DUSK ( THE GECKO BROTHERS )

VI. ACROSS THE LINE

CHAPTER SIX
( ACROSS THE LINE! )

ADELAIDE'S HAND RESTED ON THE GEARSTICK AS THE SILVER CAR EDGED FORWARD AN INCH MORE. The heat, and the wait, and the awkward silent tension, was getting more unbearable by the second. The queue was going slower - if that was even possible - and it was the worst timing. It also seemed that the amount of uniformed authorities had multiplied and it was starting to make Adelaide extremely on edge, her teeth chewing the inside of her mouth and her palms itching.

"What the fuck is taking so long?" She muttered to herself as her hands flattened and then tightened themselves around the wheel again.

"What's your name?" Scott suddenly spluttered out from beside her, he was uncomfortably folded up on himself, edging closer to the door; as if she'd pounce on him and kill him right there.

"What?" She asked taken aback but her eyes were still trained closely on the closed gate. She didn't blink as she leaned forward, her body propped close to the wheel for closer viewing and her mouth was slight open as she stared at the thing separating the borders, waiting and willing for it to open.

"Your name. What is it?" His voice was more confident now but it still held a tremble. Why did he care?

She sighed, "Does it matter, in a couple of minutes we will be going our separate ways so you'll never see me again"

Scott didn't say anything more (he didn't really have anything to say to that) and Adelaide didn't see his expression as her eyes were so set on the queue in front of her.

"Adelaide" She huffed, her eyelids fluttering "That's my name"

She didn't know why she told him her name and it felt weird to, like she said it didn't matter. But if it meant she wouldn't be referred to as 'her' she guessed it was an improvement. She hadn't said her name out loud in a while and it felt foreign on her lips, yet it felt comforting as if it was a familiar warm blanket wrapped around her that she had missed. She had missed being Adelaide Roujas. Just Adelaide Roujas. She was tired of all the fake names and alias' (the Miss Fuller from the motel), after all, deep down she was still the snappy brunette. And all she wanted was to be herself, the best self she could be, a normal self. A self she wasn't familiar with at the moment but would figure out once she met up with Carlos. He was her only lifeline now.

Adelaide wasn't going to say anything else (sure that interaction was enough to last them this short car ride) but she wouldn't even have been able to, as Scott opened his door and leaped out the car in a flash.

"What the fuck! Where are you going?" Adelaide hissed as she leaned over his chair and bowed her head to glare up at him from where she was restricted in her seat by the belt (safety first) but Scott shut the door behind him, ignoring her as if she was invisible. Something she hated.

"Little fucking shit!" Adelaide exclaimed and was ready to pounce out of her side and drag him back into the car; he wasn't going to mess this up for her. But her eyes found him in the mirror attached to the roof of the car, as well as his father who was speaking to him, Adelaide's eyes trailed to see the Gecko brothers watching the pair with sharp, precise eyes from the front seats of the RV. Seth was leaning on the dashboard, his mouth in a harsh line whilst Richie stood over his shoulder, sporting the same straight face with dark eyes. Adelaide let out a sigh and waited with a clenched jaw. What else could she do? After a while she narrowed her eyes - still staring in the mirror - as she tried to suss out what the duo were saying; but she didn't manage to as the car in front of her moved forward. Finally.

She couldn't beep the horn to alert Scott back into the car as it would have attracted too much attention so she instead just slowly drove the small space forward and hoped the little fuck filled in the blanks. The car shook as it moved from it's long time in stand still and when it stopped again, the boy whispered something final to his father before hugging him and getting back into the car.

"What the fuck was that about?" Adelaide huffed, her hands tightening on the wheel and rubbing the sweat slicked rubber. He just ignored her and it made her grow more irritated but she didn't act on it. She didn't have a chance as her eyes fell on a familiar ranger she had ran into times before.

"Shit" She whispered, her eyes widened when she saw the gun he was withdrawing from his jacket. Was that for her? No, he wouldn't pull a gun out on her that quickly. Plus she wasn't really doing anything wrong at the moment, or at least not overtly. But his eyes weren't focused on her or the silver car but rather the large RV parked behind her. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Her jaw was clenched so tight that her teeth began to ache as she stared unblinking at Freddie. But soon he was ushered away by another uniformed man, the anger and frustration evident on the ranger's face as the pair entered the small shack on the side of the 'road'.

Adelaide let out a sigh of relief and sagged slightly forward on the wheel. Scott just watched her confused, they hadn't got over the barrier yet so why was she relaxing?

The car finally pulled into the spot before the gate, it securely closed in front of the silver hood.

"Don't you dare say anything or I'll fucking put the bullet in your head myself" Adelaide muttered sharply, her tone so hard that it made Scott stop breathing for a second. She wasn't going to risk anything now she was finally here and she now knew the boy's games - from before with the secret gun.

The window was button automated instead of a manual wind down, and as it slid seamlessly down Adelaide shone a large enthusiastic smile which radiated authenticity and cheeriness; she was a natural.

"Hi" She beamed, her whole aura was lit up with happiness "How are you? The weather is scorching" she chuckled as she leaned her head out the window, her hands still rested on the wheel but lightly now. The man behind the booth laughed light-heartedly, too completely at easy by Adelaide's relaxed and pure attitude. To him she seemed like a friendly, bubbly, easy going girl, an innocent girl who was just going into Mexico for a holiday. He seemed pretty young compared to the other rangers as if he was in his late twenties so Adelaide pulled out her charm, her easy, innocent flirting which he lapped up like a thirsty puppy dog. To him she was a pretty girl, something he hadn't really interacted with that day, she was so pretty he didn't even notice Scott sitting motionlessly in the seat next to her with a worried face. He didn't even ask for the passports when Adelaide distracted him by asking questions about himself as if she actually cared that he was going for drinks with his old school friends on the weekend or that he had two cats, which she didn't. Okay maybe she cared a little about the cats. She missed her cat from when she was younger but it had run away when her mother scolded it too many times about the dead birds it kept dragging into the apartment. Or maybe it knew what was coming and just left. Adelaide wished she had had that sixth sense and had left before everything became worse. She wished she was a cat or even this man who could go for drinks normally with his friends. Adelaide couldn't even remember a time she had friends.

Before long (Adelaide weaving in some more small talk, as she knew that worked a charm and she had mastered this whole façade numerous times) the silver hijacked car rolled effortlessly past the border and into Mexico.