The Wind and the Horizon (Book 2 in the Starborn Series)

Chapter Fifty-Six

The sun was rising as the Rocket rumbled into a parking lot at the north shore shipyards. May carefully lifted her pack onto her shoulders, locked the van, and tucked the key up in the wheel well.

"Thank you," she whispered to the old junker of a vehicle with a light pat on the hood. How many times had this decrepit van gotten her exactly where she needed to be? "Kai will be here for you tomorrow."

In the ticketing office a tired man eyed May warily as he took her money for the fare.

"What happened to your face, kid?"

May fidgeted. As if on cue, a car honked outside, giving her a story.

"Car accident."

The man whistled between his teeth. "Musta been a bad one."

"Could have been worse, I guess," May said without looking him in the eye.

With her boarding pass tucked safely away, May considered her options. She had 24 hours to kill until her sailing; too much, in her opinion. As easy as it would have been to wait with the Rocket, she didn't want to risk it in case her family decided to ignore her note and came looking for her. Besides, the idea of being alone didn't sit well with her. She had kept her mind busy for the past week and a half by obsessing over her plans but now that she was here, there was nothing to stop the fear from creeping in.

Her brain fixated on how truly alone she was, and the thought made her feel vulnerable. Casting anxious, furtive glances over her shoulders, May sought out a place to wile away the hours - a place with people, but also one where no one could come up on her unexpectedly. Jittery and suspicious of every face that passed her, May wondered how long it would take to feel safe again.

Maybe this was a bad idea, she thought. Melanie might still be following me. She could be anywhere.

As strangers filtered around her on the sidewalk, May shrank into herself. Everyone felt too close. Her breath quickened; she needed to find a safe place.

She walked until she spotted a restaurant up ahead. But the relief she felt was short lived: there was someone behind her. May didn't dare risk looking back, but she could feel a body following too closely. Her heartbeat thudded so hard she felt it in her ears. Panic rose and she picked up her pace - faster and faster until she broke into a full sprint to the restaurant's door.

From the threshold she chanced a glance back only to find a teenaged boy wearing an oversized pair of headphones, completely engrossed in whatever was happening on his phone; he hadn't even noticed her take off.

"Get a grip, May," she admonished herself under her breath.

"Table for one?"

May let out a yelp as she spun to face a startled waitress.

"Is everything okay?" the waitress asked, glancing over May's shoulder as if she might find something lurking there.

"Yes, sorry. I wasn't paying attention and didn't notice you standing there. A table for one would be great. Somewhere in the back if possible."

The waitress lead May to the back of the restaurant and gestured to a small table.

Too exposed, May fretted. Her fingers twitched, longing for rings to fidget with the way she always had when she found herself overcome with nervous energy.

"What about there?" May pointed to an empty horseshoe booth in the corner that was clearly meant for at least four people. The waitress scowled but her eyes lingered over the bruises on May's face and she gave a resigned shrug.