Ranger [ON HOLD]

Chapter Nine - Mirror Reveal

I felt something warm on my shoulder, a small subtle shaking that came and roused me fully from sleep. My fingers tightened on my glasses, which I had removed prior to my little nap. The slight unfocused gaze I possessed, turned to the owner of the hand currently fiddling with the buckle of my seat belt.

"Ethan..?" I yawned out his name, covering my mouth with my palm quickly out of habit before letting it drop to my lap. The paper bag of food he had gotten me lay forgotten on the seat, as he opened the door wide for me to slide out.

I was still half asleep as he towed me gently through a pair of doors by the arm, not even feeling the pain as my knee bent to walk and the muscles in my back flexed with every tiny movement. I noticed that the Hotel we stopped at was a little less than moderate, but clean. I couldn't fully gather the entire look of it, aside from a dry red and gold theme before I was directed inside of an elevator.

The soft murmurs of my self proclaimed guardians hummed in my ears, almost lulling me back to sleep where I stood. And if not for the ding and the nudge forward as the doors opened, I would have most likely face planted into the floor. 

The walls and carpet seemed to be an endless loop as I was led down a hallway and soon into the end room.

Two beds, a simple T.V and a bathroom was all I could gather before my eyes slid questioningly to the boys already shuffling around the room. T

Ethan directed me to the free bed, and I fell onto it all too willingly. My hand heated with pain as I landed on it, and my knee twinged from the jerky motion of my bouncing on the mattress, but I barely felt the uncomfortable sensations as I quickly faded back into sleep.

I bolted upright, my forehead colliding harshly with something very solid. 

The loud smack echoed around the room, followed by my small yelp of pain and a deeper groan. Slowly, as if stunned I flopped back onto the bed. The white rumpled sheets puffed out then slowly settled from the contact.

My eyes opened slowly, weary of any light that might attack. When I felt it was dim enough, I let them open to gaze up at the ceiling with a pounding skull. I stared blankly for a few moments before turning my head slowly to the figure sitting on the bed next to mine. 

The figure currently shooting me daggers as he rubbed a slightly red chin.

"You always jackknife like that?" Ranger questioned with a grunt, expression hard if not for the slightly amused glint to his eyes. I felt my cheeks heat up fast in response as pure embarrassment flooded through me.

"I'm so sorry..."

"Ethan went out to get some Coffee." He told me, standing and curling one arm over his shoulder and the opposite arm under, to link fingers behind his back and stretch his arms slowly. I heard several small but sharp cracks release from his spine as he completed the motion and winced.

It sounded almost like he had dislocated an arm - I had heard the sound once when someone had fallen from the bleachers in the gym. Poor girl tumbled all the way down to the last three levels before her arm got caught at just the right angle and... well, pop it was out.

I shuddered.

"We should be ready to leave once he gets back, so if you need to do your... girl things... do them now."

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, chewing on the inside of my cheek for a small moment, as I watched him turn away toward the large black bag they had brought. The moment ended as he turned and caught my gaze, and I turned on my heel.