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“Wake up,” Chance ordered shaking me awake. I sat up, my neck stiff and my words all jumbled together.

“What?” I mumbled my vision blurring as Chance and her hair came into view.

“Wake up if you want your share of donuts," she said and I heard the pop-crack that was opening of plastic cases.

“Donuts? Why didn’t you start with that?” I asked instantly awake as I smelled the sugary goodness that was powered donuts.

“Didn’t think to,” said Chance plucking a donut from its place in the box. 

“So where are we?’ I asked grabbing a donut as well and taking a huge bite, white dust falling all around my mouth as I did so.

“Holiday gas station, I’ve already filled up, and I stocked up on some more important supplies, like water and canned food.”

“Okay, so why the donuts?”

“Figured I’d better give us something unhealthy before we go onto a rationed diet.”

“Good idea,” I said passed my breakfast. “Do we have any milk?” Starting my day with donuts improved my attitude incredibly. Soon after eating and filling up the tank we were off again towards Michigan.  And we crossed state lines by the early afternoon. I was tempted to pull over and take a photo next to the “welcome” sign for this state, but I was sure I’d just get an eye-roll and a “you’re an idiot” statement so I kept my mouth shut and kept driving down the back roads that I was directed down. All the while checking my mirrors and over important driving stuff I noticed all the cars.

Some classic old BMW’s or minivans, some beat up trucks, some not, some nice convertibles. Some slug bugs of all colors, and a few old Buicks that reminded me of tanks with how thick they looked.I thought back to when I was a kid and remembered the color spotting game Mom played with me on long car rides.  This was a long car ride... An Idea formed in my mind as the miles zipped by and I decided to try it at the risk of being called an idiot once again.

“Chance I’m gonna teach you to play a game.” I announced glancing over at her as she again took her hair down and then put it back up yet again.

“Game?” she asked sounding a bit confused like she hadn't heard me correctly or she thought the sugar was going to my head.

“Yeah,” I said sounding a little high pitched like I was going to puberty again. “This is a long ride. Entertain ourselves we must.” I changed my voice  into my Yoda impression and found myself hearing Mikey and Dylan's laughter like they were in the backseat.   “It’s easy, pick a color.”

“Red,” she said tossing up her hair and I was pretty sure that was her inspiration.

“Good," I said with a nod of approval. "Now in the next ten minutes we have to try and spot as many red cars as we can. Whoever finds the most wins the round. Easy enough and I am totally going to win!" 

“Okay and keep dreaming,” she said with a grin; training her eyes on the clock on the dash, “ready go!”

My eyes zoomed across the road. I spotted two red cars right off the bat. Yes! I’m off to a good start. Time ticked away and I spotted a red minivan and a bunch of blue bugs. Jeez they are popular. Why? Seriously, I do not understand it, you can’t fit anything into them and they do nothing to protect you if you get in a crash! Oh red bug! That’s four!

“Two minutes!” Chance said beginning the countdown.

“Gotcha!”’ I said searching across the lanes for more blurs of red. One! Five cars! Yes!

“And time!” she shouted, “how many did you find?”

“Five,” I said as proudly as I would have if I had been five years old again. 

She grinned and shook her head at me as she admitted defeat, “Four.”

I grinned and with my free hand pumped my fist in the air in triumph, “Yes!”

“Bet you can’t beat me twice,” she challenged eyes narrowed like she was mad, but her mouth was smiling. 

“Name the color,” I replied grinning, hands tightening on the wheel.

“Silver,” she said instantly.

I smiled again, “Game on!” We kept playing; we spotted cars of many colors and used the same colors more than once for the fact that most cars are not colored "periwinkle". And our current score was Xander: Ten Chance: Five. So in other words I was-in the words of Charlie Sheen-WINNING and I was thrilled.

“Pick a color,” Chance ordered, red faced as I beat her yet again in the search for green cars.

“Silver,” I said with a grin and an eyeroll. I'd beaten her ten out of fifteen times we played this game. She was not going to be able to catch

“Great," and she began to stare out the window at the other cars looking for streaks of silver. Then her eyes narrowed into purple slits, “Xander pull off onto the next road," she said tightly and my pulse sped up as my adrenaline cranked up. "We’re being followed.”

“What?” I said changing lanes instantly even though her words barely registered. Followed? By what? By who? Was it Ares? Did he decide the truck meant alot to him? Or did he realize he didn't even get "one out of two" last time and watched to make a clean job of it all? Or was it one of Chiron's trackers? He couldn't have been happy when Chance got away from his prison. He prided himself on how he ran that Hell and how tough his gaurds were, having another person doing it, having someone else get out even with all those added security measures had to rub salt into the wound in his ego. I was wondering when he'd come after us, there was no way the gods would do his grunge work forever...

“Exactly what I said,” she reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the gun. “Now we need a plan."

"I'm open to any ideas you have," I told her as I changed lanes again hoping we could shake off our tail the same way they did in the movies. "Because I don't think we can shake them by doing this."

"Are you okay with being bait?” she asked with a maniac glint in her eyes and I was instantly more afraid than I already was.

“Bait? Bait for what?” I asked feeling my throat tighten as I discovered for certain it was a monster on our tail this time around.

“Gorgons.”

*****************

Okay this one is really short and you have my apologies but I promise the next one is going to have much more to it! What'd we think of Xander's car spotting game? And the cliffhanger? Hehe =) I'd love to hear them so please don't forget to COMMENT and VOTE if you enjoyed this chapter! =D

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