Quickly using the bathroom, I walk out to find the bedroom empty, apart from Thaddeus, sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. He looks up when I step out, walks over to me, and grabs me, obviously unwilling to wait for me to hobble down the stairs.
“Where are we going?” I ask, shivering when the cold chill of the air brushes over me as he steps outside.
“Home,” he says, making me look at him.
“Really?” I ask, excited to finally not have to run anymore.
We have been on the move for ages, never staying in one place for more than a night. Orion opens the car door as we approach it and slides across the seat. Thaddeus places me in my seat and gets in on the driver’s side to start the car.
I try clipping the seatbelt in, but it digs into my belly no matter where I try to put it. My skin is tender from stretching so quickly; every piece of me feels bruised even though there are no visible marks. Unclipping the belt, I try to get comfortable.
“Evelyn, seatbelt,” Orion protests, trying to force it around me.
I swat his hands away, annoyed. “No, it irritates my skin,” I tell him.
“You need to put it on,” Orion growls, pulling me to his side and trying to wrap the middle belt around me.
“Orion, leave her,” Ryland growls back at him.
“You know what? Fine, pull over,” Orion says, angrily.
“I will put it on; just stop it, please,” I beg him, trying to click the belt in.
Every day they argue over something; every day, we are trapped in this car; all they do is fight; I am sick of it. Thaddeus pulls the car over, and Orion hops out, slamming the door in my face as I lean over to stop him from leaving. Thaddeus gets out after him, and they start screaming at each other. I try to drown them out, sick of hearing the same bullshit.
“You okay, hun?” Ryland asks, as the headlights illuminate them while they fight on the side of the highway.
“No. They just don’t stop. They are always at each other’s throats.”
Ryland reaches for me over the back of the seat, and I go to waterworks; stupid fucking pregnancy hormones. One minute I am fine, the next, either raging over nothing or crying. I miss my normal body, miss being able to see my own feet. When I wipe my tears, they are still arguing over God knows what. “What are they even fighting over?” I ask.
Ryland shrugs. “Thaddeus apparently killed someone, and he has been trying to explain something to him, but Orion is just an asshole and not listening and talking over him because he doesn’t want to keep moving you.”
Argh, this is a nightmare. “Who did he kill?”
“No idea, Orion won’t let him explain.”
I huff, annoyed at sitting on the side of the road. Climbing over the seat, I hop in the driver’s seat. It is a tight squeeze between the two front seats, and I am sure I smack Ryland in the head with my bulging belly. “What are you doing?” Ryland asks.
“Leaving them and going home,” I tell him, driving the car and taking off. Tears rolled down my face. Are they going to fight like this constantly when the baby arrives? I am over it. Thaddeus said we are going home, so that’s where I am going; they can run home and sort out their problems.
Ryland’s phone starts ringing, and I hit the gas harder. He answers it. “Hello, Orion,” Ryland says, sounding bored.
I can only hear one side of the conversation, but I get the gist from Ryland’s replies. “No, what do you expect? She isn’t going to keep watching you fight. Sort your shit out and meet us at home,” he says, hanging up, and I smile sadly at him.
“Slow down, love. Don’t want to hit anything at this speed,” he says, looking at the odometer and I release the accelerator a bit. I drive for a few hours until fatigue catches up to me, and I start yawning. I feel like all I do is sleep and eat.
Ryland speaks up after noticing my constant yawning. “Pull over at the next gas station.” I nod and around twenty miles later, I finally find one. The highway is boring and goes on forever. That’s what it feels like until I finally see the bright neon lights.
“Get in the passenger seat; I will drive.” I climb out of the car, walk to the other side, and climb in. Ryland fills the car up and walks into the gas station. He returns with a bag full of potato chips and sweets. “They sold those tomato flavor chips you like,” he says, pulling them out of the bag and handing them to me.
“Thank you,” I tell him, open the packet, and start to eat them. I offer some to Ryland, but he shakes his head and starts the car. I eat my chips; the drive is peaceful because they aren’t arguing, and I eventually fall asleep, only to wake up when the car stops again.
I sit up, stretch, and nearly cry in relief when I see our home. I missed this place, missed it so much. Thaddeus opens my door, picks me up and cradles me to his chest. I inhale his scent, placing my hand on his chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he says, kissing my eyebrow.
I nod, not really caring anymore; I am over it. It is nearly daylight already; we must have been driving again for hours. Not that I really knew where we were in the first place before we got here.
“Where is Orion?” I ask.
“Inside, talking to my mother,” Thaddeus answers, and I instantly brighten up. His mother is here; I kick my legs, wanting to be put down so I can go to her. “Settle down, little one; me carrying you will still be faster than you trying to run.”
He is right; I am so much slower now. We step inside our familiar surroundings. The place smells like it has been locked up for weeks on end, which it has been. As soon as I walk in, I see Amara and Imogen talking to Orion. Imogen has a bag and some herbs in her hand. The chatter dies when I step in. Imogen’s eyes go wide as Thaddeus places me on my feet. Amara’s eyes run over my body worriedly.