The Flower Girl, Ellie Anne [the little red hen ebook .TXT] 📗

in defense. "Relax, we're just gonna walk out before they give us a check."

"No!" Mika and I shouted at him.

"Then how do you figure we're going to eat?" he snapped.

"Ugh, just let me talk to someone, I'll figure it out." Mika groaned.

"You don't have to do that, we can just, I don't know, find a soup kitchen or something." I suggested.

Mika was about to agree when her face fell, and my stomach dropped. Mindleton was staring Mika right in the eye. She hadn't recognized us yet, other than Mika. I squeezed the hand Candor still refused to let go, and looked at Mika.

"Run, We'll distract her. Take the car." I mouthed.

She gave the slightest nodd, and pretended tp get up and use the bathroom. A few seconds later, I heard the engine of that beautiful car roar to life and speed off. Candor looked at me like a scared puppy."

"Now how are we going to get out? She'll know we helped Mika." he asked in a whisper.

"Run out, find another classic car, drive, get to Center, look for Mika there." I listed.

Candor nodded, counted to three then we made a run for it. It was just our luck that Mindleton saw us. I motioned for Candor to go ahead and get a car while I fought the Head Chief. She was slowly walking towards us, her steps sure, and cat-like. I started to run towards her, and slid across the hood of a car, my footseps light and soundless. She stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. 

I felt like she was planning something, like there was no way I would be able to get out of this. I stopped a few feet away from her, watching her closely. Then I saw the telltale movement. I turned and ran toward Candor, hoping he'd have figured out how to hot-wire something. I knew I was too far away from him when I heard their heavy steps behind me.

I screamed at Candor to open the door, and I saw the sun gleam off the hood as he opened the door. I slid in, closed it, locked it, and asked Candor if he'd started the car. He gave me a look that so said he had no idea what he was doing. I looked around for something he could use to defend us, then thought of something.

"Candor," I started. "I need you to do something for me."

"No," he said, knowing where I was going. "I can't."

The Hunters made it to the car, and started beating on the glass. One good thing about new cars was that they didn't run on gas, and and had almost-everything-proof windows. I knew that they couldn't withstand an extreme amount of beating, and when hit in the right place shattered, I just prayed the Hunters wouldn't find that right place. Unfortunately I had terrible luck.

Everything seemed to slow as a Hunter took out his industrial knife, and hit the window in that just right place. It shattered, and I could feel slivers of glass cut my face and arms. I screamed Candor's name. Then the Hunter stopped, as if held in place by an invisble force.  I looked at Candor. His eyes were almsot glowing as he gazed rather angrily at the Hunter. I could've hugged him right then and there for that, but I had to get this car started.

I crawled across Candors lap, and tore out the wires from underneath the dashboard, In less then I minute, I had the car starting. I looked up and smiled at Candor, but his eyes were still doing that weird glowy thing. I looked at the Hunter, more like Hunters, as in multiple. Candor had about ten Hunters under his spell, and more as they rushed over to try and help. His eyes brightened, and flared more intensely. I tried to shake him out of it, but his expression only darkened. 

I gave up, and sat in his lap, with my foot on the pedal, and peeled out of the parking lot, the tires squealing in protest. I got back onto the highway, and went as fast as I could without being to noticeable. I kept waiting for Candor to snap out of it, but he never did. Finally, his body buckled, hie eyes snapped shut, and he fell against the bench seat.

Eleven

I swerved and nearly crashed, narrowly missing the one other car on the road. I stopped, and breathed, then slowly pulled off the road, and onto the gravel. I sat there, scared out of my mind. I looked at Candor, and wached the rise and fall of his chest. Well, at least he was breathing. I blew out a breath, and shoved the shorter hairs by my face out of my eyes, and tied it up in a very sloppy, droppy, pathetic looking wanna-be bun. I rubbed my hands over my face, and slouched into the seat.

I stared out at the open road, hopping we'd gotten far enough ahead to stop for a while. I was still so hungry, and missed Mika already. I had no idea how it had come to this. I was pretty sure the Head Chief lied and said that I was some fugitive of the state or something. Whatever, I'd just live in hotels for the rest of my life. I looked at Candor agian, and pulled down the sleeves on my sweater, and played with the hem of my T-shirt.

