iii: three of wands

  The bus station on the side of the Virginia highway is about as busy as she had expected.  It's dimly lit, several of the fluorescent lights are either broken or flickering, and it smells like bleach and body odor.  But none of that matters to her.  In her mind, this station is her way to a life of her own.    

  It's August 27, 8:15 pm, and as soon as she enters she makes a beeline for the self serve kiosk.  Melinoe follows closely, keeping an eye on the ten or so people that fill the seats inside.  Adeline's goal is to get on the first available bus out of town, even if it's not going to a different state.  All she needs is to get out of the area quick, and she knows she can always keep taking buses until she gets to a distance where she feels even somewhat comfortable.  And then she can figure out where the hell she's gonna go from there.  

  Her eyes land on the first outgoing bus she sees, and she feels a gasp threatening to escape her lips as her eyes widen.  She feels like she's going to cry or scream in relief.  For the second time that night, she feels a smile pulling at her lips.  

  The first outgoing bus available leaves at 8:30, is already waiting outside the station, and is going all the way to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  She only has a slight idea of where that is, but it doesn't matter to her.  All that matters is that it will get her the fuck out of dodge the quickest way possible.  She unzips her pocket and pulls her wallet out, slipping her card into the machine and paying for the ticket without any hesitation.  Melinoe sits close to her, pressed up against her leg and watching her back.  

  The machine prints her ticket, and she takes it as well as her card.  She slips the latter back into her wallet, and the former stays clutched tightly in her hand.  She's scared she's going to lose it, or it will get stolen, or slip right between her fingers.  All of this still feels like a fever dream to her, and she can't bring herself to feel happy while her anxiety and paranoia are at an all time high.  

  Fortunately, the trip only has one other stop between here and Pennsylvania- somewhere in the eastern part of West Virginia, a few hours before they're due to reach Pennsylvania.  The arrival time for Harrisburg listed on the ticket is 5:42 am on August 28th.  She scans over the information printed on the ticket and forces herself to remember it.  

  As soon as her wallet is tucked safely back into her pocket, she turns and walks back out of the station and to the waiting bus out front.  She tries to keep a steady pace- the last thing she needs is someone getting suspicious.  She knows logically that probably won't happen, but she's so full of fear right now she's not sure what's logical and what's not.  

  The lights of the bus are on, and when she reaches the steps of the bus she lets Melinoe jump in first, then she follows.  She climbs the steps, careful to not let her bags bang around as she does, and she gets a glimpse of the passengers on the bus.  There's maybe fifteen other people, most of whom are already comfortable and sleeping in their seats.  Anyone who's not already sleeping looks like they're about to.  

  "Cute dog."  The bus driver comments as she hands him her ticket.  He's an older man with graying hair and feeble hands that shake as he examines her ticket.  Thankfully, he doesn't inquire too much into the service animal vest.  

  "Thank you."  She mutters, forcing some kind of politeness into her voice despite her paranoia.  It's taking everything in her not to constantly check the windows and steps behind her.  She's scared her parents or the hunters will pop up out of nowhere and drag her off into the woods.  A silly fear- almost childlike- but a fear nonetheless.  

  He hands her back the ticket, and she's about to walk down the aisle to find a seat when he speaks again.  "Listen, I know they're not supposed to sit on the seats.  But this bus isn't gonna be even half full tonight, so I'll turn a blind eye."  

  She's taken aback by what he says at first.  She doesn't know if she'll ever get used to random kindness from strangers even though she's experienced a lot of it in her life.  But still, something about what he says makes her the slightest bit happier, even if it's only for a few seconds.  

  Nodding, she scratches at Melinoe's leash.  "Thank you, sir." He gives her a nod, and then she turns back to walk down the aisle with Melinoe in front of her.  Her eyes scan back and forth over the seats as she walks.  She doesn't want to sit too close to the front, but not all the way in the back, and she knows she'll feel better if she sits next to a window.  

  She ends up sitting towards the middle of the bus, slightly close to the back.  There's really no one in the few surrounding seats, and she makes sure to sit in the window seat, then lets Melinoe jump up onto the aisle seat next to her.  Her duffel bag is deposited on the ground at her feet, and her backpack sits nestled in between the window and her leg.  Pushing the armrest in between her and Melinoe's seat up, she rests her hand on top of her familiar's head, scratching behind her ears as Melinoe rests her head on Adeline's lap. 

