Serah hissed through clenched teeth. "What are you doing? People can see you!"
"So?" He shrugged. "We can’t drive this bad boy unless we materialize. It’ll draw too much attention with nobody behind the wheel."
"Drive it?" She gaped at him. "We can’t drive, Samuel."
"Why?"
"Because it’s against the rules!"
"Oh, get off it," he said. "Tell me which one of the commandments it breaks."
"Thou shalt not steal."
"We’re borrowing it. See? The keys are already in it for us. Not stealing."
Serah gazed at the keys. "Thou shalt not covet."
"We're not coveting. We're driving."
Serah sighed. "I don’t know how to drive."
"How do you know? You’ve never tried." He waved his hands, motioning toward the car. "Come on. I look crazy, just standing here talking to myself."
She stared at her brother, contemplating. "Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely, little sis," he said, conviction in his voice setting her at ease. He rubbed his hands together. "Let’s do this."
Serah glanced around suspiciously, hoping no one was looking as she materialized beside her brother. He grinned at her as he ran toward the car, leaping into the passenger seat. Serah walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door, timidly sliding into the seat. She put on her seat belt, earning a dramatic eye roll. "We can’t get hurt."
"No, but there’s a law about seat belts," she said, "but go ahead and keep yours off if you want a police officer to pull us over."
Samuel shrugged. "Eh, would certainly be interesting."
Serah started the car, a smile overtaking her lips as it came to life, the car vibrating as the engine purred. She tried to recall what it was mortals did as they drove and checked her mirrors, adjusting the seat to reach the pedals better. She put on the blinker to signal and looked around cautiously, making sure nothing was coming as she pulled out into the street.
Samuel glanced around the vehicle, opening up consoles and looking in cubbyholes. "Ha!" he yelled after a moment, snatching a pair of sunglasses out of the glove compartment. He lounged back in his seat as he put them on, casually leaning his arm against the door. "All right, sis. Gun it."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"Press the gas."
"I am."
Samuel craned his neck to look at the speedometer. Serah looked down at it: 20 miles per hour. "Give me a break. What race car driver goes this slow?"
"I’m not really a race car driver," she said incredulously.
"Pretend," he said, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Hit the gas or I will."
Serah slammed her foot down on the gas pedal, knowing her brother would do as he warned. The car jolted, roaring loudly as it accelerated rapidly down the street. They approached stoplight after stoplight, each one peculiarly turning green right before they reached it. Serah peeked over, seeing her brother casually flicking his finger, changing the lights for her.
They sped all over Chorizon and out of the city limits, weaving down winding back roads, passing not a single other car along the way. The Pontiac, despite being nearly fifty years old, ran smoothly, not a hiccup as it automatically shifted gears, roaring every time she pressed the gas harder. The speedometer inched upward farther and further—65, 75, 85, 95—as wind whipped Serah’s long hair, sending it swirling madly in the air around them. Samuel reclined back, grinning as he watched her drive for the first time.
He reached over and clicked on the radio, twisting the dial and scanning through stations until he got one to come in. 30 Seconds to Mars blared from the speakers as Samuel turned it up as loud as the volume would go, singing along to the words of "Kings and Queens."
Serah drove them back toward Chorizon, listening to her brother’s melodic voice as passion poured from his chest to the music. The song came to an end as soon as they reached the city limits again. They cruised through town going 35 miles per hour, and Serah pulled the car back in its spot along the curb in front of the coffee shop. She smiled, pushing her windblown hair from her face as she cut the engine.
Samuel glanced over at her. "Am I the best brother ever, or what?"
"You are," she agreed. "That was the greatest moment of my existence."
"So far. You’ll have many more just like it, if not better, in the future." He smiled, reaching over and nudging her playfully under the chin. "We both will, sis. I just know it."
Samuel apparated out of there, vanishing from the car as Serah once more shifted, invisible to anyone who walked by. She sat there gripping the wheel, not knowing, as she savored the moment, that it had been the last time she’d ever lay eyes on her brother’s immortal form.
"Cinderella, dressed in yella'
Went upstairs to kiss her fella'
Made a mistake and kissed a snake,
How many doctors did it take?"
Nicki and her best friend Emily jumped rope as they sang harmoniously, beginning to count when they reached the end of the verse. Serah watched them in a daze.
"Ugh, what a ghastly song," Hannah said, plopping down on the swing beside Serah. "Let me guess—it’s just another silly childish rhyme, right?"
Serah slowly shook her head as the words ran through her mind. "It might be about Lucifer."
