Driftaway Lane

Ch. 8 - Temporary Placement

HAYYYYY!! Chapter 8, yayayay! Hehe, hope you like it. :3

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"Sweetie, you getting on?"

My eyes shoot open to reveal a man looking at me expectantly.

I must've fell asleep...

Oops!

"Errr... yes sir, sorry," I say awkwardly. "I'll just be a sec."

I move Rocco who is still sitting on my lap, and go to pick up my bags. Grabbing his lead, I step onto the bus and put on a brave face, trying so hard not to think about what my life has come to. 

I make my way down the bus before slipping into a seat right at the back, Rocco laying down calmly on the floor in front of me. I set my bags on the seat to my right and gaze out the window as the engine gently whirrs into life and the vehicle starts moving down the road.

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The bus ride drags by slowly and uneventfully; I'm one of the only passengers the whole way down the main road, and the other passengers are either old ladies or creepy middle-aged men. I guess you could say I was extremely relieved when the bus screeches to a stop and the driver says we've arrived.

I clamber off the bus with my bags in one hand and Rocco's lead in the other, nodding a final thank you to the bus driver before setting off down to the next bus stop.

I can pretty much see the bus stop after only 30 minutes or so of walking. There's already a bus there, but I know that there is a new one every half hour so I should be able to catch the next one without a problem. I pick up my pace and before long I've reached the stop without any hassle, climbing on the bus immediately and claiming the whole back row to myself. Luckily, the bus lurches forward before too many people can get on and make a huge crowd.

The drive is estimated to take around 3 hours, as it's quite a busy bus and will need to take a lot of stops. I lay back, slipping my earphones in and listening to music the whole way there.

"Alright guys, everyone off. We're here."

I stand up, relieved, and grab all my stuff before stepping off the bus gratefully. Everything's going according to plan!

The only thing I really need to think about is where I'm going to sleep tonight. Time is ticking by and before I know it, darkness takes over the sky and stars escape the mist from the clouds. I sigh heavily as I begin to daydream...

~ HAZEL'S DAYDREAM ~

"Look, Hazel, do you see that one? The one that looks kinda like a kite, or a dolphin?" My dad says, pointing up to the night sky.

"Yes daddy! I see it! What's it called?" I say excitedly.

"Delphinus. Isn't it wonderful how many amazing things can be created, just from stars?"

I nod happily, overjoyed to be spending time alone with my dad. Mum was staying late at work, so dad decided to take me to a big field close to our house to look at constellations. He's shown me dozens of them, and I was enjoying myself immensely.

"Hey, what about that one, over there?" He asks, pointing behind him. I follow his finger and begin to search the sky for any sort of shape. When I can't find one, I shake my head no and wait for him to tell me what it is.

"Point to where I'm pointing, it might make it a little easier for you to find it."

I do as I'm told, and move my hand up to point to the stars.