the passing building, the pedestrians hurrying to their destinations. He felt oddly empty since they left the house, numb even. It's like someone had flipped the switch on all of his emotions. Anything he thought about had a blank feeling to it, as if everything was a as simple as a statement in a textbook.
"Do you want to take over up here?" Malinda asked after going over a bridge that crossed the bay they had went to go see the night before. Unlike yesterday, the water wasn't sparkling; clouds hung low over the sky above, making the water look murky and gray and everything around them have a dingy feel to it.
Draco hadn't heard Malinda speak, he was too caught up in his own thoughts. Still staring out the window, Draco went over all of the recent events in his mind once again.
Draco had left Lord Voldemort's feet, all because of what? Lindsey? Had Lindsey really been the only reason he had left? She had been, unnecessarily, comforting him ever since he had met her, trying to ease the pain she somehow knew was building up inside of him, shrinking the dark shadows in his heart and soul.
No, he had left because he wanted to. He was tired causing pain, and wanted to end the suffering he was forced to cause. That was why he had left. Then, why, did he suddenly feel as if he had to protect Lindsey so badly now? And why was it, that when her hand was on his mark, did all the pain seem to just disappear? He could almost feel Lindsey's hand now, her cold fingers on his arm, lightly brushing his mark through his rolled up sleeve.
"Draco?" Lindsey called. Draco jumped as he realized that Lindsey's hand actually was on his arm, and turned around to see what she wanted.
His face turned a light shade of pink as he realized they had stopped the car in an abandoned parking lot, obviously waiting on him. Lindsey's face looked puzzled, her head tilted to the side. Malinda was just staring at him, her eyebrows doing the weird, worried look again.
"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked pathetically, looking away from their curious gazes.
"We asked if you wanted to take over now. We're out of town," Malinda repeated for him, causing parts of his face to pale again.
"Oh, yeah, sure," he stuttered, opening the passenger side door to get out. Malinda looked like a ghost as she opened hers, crunching on the gravel when her sneakers touched the ground. Lindsey followed shortly after, wondering what Draco was going to do. The parking lot was surrounded by a lot of pine trees, little pinecones littering the ground around them.
"Right," said Draco, feeling very uncomfortable in the spotlight. He looked at the car for a few seconds before taking out his wand. Feeling mildly foolish using magic in front of muggles, he muttered a disillusion charm.
The car looked like invisible paint was slowly spreading over it. The car first turned a white, milky color, then slowly faded into nothing, letting the trees from behind it show through. Draco smiled, glad the spell had done it's job properly. As long as no one stuck their arms out the window, they wouldn't be seen.
"Flying car?" Lindsey asked, sounding amused. Draco nodded, barely glancing at her, the conversation he had been having with himself earlier floating through his mind.
Lindsey didn't seem to mind his silence, and started eating another Dorito from the bag. Draco sighed, and took the charm off momentarily so that they could find their way back inside.
Carefully, they all got back in the car, Draco in the driver's seat this time. Malinda's face had gone slightly pale after seeing Draco use his magic for the first time since they had apparated to the house.
Lindsey once again felt like a child as she clambered into the back seat with her nearly-empty bag of Doritos.
Draco swished his wand again, muttering the charm, and the car rapidly disappeared. He took a shaky breath before casting a flying spell, made difficult from the heaviness of the car. All three of them slowly rose up into the air as Draco carefully made his way forwards, unsure how long he could keep the car up in the air. It was times like this he really wished he would've had a broomstick. Or that there was an American Knight Bus.
His thoughts were cut short as the car lowered several feet, and he hastily focused on keeping all three of them in the air.
"I think we should go to the airport. It would be easier than…uh…taking a flying car, all the way to London," Lindsey said, smiling at the end. Draco didn't say anything, but started flying a dozen feet or so above the highway, following the signs that directed him to the nearest airport.
Not more than ten minutes later, Malinda had started gasping, tears forming in her eyes, as she remembered her boyfriend Harry. Draco tried desperately to ignore her and focus on his flying, but had immense difficulty after all he had been through.
Lindsey had been right, it had been a better idea for Draco to get them to the airport. Malinda was a crying mess, gasping and sobbing against the cold window. Lindsey hadn't said anything, but had her hand on her mother's shoulder, obviously trying to help her mom get through the pain without letting her own escape.
Draco tried not to think about Lindsey, not wanting to remember how soothing it had been when she touched his arm; stopping his pain. She had a right to comfort her mother, her only family that Draco knew of, in her time of need. But he couldn't get rid of the jealousy that rested on his heart, the urge to have her sooth his misery too.