  Her hands shake, and the longer she sits in the seat the more she can feel the anxiety climbing up her spine, but fortunately they only sit in the lot for five minutes before she hears the door close.  The lights flicker off and she hears a constant beeping as the right side of the bus moves up off the ground, where it had been resting so it was easier for passengers to get on.  

  There's a slight jolt as the bus begins to pull away from the parking lot and onto the highway.  Around her, people snore and twitch in their sleep, but she doesn't even feel remotely tired.  Yes, there's the anxiety and the paranoia, and she only now realizes there is in fact the slightest hint of anger brewing in all of that.  But as the bus drives farther and farther, she feels her heart rate slowing down. She feels the adrenaline burning off, her blood no longer boils.  Even Melinoe's breaths even out, and before long, her familiar is asleep, as well- though Adeline knows that at the first sign of danger she'll be up and alert, as she always is.  

  Every mile that this dingy little bus puts in between her and her parents feels like more weight lifted off her shoulders.  She slumps further and further into the seat, and before long, she sees the moon rising high into the sky.  It feels like minutes go by, and she finds herself taking pictures out the windows of the bus.  She doesn't know why she does it- she's been traveling all her life.  She's been on a thousand highways like this one, each one more monotonous and long than the last.  But she knows this one is different.  She wants to commemorate it.  Her escape.  

  Neon signs and fast food restaurants reflect back on her from the window, and with each highway side hotel she sees she's reminded of her parents.  How will they react when they realize she's not there?  She knows she's got until morning, but what time in the morning will the hunters show up and see she's missing?  Five o'clock?  Seven o'clock?  Maybe if she's lucky it will be closer to ten o'clock.  She knows they'll be angry and pissed and maybe even a little upset they won't be getting their pay.  She wonders if this has happened before- a witch escaping their clutches, slipping through their fingers. 

  She thinks back to all the times in her life she can remember her father being especially angry.  Angry enough that he was throwing beer bottles and cigarettes around, breaking things, throwing chairs at her and screaming.  Angry enough that he'd hit her in a drunken, angry haze and cause her to run out of the trailer.  Those nights were nights she'd sleep outside on the ground, usually.  Maybe all that rage was caused by a lost witch, one that managed to run away before they could stop her.  Or maybe it was because all his life he was a horrible person and a shit father.  She finds she's glad that she'll never get to know the answer.  

  A few hours later, they reach the station in West Virginia.  Two people get on- an older gentleman in a headscarf that moves slightly, so she figures he's a gorgon, and a young woman who looks to be college age.  They both sit towards the back, and she makes a mental note of where they choose to sit, as she did with everyone else on the bus.  The last thing she wants is someone sneaking up on her or attacking her from behind.  

When the bus pulls away, Adeline falls into her thoughts again.  It's either that, or listening to the fast pounding of her heart, and she knows which one she prefers.  It's still the dead of night, and she's fairly sure the only ones awake are her and the bus driver.  Something about that brings her a sense of comfort- she's always liked staying up late, knowing she's awake while the rest of the world is asleep.  It was some of the only times she didn't have to deal with her parent's judgment or anger or plain ignorance.

  But now, in the dead of night, she's struck with another thought.  In her haste to get away she had almost completely forgotten about where she's going to go once she gets to Harrisburg.  They rarely ever traveled up north, and now she knows why.  Northern states usually had less tolerance for prejudice against outcasts than southern states did.  But she doesn't know anyone there.  She has no friends, no family, even.  All of her grandparents had passed before she was born, and she know for a fact at least two of them drank themselves to death and one had a heart attack.  She's not sure about the other, but she never really thought about it long enough to care.  And she knows both her parents were only children.  

  Point being, after she gets to Harrisburg, she has nowhere to go.  She's not going to an orphanage, that much is obvious.  She can stay at a hotel for a while but that's not a permanent solution.  And she's fairly sure she won't be able to get a good job without a high school education, even if she's as smart as she knows she is.  

  There's one place up north that comes to mind, but she knows it's a long shot.  Either way, a long shot is all she has at this point.  She, quite literally, has no other options.  