Candor caughed and sputtered, freaking me out and nearly giving me a heart attack. I expected him to stop caughing but he didn't. I started hyperventilating, as I tried to get him to breath right. I leaned him forward, and practically beat his back. I tried everything, but he still sounded like he was choking. I was about to start mouth-to-mouth when he finally swallowed. I sighed in relief, and whispered his name. I would've lost it if he'd just choked and died in front of me.

I moved behind him, and leaned him against me. I felt his forehead, and made sure he wasn't running a fever. He was sweaty, but not feverish. Phew. He groaned and weakly tried to sit forward, but I held him back. He finally relaxed, and I brushed his dark hair out of his eyes, rocking back and forth like my mom used to do for me when I was sick.

Candor had another caughing fit, but it was nowhere near as bad as the first one. Slowly, he opened his eyes. They were still more luminescent than usual, but they were starting to fade back to their original color. He mumbled something I didn't catch.

"What was that?" I whispered against his hair.

"I let go of your hand. I never should have done that." he repeated.

I grinned. Even in times of peril, we still knew how to be funny. "Well," I laughed. "I suppose you can have it back."

I gave my hand a flourish, then tucked it in his. We sat like that for a while, beofre I noticed some pretty pissed off looking people riding on speedcycles in the distance. I immediately scooched out from behind Candor, and slid behind the weel. I put the car in gear, and slammed on the pedal. The tires squeeled, as I drove as fast as I could. Candor struggled to buckle himself in, and groanded when I swerved a little. I checked the reear-veiw mirror, and saw that they were gaining on us. 

I let out an infuriated half screech half groan noise, and smashed my foot even harder into the pedal. I begged the car to go faster, but it wouldn't. I thought aobut what to do. There was no way Candor would be able to do his eye thing again, and there was no way I would be able to fight them all. I slammed my hand into the steering wheel, and prayed for a miracle.

"Stop." I heard Candor say hoarsley. "I can handle them."

I looked sidelong at him. "No. No you can't. I thought you were going to die last time. That is no bueno."

Candor leaned closer to me, then the next thing I knew, he was practically on top of me, smashing his foot into the breaks. I screamed, and Candor slippe dhis hands onto the wheel. Before I could blink, the Hunters were upon us. I locked the doors out of instinct, and wished I could fix the window on Candor's side of the car. I switched seats with Candor, and tried to fight off as many of them as I could. One grabbed the knife from his belt and came at me through the window.

I tried to get out of the way of the sharp blade, but it came closer, and closer untilI felt it peirce the skin of my forearm, and slide down to my elbow. I screamed. Candor looked over, and his eyes flashed in anger. Everyone froze as his eyes became unbearably bright. The Hunter that atacked me crumbled, and fell, a small trickle of blood slid down from the corner of his mouth. I shrieked.

The rest of the Hunters stood frozen, held by Candor's powerful gaze. I didn't know what to do. I was bleeding like crazy, I was confused, I was scared, so I just sat there. Then everything seemed to speed up, and Candor realeased the Hunters, and they rushed forward with a passion. Candor was slumped against the driver's seat, and I was in a state of schock. I tried to swat the reaching hands away from me, but one got away, and jabbed its finger into the unlock button. 

Twelve

The door flew open, and I snapped back to my butt-kicking self. I flew out of the car like a bullet, and started pounding flesh. Some Hunters came at me with knives, others with nothing but thier fists. I didn't stop until they were all knocked out. I hadn't killed any of them, but there was no way they'd be waking up anytime soon. I was cut up, angry, and tired. I threw open Candor's door, shoved back into his seat, and climbed behind the wheel. I started the car again, and pushed the power pedal.

I knew I looked like a crazy woman, but my give-a-care-factor was so oboxiously low that I seriously could not have cared less. I heard Candor suck in a deep breathe and knew he was awake again. I swear if he said a word, I would lose it on him. Of course he said