I am Number Ten

CHAPTER 12

        We checked out of the hospital the next day and got on the road. I drove for eighteen hours straight and during that time I told Blake everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! From landing on Earth to the earthquake in Argentina. He listened with genuine interest and wide brown eyes as he took in everything I said. Once I was finished, he asked me all sorts of questions and in both of our minds, we finally were getting to know the real people underneath.

        The next journey is a long one. I just keep driving, throwing in a few lefts and rights, hopefully, to throw off any potential trackers. Blake's with me one hundred percent. He says that he's excited but I can tell he kind of misses home, and decent sleeping arrangements. We've been on the road of almost a week and most of the time both of us sleep in the trunk or in the front seat when we take turns driving. But when both of us are physically exhausted, we curl up to each other in the back. It feels good to finally have a companion. I haven't travelled for very long by myself but those days in the isolated motel are crap and distant memory now that I have my boyfriend travelling with me. We talk, share a few laughs and cuddle in the front seat. We've stopped at tourist sites, beaches, romantic restaurants among other things. It feels great to finally be myself with someone and I finally get to see the world a little bit. I've never been able to relax and just hang around like a regular teenager.

        Blake's excited too. Wherever we happen to go, there's a beaming smile on his face. He points at all the sites and landmarks, trying to soak up everything that we pass. We've gone to zoos, the movies, hiked in some national forests and walked on the beach together. I can hear the giddiness in his thoughts and that he is generally happy. But there is some hesitation in there too; I am an alien and I am being hunted by another race of aliens. So anyone would be hesitant to travel with me. But I know that Blake's thoughts are genuine and he really does love me with all his heart.

        Eventually, we decide to find a place to lay low for a while. I let Blake pick the place and he picks something off the coast of South Carolina. We find an old run down house just outside a small city. It's along the coast and Blake says that we can stay here and if we stay long enough, we'll be able to go to the beach. The place is mouldy and filthy; the taps are rusted in the kitchen, one of the toilets upstairs is empty and there is absolutely no heating. The floorboards creak and I think I saw a few nests where a certain amount of rodents have set up shop. It's the first night and we've been driving for nine hours without a break. I throw our stuff on a couch that has the springs exposed and collapses in a heap. Blake and I had shopped for some new clothes back in Colorado but we've been travelling light in case of some such emergency that requires us to leave quickly. Blake ditches his bags and comes to sit with me. I lay my head on his shoulder and we clasp hands.

        I close my eyes and embrace the silence we have. It feels good to be away from the rush and adrenaline that comes with being on the run. We've spent so much time in the cities and towns that I forgot what silence felt like.  I curl up with Blake and we are soon both sound asleep.