  She pulls her phone out of her pocket and goes to Safari, typing quickly in the search bar and gazing over the results that show up.  The first website catches her attention and she clicks on it.  The brightness of her phone screen illuminates her face and reflects on the window next to her, contrasting with the headlights of other cars speeding by them.  

  Placing her phone on her lap, she opens her backpack and pulls out a pad of paper and a pen.  She writes the contact information from her phone on the paper, and then clicks the pen shut and puts both into her backpack again.  As anxious as she is to see if her long shot is worth anything, she's not about to have a full phone call on this bus.  Never mind how rude it would be, but more importantly, she doesn't know who to trust and she doesn't want anyone knowing where she's going.     

  For the next hour, she looks over nearly every inch of the website on her phone.  

  Nevermore Academy.  God.  Even just thinking about it is weird.  Before she found out she was a witch, the idea of going was absolutely nonexistent.  Of course, she knew of it.  It was one of, if not the most famous academy for outcasts in the country, maybe even the world.  Everyone who had access to society knew about Nevermore.  And then, when she discovered she was a witch, the idea was still practically nonexistent.  She never thought she would run away, never thought her parents would find out, never thought she would be hunted by witch hunters.  

  But right now, her life is practically the opposite from what it was a mere few hours ago.  She's grasping at straws and right now, Nevermore Academy is looking to be her best pick.  She'll have to wait until they get to Harrisburg to see if there's even a chance she can get there.  Hopefully, they have some kind of system for outcasts who need help, because it's looking to be her only shot of safety.  

--

  When they arrive in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the sky is only just beginning to lighten.  Everyone is slow to gather their things and stumble off the bus, and Adeline and Melinoe are some of the last to exit.  Her whole life is once again on her back as she steps down onto the sidewalk in front of the Harrisburg Bus Station.  She immediately spots a bench a little farther away from the bus, and gently pats Melinoe's head.  She nods to the bench, and the two of them are quick to make a beeline for it.  

  She lets Melinoe jump onto the bench first, and then slings her backpack off and puts it on the bench next to her, and then puts her duffel bag on the ground, making sure it's snuggly in between her feet.  The last thing she needs is someone stealing it.  

  The keypad of her phone is up and ready as she pulls the pad of paper out of her backpack and sets it on her lap.  She picks up the phone, and after making sure there's no one in the immediate vicinity, types in the number for Nevermore, then presses the phone to her ear.  

  The hand that's not holding the phone to her ear sits absentmindedly on Melinoe's head, scratching at the fur behind her ears as she listens to the phone ring.  On the second ring, she thinks of hanging up.  What if no one answers?  What if they can't take her in, then what?  What if this whole fucking thing was a waste of her time and the witch hunters find and kill her anyway?

  On the third ring a soft spoken woman picks up the phone and greets her. 

  "Nevermore Academy, how can I help you?"  

  Adeline gasps slightly.  She didn't even think of what to say if someone had answered.  How does she even begin to explain this situation?  What if they think she's lying?  What if they hang up on her?

  "Oh.  Hi.  Umm..."  She trails off slightly, trying to think of exactly what to say.  "I'm so sorry.  I just... I don't really know how to explain the situation I'm in."  She hasn't spoken for so long that her voice has gone slightly hoarse.  Or maybe it's from the anxiety.  Or both.  She's not entirely sure.  

  "That's okay, honey.  Just take your time."  The woman answers, thankfully not rushing her.  She feels herself breathe a sigh of relief.  "Do you need help?" 

  "Yes!"  Adeline gasps out, then realizes how loud it was and reels herself back in.  "Yes.  Sorry... I'm sorry.  It's been a long night.  But, uh.... yes.  Yes, I need help." Her voice is still hoarse and cracking.  She's hoping it will clear up.  She doesn't want to sound weak to this woman.  Thinking about it now, she probably sounds panicked.    

  The woman is silent for a few moments, but Adeline can hear her conversing with someone on the other end of the line.  She waits anxiously, tapping her foot and biting her lip.  Her fingernail taps the back of her phone as she waits for the sound of the woman's voice to filter through the phone again.  

