automobile.
The Greyhound station was more crowded than she'd left it, with passengers arriving for the early-morning buses, including her ride to Pittsburgh.
She shivered on the bus-station bench until it was time to board, worried about local police as well as Providence Security agents.
I'm in the past , she thought again and again. I'm in the past, or I'm completely, entirely insane .
She didn't know which possibility frightened her more.
Chapter Five
The early-morning bus to Pittsburgh was more crowded than the dead-of-night bus to Columbus had been. As more and more passengers piled on, Raven did her best to look bitchy and unapproachable, hoping to scare everyone away from the empty seat beside her.
Unfortunately, an elderly woman in a plastic rain bonnet took the seat, undeterred by Raven's hostile glare.
"Would you like a Halls eucalyptus, sweetie?" the lady asked. She offered a package of cough drops from the enormous purse in her lap.
"No, thank you," Raven replied.
"You look so pale and shivery, you could be catching cold. I get such bad colds and they make my feet ache, too, but do you know what straightens me right out? A Halls eucalyptus. Would you like one?"
"No, thank you."
"On your way to see family?" the old lady asked.
"Sure."
"I just saw my daughter and my granddaughter in Ohio. My granddaughter had a ballet recital. Would you like to see pictures?" The old woman brought out a phone before Raven could answer and proudly displayed images of a porky seven-year-old with blond pigtails, dressed in a pink leotard and a puffy rainbow-colored tutu. "That's my Candace. Isn't she the prettiest?"
"Certainly."
"And this is one with my daughter beside her...my son-in-law..." The old woman continued flipping through her pictures as the bus started down the road. "Patrick--that's my son-in-law--he's just started as the manager of the new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Plain City. That's west of Columbus. Could you imagine making that drive each day? My daughter, now, she likes to buy shoes. I ask her, what are you going to do with all these shoes in your closet? Outfit a parade?" The lady chuckled to herself. "Look at those purple pumps she's wearing. Not practical at all, that's what I say about that sort of shoe. I've always preferred flats, but then I was a nurse for thirty-five years, and a waitress before that."
"Mm-hmm." Raven looked out the window, watching the suburbs crawl past.
"I have the entire recital on video somewhere in this thing..." The lady played shaky footage of several little girls in leotards stumbling into each other on a set made of construction-paper flowers. "The recital's forty minutes long. We can watch it all the way to Pittsburgh!"
They did, with the old lady pausing the video several times to tell anecdotes about little Candace and her favorite clothes, toys, and food. "She's a good eater, my Candace, eats just about anything you put in front of her. Oh, and she loves her chocolate milk, she'd drink it all day if she could!"
Raven felt displaced as she watched the towns and cities they passed. Some were hollowed-out ghost towns, but none were damaged by the war. It was strange to see the world so peaceful, with the triangle-eye logo of Providence Security hanging nowhere. The cities were beautiful now, so open, so fragile, so ripe for the coming destruction.
"You look ill, sweetie. Would you like a Halls eucalyptus?" The lady held out the package of cough drops again.
"Why not?" Raven popped one in her mouth and felt cooling menthol in her nose and lungs. "Thanks."
"Here, you can really see the little ribbons on Candace's ballet slippers..." The old lady pointed to the video on her phone again. The six-hour ride to Pittsburgh felt like twelve.
In Pittsburgh, Raven bought a black Pirates baseball cap and pulled it low. She ate a hamburger at a Wendy's, still amazed that food was so plentiful and cheap.
On the bus to Philadelphia, Raven felt relieved to be alone again.
The Greyhound station was more crowded than she'd left it, with passengers arriving for the early-morning buses, including her ride to Pittsburgh.
She shivered on the bus-station bench until it was time to board, worried about local police as well as Providence Security agents.
I'm in the past , she thought again and again. I'm in the past, or I'm completely, entirely insane .
She didn't know which possibility frightened her more.
Chapter Five
The early-morning bus to Pittsburgh was more crowded than the dead-of-night bus to Columbus had been. As more and more passengers piled on, Raven did her best to look bitchy and unapproachable, hoping to scare everyone away from the empty seat beside her.
Unfortunately, an elderly woman in a plastic rain bonnet took the seat, undeterred by Raven's hostile glare.
"Would you like a Halls eucalyptus, sweetie?" the lady asked. She offered a package of cough drops from the enormous purse in her lap.
"No, thank you," Raven replied.
"You look so pale and shivery, you could be catching cold. I get such bad colds and they make my feet ache, too, but do you know what straightens me right out? A Halls eucalyptus. Would you like one?"
"No, thank you."
"On your way to see family?" the old lady asked.
"Sure."
"I just saw my daughter and my granddaughter in Ohio. My granddaughter had a ballet recital. Would you like to see pictures?" The old woman brought out a phone before Raven could answer and proudly displayed images of a porky seven-year-old with blond pigtails, dressed in a pink leotard and a puffy rainbow-colored tutu. "That's my Candace. Isn't she the prettiest?"
"Certainly."
"And this is one with my daughter beside her...my son-in-law..." The old woman continued flipping through her pictures as the bus started down the road. "Patrick--that's my son-in-law--he's just started as the manager of the new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Plain City. That's west of Columbus. Could you imagine making that drive each day? My daughter, now, she likes to buy shoes. I ask her, what are you going to do with all these shoes in your closet? Outfit a parade?" The lady chuckled to herself. "Look at those purple pumps she's wearing. Not practical at all, that's what I say about that sort of shoe. I've always preferred flats, but then I was a nurse for thirty-five years, and a waitress before that."
"Mm-hmm." Raven looked out the window, watching the suburbs crawl past.
"I have the entire recital on video somewhere in this thing..." The lady played shaky footage of several little girls in leotards stumbling into each other on a set made of construction-paper flowers. "The recital's forty minutes long. We can watch it all the way to Pittsburgh!"
They did, with the old lady pausing the video several times to tell anecdotes about little Candace and her favorite clothes, toys, and food. "She's a good eater, my Candace, eats just about anything you put in front of her. Oh, and she loves her chocolate milk, she'd drink it all day if she could!"
Raven felt displaced as she watched the towns and cities they passed. Some were hollowed-out ghost towns, but none were damaged by the war. It was strange to see the world so peaceful, with the triangle-eye logo of Providence Security hanging nowhere. The cities were beautiful now, so open, so fragile, so ripe for the coming destruction.
"You look ill, sweetie. Would you like a Halls eucalyptus?" The lady held out the package of cough drops again.
"Why not?" Raven popped one in her mouth and felt cooling menthol in her nose and lungs. "Thanks."
"Here, you can really see the little ribbons on Candace's ballet slippers..." The old lady pointed to the video on her phone again. The six-hour ride to Pittsburgh felt like twelve.
In Pittsburgh, Raven bought a black Pirates baseball cap and pulled it low. She ate a hamburger at a Wendy's, still amazed that food was so plentiful and cheap.
On the bus to Philadelphia, Raven felt relieved to be alone again.
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