BORROWED [Watty Awards Finalist/NEWLY EDITED!]

Chapter Seven

|No Escape|

The Borrower's horrible driving skills jolts me back and forth across the backseat. By the way he's rushing, and lack of attention to the road, I'd think he was expecting praise for getting me to PURE in record time.

"Slow down!" I grip my hands on the back of the passenger seat. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

The Borrower looks over his right shoulder. "I'd be nice to me if I were you," he says with a smirk.

"Is that a threat?"

He shrugs and continues to look forward, his hands gripping the steering wheel. "What would you do anyway, Borrowed?"

I huff. "This is ridiculous. Take me to the brig!" My hand slaps the head of the leather seat.

He laughs. "You just want to be with your boyfriend. Trust me when I say this, you don't want to go there." From the rearview mirror, I watch his mouth spread into a wide grin.

My chest tightens as anxiety threatens to take over my ability to function. "I can't go there yet! You need to take me back," I say. "I just... need air..." Pressing my hand against the window, I allow the coolness from the front vent to brush across my face.

"Too bad," he says with no remorse. "The window stays up, I can't risk you jumping out." He jerks the vehicle, causing my cheekbone to smack into the glass.

This guy is an idiot!

I say, "Guess you don't need smarts to become a Borrower." My anxiety creeps forth, both the palms of my hands dampen with sweat. "Why the hell would I jump out of a moving vehicle, especially the way you're driving!"

He glares back at me. "Do you ever shut that mouth of yours?"

"Usually," I say with a bit of pep. Not anymore.

The car ride has become long and strenuous on my mental health. At least my anxiety has dissipated enough that I can think clearly. I'm still not sure how long we've been driving. I shift my body to stare out the back window. The skyscrapers in the capitol become smaller as we drive further out into the desert. I watch the sun disappear behind the buildings, creating a hue of pink, orange, and blue in the sky.

"If you see anything unusual, don't ask questions," he says. I turn around to face the front of the car. The road we travel is barren up ahead.

No one travels after dark. There are rumors of heathen-like refugees of the war hiding in the desert. Sylas has made no effort to comfort them or form some kind of truce to live comfortably among them. I can't imagine what it must be like out here, with the days hot and the night's cold, one extreme to the next.

Still, I can't help but think of the rumors as I look out my window at the darkening land. The stars map out the sky, blanketing it. The Borrower taps his fingers on the steering wheel, bobbing his head to some obnoxious new age techno music.

My eyes feel heavy, while sleep threatens to take over my body. I lean my face against the window again, staring out at the sparkling sand. The full moon glows, lighting up the landscape, and I watch carefully for any signs of life.

Goose bumps crawl over my bare skin. I want to tell him that the air conditioning isn't necessary anymore, but his music is so loud now, I just grumble and keep my mouth closed. My eyes finally shut. I think of a memory. It's Chase, right before he left for training.

"Does mom know how lonely you are, Iris?"

Chase stared at me, waiting for a reply. I pushed off from my bed and stalked across my bedroom, digging through my closet for a sweatshirt. "What are you talking about?" I looked back at him, confused.