  When the voice filters through, Adeline is slightly surprised to find it's an entirely different woman, if the change in accent is anything to go by.  

  "Hello, this is Principal Weems.  I understand you're in need of help."  This woman's voice is far less soft, but more sure, like she knows what she's doing.  Adeline supposes she does if she's the Principal of Nevermore.  

  "Hi."  Adeline greets softly, and even she's surprised by how weak her own voice sounds.  "Yeah, I... I don't really know how to explain it."  She's never had trouble articulating her thoughts before, but she finds now that everything is scrambled.  She can't seem to remember how it all started.  She squeezes her eyes shut.  She's surprised this woman hasn't hung up the phone yet.  

  "Alright, well, let's start easy.  What's your name?"  The Principal says something to someone on the other end of the line.    

  How is she being so patient with her?  Adeline doesn't know if she'll ever understand the patience this woman seems to possess.  

  "Adeline.  Um... Adeline Lloyd."  Could she even say that anymore?  She was nobody's daughter, after all.  Did she even have a last name anymore?  Did she ever have one?   

  "Alright, Adeline.  Let's start simple.  What power do you have?  What kind of outcast are you?"  

  She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.  She squeezes her eyes shut.  Has she ever said what she is out loud before?  She certainly hasn't said it in the last day.  She feels the pinprick of tears in her eyes.  She doesn't know why she's about to cry.  

  "Uh... witch?"  It sounds like a question, even in her own ears, so she says it again.  "I'm a witch." 

  There's a lapse of silence, during which she can feel her anxiety steadily grow.  She takes the moment to open her eyes and look around.  Melinoe is still on the bench with her.  There's no buses nearby, nor any people.  There's a few cars a ways away in the parking lot and she can see the skyline of the city in the distance as she sun continues to rise.  

  It sounds like the Principal is moving, from what Adeline can hear, and then she hears the sound of a door shutting.  

  "Are you sure you're a witch?  Not a psychic?  I know sometimes the two can get confused    with-"

  She doesn't mean to cut the Principal off, but she does.  "No.  No, I'm sure."  She sniffs, and brings her hand up to wipe at the bottom of her eyes, a desperate attempt to keep the tears at bay.  

  "Alright, Adeline.  Let's keep that information to ourselves for now, okay?"  She waits, and when Adeline hums in confirmation, she continues, "Where are you right now Adeline?" 

  "Harrisburg, Pennsylvania."  The answer is automatic and sounds painfully rehearsed.  "I'm at the bus station." 

  "Alright, are you safe?  Do you have a familiar with you?"  

  Adeline nods, becoming more aware of Melinoe's fur underneath her fingers, and then realizes the Principal can't see her.  "Yeah.  Yes, sorry.  Melinoe.  She's with me."  

  Her fingernail begins tapping at the back of the phone again.  

  "Okay.  Are you safe, otherwise?" 

  That's the question, isn't it? Sure, she's probably hundreds of miles away, but is she truly out of danger?  She doesn't know.  

  "I, uh... I don't think so?"  She feels the tears in the corners of her eyes and wipes them away again, looking around her.  "It's... it's kind of complicated, but... I don't know.  I was in Virginia, and then I had to run, so now I'm here.  But... I don't have any family, like, at all.  So I thought the best option would be to call this school, but I don't even really know if-"

  "Adeline, you did the right thing by calling us."  The Principal interrupts.  Her voice is grounding enough that it stops the rant that threatened to continue.  "We can help, Adeline.  It's alright."  

  She sniffs, wiping away tears from underneath her eyes again.  She can just see the sun beginning to rise from over the buildings in the distance.  She would think it's pretty if she wasn't in the situation she's in.  

  "Listen.  We can sort out the details later, but the important thing is that you get here, okay?  Now, you said you were at a bus station.  Are you still there currently?"  

  "Yes."

  "Okay, good.  Do you have enough money to get a bus ticket to Burlington, Vermont?"  

  Adeline already knows she has enough money to get her hundreds of trips to Burlington.  "Yeah, I have enough."  

  "Okay, Adeline.  I need you to purchase a ticket and we'll reimburse you for it once you arrive.  I'm looking up tickets now and it seems like the bus will get to Burlington at midnight or so.  Can you do that?"  The Principal's voice is generally growing more calm, and whether it's because she genuinely feels that way or she's trying to calm Adeline down, she's not sure.  