As the car continued moving closer and closer towards the airport, Malinda became quieter and quieter, her sobs and gasps shifting to miniature sniffles. Lindsey had went back to resting against the seat, her arms folded and her eyes closed. She had been managing to hide her sorrow so far, and she was struggling to continue when her mom had unexpectedly broken down again.
Draco caught her image in the rearview mirror, since the car was only invisible from the outside. He turned to her, allowing the car to drop a few feet in the process. Lindsey felt his gaze on her, and opened her eyes sheepishly, a feeble smile on her lips.
To someone who hadn't known the signs, she would have appeared nothing more than tired. But Draco knew better, having played that same trick himself. Although he absolutely hated other people crying, Draco couldn't just watch Lindsey suffer either. She had been the only one who had ever taken away his anguish in his life, and he wanted to somehow repay her for it.
Wanting her to know that he'll talk to her about this later, he shot her a knowing look. Lindsey frowned and looked away, trying not to pay any attention to Draco. He sighed silently to himself, and slowly lifted the car back up into the air. Malinda was still sniffling against the window, and hadn't noticed the silent conversation around her.
After they had finally arrived near the airport area, Draco asked Malinda, who had stopped grieving for the meantime, if they had made any arrangements for the airport yet. It was Lindsey who spoke up however.
"No, we haven't. We were truthfully trying to get out of the house. We could stay in a hotel and make arrangements tonight if you want," Lindsey suggested, exchanging a long look with Draco. He didn't say anything, and pulled into a nearby Motel 6, releasing his magic as the car returned back to normal.
Draco didn't realize how exhausted he was until he had stopped using his magic. Every muscle in his body ached and he felt, once again, the painful sear of the Dark Mark on his snowy white skin. Trying to ignore it, he got out of the car, grabbing the bags from the backseat, trying to do a favor for Lindsey and Malinda.
"I can carry my own stuff," Lindsey said, and without meaning to, grabbed Draco's arm where the Dark Mark resided. Relief washed through Draco's body almost instantly, and he froze.
Lindsey noted his reaction, and carefully took her bag in her free hand, making sure to leave the other one on his mark. "It's burning isn't it?"
Draco didn't respond, letting his breathing return to normal, as Malinda grabbed her own bag.
"Come on," Lindsey whispered so only he could here. Draco let her drag her inside as he welcomed back her odd comforting. Draco knew she was still hiding her pain, much as he had been doing, keeping a wall built around her. This sent a wave of guilt spiraling through his body, knowing that he didn't deserve this relief.
Trying not to seem rude, Draco casually shrugged out of her touch, causing Lindsey to look up at him skeptically. He didn't say anything and let the pain fill him up again as the snake shimmied around his forearm.
Lindsey didn't say anything as she and Draco went to go sit on some of the chairs. Malinda already had her credit card out, making last-minute arrangements with the clerk, who seemed angry that they had just came into the hotel without a reservation.
After what seemed like forever, Malinda finally managed to get a key from the clerk.
"They squeezed us in, and we have a two bed room," she said, grabbing her bag from the chair next to Lindsey. Draco stood up silently, too distracted by the pain in his body to really care about room arrangements. Lindsey sighed, gently slipping her hand back on the Dark Mark. Draco glowered at her as the pain stopped once again, causing guilt to rise up in his system for the second time in an hour.
Lindsey wasn't looking at him, however, and followed her mom to the second floor, dragging him along with her. A couple of people who were in the hallways glanced at Draco, who was still wearing his dirty black suit, but otherwise didn't pay any attention to the newcomers.
The room they had wasn't the most spectacular, but considering, it was fair enough for one night.
Two beds rested on the right hand side of the room, blue and red trimming hanging from the mattresses. A decent sized TV was resting atop a wooden cabinet on the left that was probably used during longer stays. The bathroom was adjoined at the opposite corner as the beds, one giant mirror resting above the sink. The interior design was simple and casual, nothing like the majestic furniture Draco was used to. He watched as Lindsey and Malinda dropped their bags against the wall warily.
"I'm going to…go get some pizza," said Malinda after a long silence, grabbing the car keys and some money. Draco nodded in acknowledgement while Lindsey smiled. Malinda left the room quickly, snapping the door shut behind her.
The tension seemed to ease a bit after Malinda had left, and Draco moved away from the entry-way, Lindsey at his side.
It's a teensey bit shorter than the others I believe, but the next part is going to be...uh...very...conflict-y. :) Please review! ^^