Chapter 34

“Do they fit okay?”

I glanced up at Elijah who was standing next to me at the bus depot.

Even through our little back and forth he still managed to get me to put my new teeth in.

“Yes, thank you,” I replied quietly.

He nodded and crossed his arms loosely over his chest as we watched a bus pull in. Glancing at me quickly, he arched an eyebrow, and I shook my head to let him know that this one wasn’t ours.

He turned his face away again, the frustration eminent in his eyes and I leaned over to rest my head on his arm.

Not being able to read wasn’t something that defined Elijah, no matter how much it bothered him.

His love, his courage, his persistence in making sure we almost always had a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and making me feel safe, made him so much more than he was willing to see.

“How much did the tickets cost?” he asked after some tense silence passed between us.

“Sixty dollars.”

“Cool, that means we can find a place to eat and sleep tonight.”

I chuckled.

He was putting off going to Mr. Mike’s house because he knew how much it would affect me to see him again. Being able to take back what he had stolen was important to me, but so was making him understand his actions had consequences.

“I guess it can wait until tomorrow,” I agreed softly.

I stole a glance up at him and felt relief finally start to settle over me as the corners of his lips curved upward.

“I guess,” he agreed, without looking at me.

I gave Elijah a playful shove, and when he finally grinned at me, instead of ahead, I felt better.

Again.

He always had a way of making me feel like my well-being was the only thing that mattered, even when he was having internal tantrums like this one.

“Got any ideas where you want to stay tonight?” I asked him as another bus pulled into the depot.

I leaned around Elijah to look at the number, then gave him a gentle nudge to let him know that this one was ours.

“Someplace nice, I guess,” he replied with a shrug as he grabbed my hand and led the way to the line of people already piling up by the sidewalk.

“Then that’s where we’ll stay,” I assured him as I let go of his hand and looped an arm through his.

Elijah chuckled as we shuffled forward until we reached the bus man. He was checking the tickets of each of the passengers before they climbed aboard with a smile.

He seemed nice.

“Hello there!” he greeted us brightly.

I looked up at Elijah who was giving him his too-wide grin, holding out our passes to him.

“Are the two of you having a good day so far?” he asked, as he checked our passes, then handed them back to Elijah.

“We’re working on it,” he answered with a laugh.

The bus man smiled kindly at him as he moved away from the door, then nodded. “Seats aren’t assigned, so anywhere you find will do.”

“Thanks, man,” Elijah said to him as he gently pulled me around him to let me climb in first.

I took a deep breath as I gripped the metal railing and slowly climbed up the stairs, then immediately turned and stretched a hand out toward my mad devil.

He had done so much walking and running the past couple of days that I was worried he might have some issues with climbing on the bus.

He looked at my hand for a moment, then turned his eyes up toward me curiously. Elijah shook his head and waved me back as he grabbed onto the railing and pulled himself up the stairs.

But when he stumbled, I lunged forward to grab him, catching the full weight of his body against me.

“Ouch,” I mumbled as quietly as I could when I landed on my ass with Elijah on top of me.

“Sorry, Mais. I thought I would have been able to do it myself.”

He looked so goddamn embarrassed and hurt that I almost burst into tears.

“Are you okay, son?” the bus man asked, climbing up a few steps behind Elijah and gripping him by the elbow.

He rolled his eyes at me as he let the bus man pull him up to his feet, then thanked him quietly and nodded for me to continue into the bus.

“Prosthetic leg,” he explained, slapping it to emphasize his point. “Sometimes, I forget how to walk.”

I found a spot in the back.

One where we’d be able to sit quietly and not have to worry about anyone staring at us for being so different.

My eyes beheld Elijah as he made his way toward me after shaking hands with the bus man.

“Well that sucked,” he joked as he eased himself onto the seat next to me. “Hope I didn’t embarrass you, Mais.”

“What? When have you ever embarrassed me?” I asked in confusion.

He gave me a relieved smile, slipped an arm around my shoulders, then leaned back in his seat.

Tonight, we’d find somewhere nice to sleep. We’d get a decent meal in our bellies, and we’d sleep well.

Tomorrow, I would reclaim what had been taken from me.

And maybe the day after, we’d find our way back to Mama and Papa.

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