  Either way, the task is simple.  "Yes."  She takes a breath, regains her composure, "Yes, I can do that."  She doesn't waste anytime, already getting up off the bench as she says it and gathering her things again.  

  "Good.  I'll stay on the phone with you to confirm you've got the ticket, and then I'll explain what will happen when you get to the station."  

  Adeline hums in confirmation as she taps her leg, signaling for Melinoe to get off the bench.  She watches as her familiar stretches, and then jumps down onto the ground, and only then grabs her leash again.  

  The station is a big, red brick building on the outside, but the inside looks like a ballroom.  Stark white floors that nearly make her slip in some spots, so shiny she can practically see her reflection in it.  But that's not what she's here for. 

  Similar to Virginia, she makes a beeline for the machines that sit against one wall of the station.  Unlike Virginia, this station is completely empty.  No workers, no travelers, not even any homeless.  Something about it puts her off, makes her nervous.  But either way, she's not going to let a little nervousness stop her from getting where she needs to be. 

  She puts her starting point and her ending point into the machine, and is relieved when she's offered several options.  She clicks on a few of them, trying to find the one that leads to the specific station that Weems said, and when she does she feels her shoulders relax just the slightest bit.  

  Clicking on it, she sees that it does indeed arrive in Burlington just around midnight, but it also leaves this station at around 8:30 am.  Which means she's stuck here for just about two and a half hours.  Whatever.  She'll just have to be careful and watch her back.  But at this point, she's getting more confident in herself.  Confident that she escaped, confident that she'll reach Nevermore and finally feel safe for the first time in her life.  Completely and utterly safe. 

  She pays, then waits for the ticket to print, and then speaks to Weems again.  "Okay.  I've got it.  The bus leaves here in two and a half hours."  

  "Perfect.  And it arrives at midnight?" 

  Looking over the ticket, she nods to herself, then confirms by repeating the arrival time to the Principal.  She hears the woman writing something down, and then she speaks again. 

  "So.  Here's what's going to happen.  Once you get off the bus, go to the main entrance of the building opposite to where you got dropped off.  Somewhere along that street will be a van with 'Nevermore Academy' written on it to pick you up.  It will take you to the school, and someone will be there to bring you to your dorm.  We'll meet in the morning."  There's a moment of silence where Adeline doesn't speak because she can tell the woman is going to say something.  She waits for no more than few seconds.  "I'm assuming you'll want your own room?  It's what we usually do for students in your predicament, unless they ask otherwise." 

  Adeline shakes her head.  Her shoulder is starting to ache.  She's going to have to find somewhere to wait out the two and a half hours.  And find something to eat.  She'll try to find a diner, kill two birds with one stone.  

  She almost forgets she's on the phone, she's so distracted.  "Oh! Sorry, yes.  If it's not an issue, a single room would be great." 

  The Principal chuckles on the other side of the line.  "Of course, dear.  Now, I have some things to attend to.  Are you going to be alright until you get here?"

  "Yeah, I'll be fine."

  "Okay.  If you need anything, call me personally.  Hold on, I'll give you my cellphone number." There's a rummaging around on the other line, and Adeline puts the phone on speaker so she can open her notes app and write the number down in there.  She does so quickly, and then make sure to turn the speaker off when she puts the phone back to her ear. 

  "Thank you so much."  Adeline says, dipping her head slightly to keep an eye on Melinoe.  "Really.  I... don't know what I would've done if this hadn't worked out." 

  "It's no problem at all.  All outcasts should be able to feel safe and have a space to learn and grow.  I'm just sorry you couldn't have attended on... better circumstances."

  Adeline feels a sad smile growing on her face.  "It's okay.  This will be better." 

  A few more words are spoken, and then Adeline hangs up the phone and shoves it back into her pocket.  Her eyes find Melinoe again, curled up right next to her leg on the ground.  Her eyes are shut but Adeline can practically see the tenseness in her. 

  "Come on,"  She says, adjusting her bag on her shoulder while Melinoe perks up immediately, "Let's go find something to eat."

