Kevin stares at me for what seems to be a good solid minute before I finally brake the awkward silence. "Kevin, the railroad tracks isn't my home. My home is..." I stop myself immediately. What am I doing?! This guy is a total stranger!

Why am I talking to him like he's a new friend? He's not and he never will be! "My home is far away from here. It's not around the railroad tracks." Kevin raises an eyebrow as he leans against the front door of his vehicle, slouching.

"Alright. Then WHY do you want to get over there?" He smirks as if he's got me locked down as his prey. I grit my teeth for a second before I chuckle. "I'm on the run from some cops that I encountered a few days back. I need a lift so I can jump onto the nearest train and make my getaway."

I nearly gawk at my own action. Where did THAT come from?! I made up a story without even thinking about it. How the heck do you do that?! Whatever that was, it worked. Kevin's look turns into a sly smile. He chuckles and he responds.

"What are you in trouble for? Armed robbery? Driving under the influence? Murder?" The last one became a bullet in the gem compared to the first two. I clutch my stomache as I squint my eyes which start watering as I watch another replay of Pearl's shattering and then Peridot's.

I place a hand on the car's hood as I pant with widening eyes. Sweat pours down my cheek as Kevin places his own hand on mine. I look up with wild eyes at him as he narrows his eyes. "Murder, huh? Interesting. Very interesting."

He takes his hand off and he strides over to the front door of the car. He opens it and he beckons me in with a finger. I fold my arms as I smile to counter his. "On one condition. These two travel alongside me. All three of us need a ride over there." Kevin nods and he says.

"Sit in the front next to me. You two bodyguards can sit in the back." Bodyguards?! What?! I nearly snicker at that. Wait. Why would I even-?! I shake my head quickly before I grip the car door handle. I pull the door open before I enter the contraption.

Everyone closes the door as Kevin starts up the engine. "It's Kevin time." With a smug smile, he lightly presses the foot on the accelerator pedal and we move forward out towards the deserted road.

"So what do you think of this, baby? It's the Himitsuet-12. I got it for a sweet price after winning a gamble with a dealer back in Ocean Town. Pretty sweet am I right?" I attempt to ignore him as I gaze at what's ahead of us. "Aw come on now. Don't be shy. I only want to talk to you."

I bite my lip as he heads down towards the watertower. He pulls a level down and he pulls the car over to his left. He pushes the lever up as it snaps once to disable the flashing yellow arrow. "What's your story?" I look at him with a frown. "Don't you have one?"

I fold my arms as Kevin exhales. "Look, I just want us to get to know each other a little better. Don't leave me hanging." He gazes into the road as he makes another turn to his right. "Does it have something to do with this place?" I turn my head away from him as he takes a deep breath.

He inhales through his nostrils and exhales through his mouth before he resumes. "I have one. Normally I don't say this to anyone. But I don't know about you. You seem pretty trustworthy." I'm anything but trustworthy, Kevin. "I'm like this for a reason."

He turns his head to see if I'm listening. "I lived in this area for about most of my childhood. I hated it here so much." He grips the steering wheel as he grits his teeth. "My parents. They never...listened to me. Didn't you have a family?"

I sigh. "I did."
"What were they like towards you?"
"They were...bossy and bit out of control sometimes. But they treated me fairly."

"I was...I was ridiculed and I was criticized by the people over at the middle school about thirty years ago. One day, things went too far. There was a fight and an ugly one too. Both sides hated each other and a war broke out in which one had to kill the other."

I widen my eyes as Steven pops up in my memory. Jasper's voice echoes in my head. "When the time comes, one of you has to die. You want to take each other out for power and that's what happens in a war. Unless you come to some sort of agreement, that's the way things have to be settled."