There was a long stretch of highway before them and as they neared mile 15, both noticed the lack of street lights. In their place, Jaimie guessed, was the luminescent strips of yellow tape bound to the middle of the road. One after another passed before there eyes, entrancing the two girls; a constant reminder that they were on their way to the unknown. Jewel began to feel nervous and a bit nauseous not knowing where they were going. Turning to look at Jaimie, she forced her mind away from fear and eased her left hand behind her head.
In Jewel's mind, Jaimie always had prettier hair. She ran her fingers in circles, moving at a slow pace and allowing anxiousness to make it's way back. The lack of lights was nothing to Jaimie. She too sensed their absense but could only be concerned with her friend's adoration. Her touch was all that she expected to feel, not the feeling rising in her heart.
My family cared for Jewel in much the same way. Growing up together, I always felt like having a sister was too good to be true. I was too young to know what "adoption" meant. Another life came into our home. Mother cried in the bathroom a lot and Dad would pick me up coldly saying, "Mommy loves you. She wants you to have a baby brother or sister."
The thought passed in Jaimie's mind, making it's way through every emotional avenue before, "fuck them" came quickly from her mouth. Jewel understood Jaimie's dissolved expression in an instant. "It's fine. They were around for better times. We're not that anymore. We want something different, right?"
Her expression softened with eyes still fixed on the road ahead. Jewel withdrew her hand from Jaimie, rolling the window down with the opposite hand. Wind rushed into the cabin, tossing Jaimie's short red hair and making a mess of Jewel's. A half-hearted laugh from Jaimie made Jewel smile and realize she should put her hair up.
Jewel gazed up hoping to find something in the sky. She felt the pressure and vibration of the car door against her head and let her mind race from the road, to her skin, to the sound of the wind, to Jaimie, and back to the road. Whether they were a hundred miles away or lost in search of this surprise, she didn't mind. Jaimie took hold of the steering wheel at 90 degrees and touched Jewel's thigh with the opposite hand, "almost there."
An infinite number of stars shone upon this strip of highway, highlighting pieces of the cliffside and reminding Jaimie to be watchful. Jaimie continued accelerating within the first of a few miles, moving well over 90 mph until her environment started to look familiar, "If you haven't guessed what it is by now, I must be better at keeping secrets than I thought" letting out a sarcastic laugh. Jewel continued to look at the sky for a moment before turning to her, sharing a half-smile, and looking back to the sky with innocent eyes. Jaimie was slowing down, feeling a fleeting moment.
Jewel felt her applying pressure to the brakes, moving slowly to
the right side of the road where there was suddenly more space to pull over. A
dusty dirt lot lay ahead of them, grabbing the passenger's attention as she
leaned up with attentive eyes. "This is all our's tonight," Jaimie
confidently stated. She neared the the cliff's edge, lined with long fence
posts no higher than a foot. The only lights visible came forth from the
dashboard and the occasional passing vehicle.
Headlights from distant drivers disappeared entirely when Jaimie
turned off the engine. Nightly sounds took precedence over the sound of the now
sleeping vehicle. Wind-swept hair and a quarter tank of fuel was proof
it had been miles since they stopped anywhere. Jaimie closed her
eyes, still holding the wheel for a moment and then let her hands fall. She
looked up as if searching for a distant plane and pointed with her right hand.
"I knew it would be difficult to find but I didn't think it'd be
impossible," she exaggerated before withdrawing a small card. Jaimie
happily read aloud, "Beta Aquarii. All for Jewel," and placed the
smooth business-like card in Jewel's left palm.
Confusion overwhelmed her for a moment, forcing her to ask,
"What is Beta. Aquarii?"
Jaimie pointed to the sky with her left hand for a brief moment, motioning Jewel
to lean forward and look up. Jewel still clutched the card and felt Jaimie's
touch, running her fingers down her forearm until her hand was gently on top of
her's. "It's the brightest star in the sky...at least around your birthday
it is and it's all yours," laughing at her own words, "well, I mean it will be around way after we're gone, but it's
yours for now." Jewel had already teared up a bit and was now laughing at
Jaimie's ability to make the most romantic gesture a small reminder of a
celestial body's lifespan.
Both girls were exhausted from the drive and leaned their seats
back shortly after pulling over. From the highway, they could see dimly lit
homes built into the cliffside all the way down to the horizon's edge. The
cliffs they drove past and the one they rested at now were in need of
rain. Jewel had never seen so many humble homes tucked away in what she
thought was a remote area. Dried vegetation and the occasional patch of
giant wild rye was all she could see. In her mind, she wondered how they moved
water and food to a place that looked so closed off from the world.
Outside, gusts of wind blew dirt against the car while the two girls
drifted into their imagination, still holding one another's hand.
"I'll be here. Even if your parents decide to hunt you down,
I'll stay with you," Jewel let out softly. Jaimie gently opened her eyes
to look at her, still lazily resting in the seat. She loved her and felt loved.
"You're all I have, I guess I don't have a choice," gently laughing as she turned in her seat, putting her feet beneath her.
Traffic continued to rush behind them, cautiously approaching the
turn before dirt and loose pieces of gravel neared the DB4. Every car to pass
would turn down a side road, away from the girls. Some cars seemed to be
dangerously close and then would disappear out of sight. Daydreaming and
hand-holding brought their attention back to the stars.
Both girls were jerked rapidly in all directions, banging
shoulders, knees, heads again, ribs and back against the broken fragments of
the car's interior. The vehicle's descent continued, flipping once before
resting on it's top. Jaimie's ears were ringing and she could feel warm blood
running down the side of her face and arms. She heard the car's metal creaking
under pressure but her vision was blurred. Jewel was still in the car but
Jaimie could barely see or even tell if she is was conscious.
Jaimie's vision was barely clear as she began rearranging herself,
pulling bits of windshield from her forearms and softly brushing glass from
Jewel's skin. Her eyes filled with panicked tears when she reached for her,
noticing she was unconscious. Jaimie pulled and flipped her body right side up,
careful to avoid all the jagged edges. Struggling between the crushed steering
wheel and seat, she placed Jewel onto the misshapen piece of metal that used to
be the passenger door.
Her unconscious body horrified Jaimie as she looked down at her.
Jewel's head remained cocked to the left, making her think the worst. She
thought her neck was broken. Jaimie knelt beside Jewel, pouring tears and
touching her cheek. Carefully, she lifted Jewel's head and placed it in her
lap. Jewel's eyes compressed in pain and then opened with tears, peering
above into Jaimie's eyes, "I...I...I can't...feel anything."
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