--

  Thankfully, someone in the universe is answering at least this one wish of Adeline's.  No more than a block away, an easy five minute walk, is a twenty-four hour diner.  She assumes it's popular with the commuters and travelers, because the first thing she takes note of when she walks in is the fact that no-one here is without a backpack or suitcase.      

  She waits at the front near the empty host stand, wrapping Melinoe's hand around her fingers, and then unwrapping it, making sure not to pull it tight.  She wraps and unwraps the leash around her fingers two more times before a frazzled looking waitress hurries to the host stand, heels clicking against the floor.  The sudden appearance makes Adeline's eyes go wide for a split second, before returning to normal when the waitress grabs a menu and a set of silverware. 

  "Just one?"  She asks, a pleasant smile on her face despite her rushed nature. 

  Adeline nods, looking discreetly around the interior of the diner, then at the waitresses name tag. Rebeka.  With a 'k'.  Interesting.  "Yeah, just one."  

  Rebeka with a 'k' nods towards the right side of the restaurant.  "You can follow me."  Adeline does so, letting Melinoe follow directly behind the waitress while she tries not to hit anyone with her bags.  Her backpack gently nudges someone's shoulder by accident, and she's quick to turn her head and apologize, but the man doesn't even seem to have noticed.  

  Rebeka puts her in a corner booth, with a nice view of the city in the near distance.  The sun is just rising and she can see its reflections on some of the buildings.  She can also tell the world is starting to wake up- cars are becoming a more frequent sighting on the road outside the diner, as are pedestrians walking.  

  Adeline puts both her bags on the booth seat, and then scoots in next to them.  Melinoe settles  in easily just under the table, right by Adeline's feet and nearly on top of them, but she doesn't mind.  Rebeka places the menu down in front of her, along with the silverware, then pull out her notepad and a pen from her apron.  

  She clicks the pen open, and the sound seems strangely loud.  "Now, can I get you something to drink while you look at the menu?"  

  Adeline considers, then settles on a hot tea.  Easy enough.  It's the first thing that comes to mind and she doesn't feel like many any big decisions today.  Rebeka nods, smiling, then walks off to the kitchen.  

  The menu is limited- it's one page, the front being food and the back being drinks.  She thinks there might be more milkshake options than food options.  She's never even heard of a caramel milkshake with peanut butter, but apparently it exists because they boast it as their most popular flavor.  It's an interesting choice, but who is she to judge?

  Rebeka comes back with her tea five minutes later, along with a bowl of water.  

  "I brought some water for your dog, if that's okay.  Lord knows it's gonna be a hot one today."  The waitress explains, setting the tea and plate beneath it down on the table in front of Adeline, along with a small bowl of creamer cups and honey packets. 

  Adeline nods, eyebrows moving up slightly in surprise.  With how busy the diner is she hadn't expected the waitress to go out of her way to get a bowl of water for Melinoe.  "Oh! Yeah, that's fine.  Thank you so much."

  Rebeka nods, then places the water underneath the table.  When she stands up she takes her notepad and pen out again.  Adeline orders an oatmeal and a blueberry muffin.  When Rebeka walks off and takes the menu with her, Adeline makes a mental note to tip her well.  

  Thoughts of what will happen in the next few days flood her mind, and she has the sudden realization about how little she knows about the school itself.  She's never been to a real school, so this will be her first experience at one, but she knows generally what goes on in public schooling.  But she doesn't know if the classes are different at Nevermore, how they teach.  She doesn't know anything about the dorm situation- she knows she'll be having a single, but how does the food situation work?  Will she have to move out and stay somewhere else in the summer?  Will they let her stay during breaks?  

  There's too many thoughts and questions in her head for her to be able to think clearly.  So she reaches into her bag and takes out her notepad and pen again, then starts writing down any and all questions that come to mind.  She organizes them by academics, and actually living at the school.  

  Before long, ten minutes have gone by, the list of questions is nearly taking up the whole page, and Rebeka is walking back over with her food.  She hears the clicking of her shoes, and looks up to see her balancing the two dishes on one arm.  Adeline's quick to clear her spot, slipping the notepad and pen back into her backpack and moving aside the silverware on the table.  

