Those two hours feel like two days, fear and uncertainty churning in a violent storm within her through every mile they travel. She has to make a conscious effort to keep herself from sinking into full-blown panic every fifteen minutes when the realization rises yet again — that she is going to be hunted again. Her days of living in peace are over, gone as quickly as they'd arrived.
But at least she isn't alone. That's what keeps her from breaking down emotionally, what allows her to hold on to the hope that there's something else going on and this isn't what it seems. Because her dear friend is here and she trusts him completely.
She stares out the glass at the convenience store for a long moment, weighing the possibilities and deciding that, yes, she can handle this. She has money, she can use this as a way to find out if the currency is the same here, and if not... well, she can make up an explanation on the fly and they can try something else. She's got this. It'll be fine.
"Okay," she finally agrees, taking a few deep breaths and forcing herself into that calm place she'd learned to find years ago in training. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Thank goodness she manages to climb out without her knees shaking. Slipping off the coat she's been wearing all this time, she leaves it in the seat, closing the door before pulling off her gloves as well. They're tucked into a pocket before she heads inside, casually wandering the aisles and picking up a bottle of water and a protein bar before approaching the counter. She puts on her best smile and sweetest demeanor as she acquires one of those cellphones, and somehow manages not to keep that smile in place as she hands over the money. The man takes it without question, counting each bill before inputting the total and counting out her change.
The relief as she stepped outside was enough to almost make her cry. It was enough to make her forget about her gloves, her fingers touching the smooth metal of the handle for half a second before she pulls back, startled, and tugs down her sleeve to try again. It hadn't been long enough to make a connection, thankfully, but more than enough to send her heart racing again.
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But at least she isn't alone. That's what keeps her from breaking down emotionally, what allows her to hold on to the hope that there's something else going on and this isn't what it seems. Because her dear friend is here and she trusts him completely.
She stares out the glass at the convenience store for a long moment, weighing the possibilities and deciding that, yes, she can handle this. She has money, she can use this as a way to find out if the currency is the same here, and if not... well, she can make up an explanation on the fly and they can try something else. She's got this. It'll be fine.
"Okay," she finally agrees, taking a few deep breaths and forcing herself into that calm place she'd learned to find years ago in training. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Thank goodness she manages to climb out without her knees shaking. Slipping off the coat she's been wearing all this time, she leaves it in the seat, closing the door before pulling off her gloves as well. They're tucked into a pocket before she heads inside, casually wandering the aisles and picking up a bottle of water and a protein bar before approaching the counter. She puts on her best smile and sweetest demeanor as she acquires one of those cellphones, and somehow manages not to keep that smile in place as she hands over the money. The man takes it without question, counting each bill before inputting the total and counting out her change.
The relief as she stepped outside was enough to almost make her cry. It was enough to make her forget about her gloves, her fingers touching the smooth metal of the handle for half a second before she pulls back, startled, and tugs down her sleeve to try again. It hadn't been long enough to make a connection, thankfully, but more than enough to send her heart racing again.