"So?" He shrugged. "We can’t drive this bad boy unless we materialize. It’ll draw too much attention with nobody behind the wheel."
"Drive it?" She gaped at him. "We can’t drive, Samuel."
"Why?"
"Because it’s against the rules!"
"Oh, get off it," he said. "Tell me which one of the commandments it breaks."
"Thou shalt not steal."
"We’re borrowing it. See? The keys are already in it for us. Not stealing."
Serah gazed at the keys. "Thou shalt not covet."
"We're not coveting. We're driving."
Serah sighed. "I don’t know how to drive."
"How do you know? You’ve never tried." He waved his hands, motioning toward the car. "Come on. I look crazy, just standing here talking to myself."
She stared at her brother, contemplating. "Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely, little sis," he said, conviction in his voice setting her at ease. He rubbed his hands together. "Let’s do this."
Serah glanced around suspiciously, hoping no one was looking as she materialized beside her brother. He grinned at her as he ran toward the car, leaping into the passenger seat. Serah walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door, timidly sliding into the seat. She put on her seat belt, earning a dramatic eye roll. "We can’t get hurt."
"No, but there’s a law about seat belts," she said, "but go ahead and keep yours off if you want a police officer to pull us over."
Samuel shrugged. "Eh, would certainly be interesting."
Serah started the car, a smile overtaking her lips as it came to life, the car vibrating as the engine purred. She tried to recall what it was mortals did as they drove and checked her mirrors, adjusting the seat to reach the pedals better. She put on the blinker to signal and looked around cautiously, making sure nothing was coming as she pulled out into the street.
Samuel glanced around the vehicle, opening up consoles and looking in cubbyholes. "Ha!" he yelled after a moment, snatching a pair of sunglasses out of the glove compartment. He lounged back in his seat as he put them on, casually leaning his arm against the door. "All right, sis. Gun it."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"Press the gas."
"I am."
Samuel craned his neck to look at the speedometer. Serah looked down at it: 20 miles per hour. "Give me a break. What race car driver goes this slow?"
"I’m not really a race car driver," she said incredulously.
"Pretend," he said, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Hit the gas or I will."
Serah slammed her foot down on the gas pedal, knowing her brother would do as he warned. The car jolted, roaring loudly as it accelerated rapidly down the street. They approached stoplight after stoplight, each one peculiarly turning green right before they reached it. Serah peeked over, seeing her brother casually flicking his finger, changing the lights for her.
They sped all over Chorizon and out of the city limits, weaving down winding back roads, passing not a single other car along the way. The Pontiac, despite being nearly fifty years old, ran smoothly, not a hiccup as it automatically shifted gears, roaring every time she pressed the gas harder. The speedometer inched upward farther and further—65, 75, 85, 95—as wind whipped Serah’s long hair, sending it swirling madly in the air around them. Samuel reclined back, grinning as he watched her drive for the first time.
He reached over and clicked on the radio, twisting the dial and scanning through stations until he got one to come in. 30 Seconds to Mars blared from the speakers as Samuel turned it up as loud as the volume would go, singing along to the words of "Kings and Queens."
Serah drove them back toward Chorizon, listening to her brother’s melodic voice as passion poured from his chest to the music. The song came to an end as soon as they reached the city limits again. They cruised through town going 35 miles per hour, and Serah pulled the car back in its spot along the curb in front of the coffee shop. She smiled, pushing her windblown hair from her face as she cut the engine.
Samuel glanced over at her. "Am I the best brother ever, or what?"
"You are," she agreed. "That was the greatest moment of my existence."
"So far. You’ll have many more just like it, if not better, in the future." He smiled, reaching over and nudging her playfully under the chin. "We both will, sis. I just know it."
Samuel apparated out of there, vanishing from the car as Serah once more shifted, invisible to anyone who walked by. She sat there gripping the wheel, not knowing, as she savored the moment, that it had been the last time she’d ever lay eyes on her brother’s immortal form.
"Cinderella, dressed in yella'
Went upstairs to kiss her fella'
Made a mistake and kissed a snake,
How many doctors did it take?"
Nicki and her best friend Emily jumped rope as they sang harmoniously, beginning to count when they reached the end of the verse. Serah watched them in a daze.
"Ugh, what a ghastly song," Hannah said, plopping down on the swing beside Serah. "Let me guess—it’s just another silly childish rhyme, right?"
Serah slowly shook her head as the words ran through her mind. "It might be about Lucifer."