  Rebeka mutters a small 'Thanks' a she sets the plates down on the table.  "Did you plan on ordering anything to go?  I can ring it in now and bring it out when I bring the check."  

  Adeline's thankful she bought it up, because she was going to do just that, anyway.  "Uh, yeah.  Can I get a few sausage links, some toast, and then... an order of home fries, please?" Something for Melinoe, and something for them to share on the ride to Vermont.   

  Rebeka scribbles it down quickly and nods.  "Sure can."  

  Adeline watches her walk away out of the corner of her eye, and then turns back to her food.  As she eats, she feels Melinoe shift positions, laying on her side against Adeline's leg.  She feels the tense of her muscles as her familiar stretches, and she can't help but feel bad.  She knows how much Melinoe likes to walk and run around.  She likes to climb, too, which is why she enjoys being a cat so much.  She can climb practically anything and everything, and it makes her hunting all that more efficient.  Now, posing as a service dog so they can escape to Nevermore, she can't even hunt on her own.  

  Reaching under the table, she scratches behind Melinoe's ears, something she knows her familiar enjoys no matter what form she's in.  She hear her tail thumping the seat underneath her and she chuckles, turning her gaze to the window next to her. 

  It's probably around 6:30 now.  The sun is almost fully up over the horizon, meaning Adeline can make out details of the area that she couldn't before.  Across the street and over a low stone wall is what seems to be a train yard.  Telephone poles thick with wires run up and down the street, blocked only by the street lamps that dot the sidewalk.  On the lamps are banners with unfamiliar names and faces on them- one of those hometown hero dedications she's seen hundreds of times in her life.  She always thought they were heartwarming- a dedication put up by the town for people most of them hadn't ever met and never would.  It was a nice example of the sense of community so many people in their lives would experience- Adeline was not one of those people.

  A memory comes back to her suddenly.  Well, a set of memories, from when she was younger.  Her mother, in one of the only shows of something resembling kindness she'd experience in her life, had brought back a cardboard box of VHS tapes.  Apparently she'd been on her way back to the trailer from whatever odd job she'd picked up and had walked by a video store going out of business.  CD's were becoming more popular than ever, and she rarely saw video stores anymore.  The owners had been giving out movies for free that were bound for the garbage anyway and her mother had decided on a whim to pick some up.  

  The movie on the most in the trailer after that was 'From Dusk Till Dawn'.  Adeline was only allowed to watch certain parts of it growing up, but other parts her parents made her leave and go outside for.  In later years she found out it was because of the nudity in the film, and somewhat because of the gore.  But her Father liked it because he thought it was one of the only films that showed vampires for what they really were- bloodthirsty, disgusting, ugly monsters that only knew how to kill.  Hearing him say it as a child had a weird effect on her- she never really thought vampires were all that bad.  She couldn't even usually tell a vampire apart from a normie.  A lot of the times she still couldn't.  They weren't out in public killing people and sucking their blood- they weren't bothering anyone.  So why had he made it seem that way? 

  Eventually she learned to tune his opinions out.  She only wishes she could have done it sooner so she wouldn't have needed to hear some of the things he said about outcasts- witches especially. But then again, if she hadn't ever heard it, maybe she wouldn't have had the sense to run away.  Maybe she'd already be dead and buried somewhere, just another nameless bag of bones.  

  Outside the diner, an old red truck turns the corner and passes by the front door, blasting Blue Oyster Cult so loudly she can hear it through the window.  Not that she minds.  "Don't Fear the Reaper" is a great song, anyways.  

  By the time she's finishes her food and tea, Rebeka is one step ahead of her.  Adeline stacks the plates out of common courtesy, something she's been doing for years, ever since she had the money to be able to go out and eat when her parents weren't in the trailer.  Rebeka seems to appear no more than a few seconds later, smiling and thanking Adeline.  

  She sets the check down and stacks the dishes on her arm, along with the now empty bowl underneath the table.  "I'll be right out with your to-go order."  

  Adeline hums in confirmation, already pulling out her wallet and looking over the bill.  Her food and drink was, surprisingly, pretty cheap.  Only ten dollars including tax for the oatmeal, muffin, and hot tea.  She thought it would be more, though she supposes they get enough business with all the commuters and travelers to be able to keep their prices relatively low.  At the bottom of the check is her to-go order, which costs about the same amount.  Just around twenty dollars in all.  She pulls twenty five dollars out of her wallet and stacks it on top of the check just as Rebeka comes back to the table, styrofoam container in hand.  She sets it on the table and then picks up the check and the money.  

