From the Cosmos. [gxg]

xiii. twitter culture.

Marisol pushed her camera bag into the trunk, letting it sit on top of the pile of luggage like the cherry on top of a milkshake. She closed the trunk. The car was already on and rumbling. Nevada sat in the front seat, ready to drive. Colette sat in the back. After some thinking, Marisol chose to sit shotgun. The car pulled out, away from the apartment, and onto the streets of New York.

The buildings of New York City soon became distant, and the car was on the highway, leaving the Big Apple behind. Nobody spoke until the skyline was completely out of sight.

It was 6 a.m. The world was just waking up as they were leaving, the sun still not reaching the furthest corners. Marisol was tired. The night before was anxiety inducing, and she only got a scattered couple hours worth of sleep. Thoughts of leaving and the possibility of losing her job filled her head, but more than anything, she was worried that if the police identified her, she might never have a home again.

They had been driving for nearly an hour when somebody broke the silence.

"I'm sorry," Colette said from the backseat.

Marisol had heard that phrase throughout the night. She and Colette had shared a bed last night. Apparently the witch couldn't sleep either. The night passed with several apologies and responses of 'it's okay.'

Nevada was the one to respond to Colette. "You did what was right. Besides, now Marisol and I get to have the road trip we always talked about."

Marisol didn't know if she was too tired to laugh or too dejected. Instead of responding, she just leaned her head on the window and closed her eyes as the car lapsed back into silence. The lulling of the car's engine and the steady roll of the tires coaxed her into the sleep she was missing. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep the whole 20 hours to South Dakota, but for now, this was enough.

The car rocked to a stop, jostling Marisol awake. She rubbed her eyes and sat up straight, cracking her stiff neck. She blinked a couple times, her eyes adjusting to the light. They were at a gas station. It looked old, the gas pumps dirty. There was nothing else nearby, as if it was the only structure on the exit. She could see the highway nearby.

"It's time to switch," Nevada said, opening the car door.

"Oh, already?" Marisol checked the time. It was past noon. She didn't realize she could nap that long.

Nevada opened the door and stepped out of the car. "I'm going to fill up the car and get snacks. What do you guys want?"

Colette asked for some pretzels and water. Marisol asked for some salt and vinegar chips and a gatorade. Nevada was off to do business. Marisol stepped out of the car and stretched, before walking around the side and getting into the driver's seat. She turned and looked at Colette.

"Are you alright?" Marisol asked.

Colette sighed. "Yes, I was able to get some sleep, but not as much as you. Nevada and I ended up chatting."

"About?"

She shrugged. "Nothing much. It was just small talk."

Nevada came back with way more snacks than Marisol expected, claiming that it was because they all skipped lunch. They tossed Marisol the keys and crawled into the back seats. They practically forced Colette into the passenger seat, claiming that they needed the entire back row for a proper roadtrip nap. Colette didn't argue. Marisol started the car and drove out of the gas station and back onto the highway.

Silence lapsed for the first couple of minutes as everyone munched on their snacks. Marisol hadn't realized how hungry she was until she devoured a bag of chips and reached for more. Nevada handed her some sour gummy worms and Marisol practically inhaled those too. She was wondering if her driving shift would be completely silent as Nevada passed out in the backseat.

Colette cleared her throat. "You have a license?" she asked.

"Yes, don't you?"

"No, I don't."

That must have been a question to softly open the conversation, because then blurted out in a fast, breathy voice: "I've been checking twitter."

Marisol swallowed. The sentence alone wasn't intimidating, but the implications were. "What are people saying? Did they identify you?"

Colette frowned. "No, but the NYPD posted the video on their page and are asking for anonymous tips. It's circulating everywhere. I've been reading the tweets about it. We're trending at #4 in the states."

"Read me some tweets."

Colette scrolled through her phone. "The witch in the video is so brave. I stand with her.

"Anyway, drop petition links so we can stop the cruel and dehumanizing magic sterilization program.

"If you believe the people in this video are in the right, use your voice to convince the U.S. government to make magic legal. They're overseeing a bill right now.

"Witches are dangerous. They SHOULD be sterilized."

Colette paused after the last one. Marisol glanced over at her.

"Don't read anymore. There are going to be a lot of hateful and ignorant tweets."

"I know," Colette responded, though she kept scrolling. Her breath hitched at one. Her voice got small as she spoke.

"Doesn't the protester kind of remind you of Colette?" she read, "If you try really hard to hear the screaming, the woman has an accent."

Marisol resisted the urge to swear. "Does it have any likes or replies?"

"No, but it was only posted a few minutes ago."

"Just ignore it for now. It won't amount to anything."

The actress nodded and put her phone down, though Marisol could see the uncertainty in the woman's actions from her periphery.

"Do you think this will blow over?" Colette asked.

Marisol pursed her lips. "Yes, after some time. I think we'll just make sure nobody identifies you, and then we'll be back in a couple of weeks. Besides,congress is supposed to make a decision on the future for magic rights by the end of the month."

"Do you know what that entails?"

The road stretched out to the horizon, hardly any cars nearby. "There have been talks of making sterilization illegal and disbanding the government program. The new rule would be that it wouldn't be illegal to practice magic so long as it isn't used to assault somebody."

"I'd never want to assault somebody!" Colette said, suddenly defensive.

"I know. What you did back in New York was necessary."

Colette went quiet for a moment. "I think I'm going to try and get some sleep."

Marisol sighed. "Okay."

The car fell into silence.