  "You can keep the change."  Adeline says before the waitress can ask, nodding politely as she begins to gather her things.  

  Rebeka's lips pull into a smile.  "Thank you, hun.  You have a good day, now."  

  Adeline nods again as Rebeka walks off.  She sets the styrofoam container in her duffel bag, flat on top of her other things.  She grabs a handful of napkins as well and puts them in one of the inner pockets of her duffel.  She makes sure to place a twenty dollar bill on the table, underneath the container of sugar packets and sweeteners.  

  She glances at the time as she stands, and sees it's only 7:20.  She's still got just around an hour to kill before she has to be on the bus.  She makes sure her bags are secured on her body and Melinoe's leash is wrapped around her wrist before making her way down the aisle again.  She hears someone say goodbye, and she waves a hand in the air in what she hopes is a reciprocation of it. 

  When she pushes open the diner door and steps outside, she's slightly surprised to find that she misses the scent of maple syrup and coffee.  It's one of those familiar scents one can find on the road- no matter what state you're in, there's always some highway side diner with cheap coffee and sticky tables.  

  Walking back to the bus station, Melinoe stays a few steps ahead of her, eyes always glancing back and forth.  Her ears raise when they pass by anyone else on the sidewalk, head raising to what as they walk by.  She's been more on edge than ever since they left Virginia.  Adeline knows her familiar knows what's going on- familiars are smarter and more aware than anyone gives them credit for.  But Melinoe and Adeline are especially in tune with each other, even for a companionship.  If Adeline is feeling something strongly enough, Melinoe is quick to pick up on it, which is what Adeline assumes she's doing now. 

  There's till a good hour left until the bus arrives, so Adeline takes the spot they had previously had on the bench again, putting her duffel in between her feet once more.  She takes out the styrofoam container and grabs one of the sausages as Melinoe jumps up on the bench next to her.  Her head lands on top of Adeline's thigh, eyeing the food carefully.  

  For the next ten minutes, Adeline feeds Melinoe a good chunk of the food that's in the container.  She had discovered early on that familiar's, whichever form they were in, could eat just about anything.  She could eat things as a dog that would make regular dogs sick, and the same goes for just about every other animal she's ever transformed into.  Thankfully, it means Adeline had never really had to spend money on dog or cat or bird food, and she doesn't have to worry about what to get Melinoe to eat.  

  A few people walk by the bus station now that it's becoming busier, and some of them give the two of them looks.  Generally, though, once they see the service dog vest, their eyes widen and they stop staring.  Adeline can't help the small bout of guilt she feels- she's never been big on lying, and she hates lying about having a condition serious enough to require a service dog.  But it was the easiest thing she could think of to get both her and Melinoe onto the buses without issue.  As soon as they get to Burlington, though, she's going to take off the harness and the leash and let Melinoe transform and roam as she pleases.  She tells her familiar so, too, and nearly smiles when Melinoe's tail starts wagging back and forth and thumping against the back of the bench.  

  Adeline settles into the bench to wait for the bus, hands moving to scratch mindlessly behind Melinoe's ears.  She figures this isn't such a bad spot to wait for the bus to take her to the next chapter of her life, even if she's filled with nerves and her stomach feels like it's flipping over and over again.  They've never really stayed in cities, but they've driven past or through plenty of them; Savannah, Asheville, Charleston, Phoenix... there had been sometime exciting to her about all the tall buildings, the couple skyscrapers, the sirens and the highways that bisected through neighborhoods.  She had always wanted to stop in one, maybe stay a night, explore... but she never had the chance.  She had, however, explored many trailer parks and cornfields and empty parking lots in small towns no one had ever really heard of.  

  As the world begins to really wake up and life starts again, Adeline can only wish that the bus would hurry up.  









a/n: sorry I know this is long and boring but I needed some kind of filler before all the fun stuff happens.  but I did put in some little tidbits about her childhood.  good news, next chapter she arrives at nevermore!!      




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