Road trip.

When I finally opened my eyes to change songs I finally noticed that we had stopped. I also noticed that we were at a near by airport, and that all the black cars that surrounded us had disapeered. Probably not to draw attention. Immediately my doors was opened and a man in a blue uniform was there opening my door. Obviously they have dealt with human contact before. All the dark robes were gone, and they were dressed like, humans. As soon as I got out of the car I was pulled into an embrace of the man who’d led me here. When he released me I took out my headphones and decided it was time to talk.

“Why are we here?” I asked. Still unknowing of where Iwo Jima was.
“At an airport.” He said still smiling. Appearances, they acted so human.
I frowned.. “I know that. I mean why are we taking an airplane?”
“We have some distance to go, and this is fastest.” He kept smiling, but I could tell he was annoyed with me.
“Why isn’t Iwo Jima on a map.” I said. And with that he frowned and turned his head to see if anyone had heard.
“Juliet, if anyone was to know of the island, people would visit. And for our sake, we keep visitors out.” Of course, why would we want humans finding us?
“Oh.” I moved my gaze from his face to the ground and felt his arm go around my shoulders.
“Come, we must get to the plane.” And I felt a bit of a tug and then started moving. I lifted my head to see that we were in fact still being watched by numerous guards, still in uniform. They were surrounding the building, prepared for any mishaps. The we passed a guard dressed in regular clothes. I could tell by his common stare that he was watching us, and plus, we have that feeling, if you are one of us.
“Why are there so many guards?” I stated. We walked through the doors to the airport.
“People, if they knew who we were, or even knew we were any different of special then anyone else, then we would possibly be terminated…and -” He began to take a deep breath in. “If people knew, it would be very bad.” He kept walking, and actually sped up. I just kept with his pace and kept looking around. 

Hardly anyone noticed us. Maybe a few people looked, but they were casual glances, looking around the building. Some smiled at us, like just being happy to be going away. We had our usual stares from guards, spotted every few feet away from us. Two were even walking behind us pretending to be a married coupe going on their honey moon.

Finally we arrived at the spot. There were about five guards sitting in chairs watching us aw we approached.
“You can sit where you like Juliet.” One of the guards responded. Did they all know my name. Instead of speaking, I just sat down and looked out the nearby window. Planes were coming in and out and in the distance I could see the beauty of the town, and all my precious memories there. And it seems I can never stay anywhere too long. Everywhere I go, I cause trouble. I can’t stay in a place for longer than a few days till all hell brakes lose.

Then the thought hit me. Should I have ever run away? Ever left the place I at least somewhat belonged.

Yes. If I’d have stayed there, I’d still be plain old Jewels, who had about five friends, and who got hit by her parents. And I did it for Lexi, who now has a family that now takes care of her, and loves her. People much stronger then me, that can support her, raise her, and remind her what I did. And, when I get older, I’ll help her too.

Finally I felt something inside me. It felt like it was on fire and it hurt. I looked down to my chest, and felt something, like a pulse beating through me. And as I listened, I watched as the pulse slowed, going slower by the second.

“No, don’t go, not yet, come back, don’t forget.” I whispered, and than it stopped. I looked up to see eyes looking at me questioning why I was talking to myself.

Then I realized, it was just a flash back. A memory, of my last seconds of a heartbeat. What it felt like to have a heart, feel its beats, and to simply feel. More then my body could do now. Yes, I was amazing, but what did I have to show for it without a heart.

“Are you okay Juliet?” The guardian was now next to me, and as I looked towards him he smiled at me, “you seem a little down.”
“No, I am okay, just-” I paused, would he understand?
“Keep going.”
“I was just listening to my heart beat.” He gave me a surprised look. “Not that it was actually beating, it was a memory, but it was of my last heartbeats. I didn’t want them to leave me, I wanted to keep that beat up, make it go faster, and work for my heart, but it just stopped.” I looked away from him and out the window.
“Ahh, the memories. I feel them all the time. You remember what you could do, and what you can’t now. But don’t be upset over it, for even though you can’t feel, you will never forget.”
“I feel like I already have.” I looked away from the window and down at the ground.
He exhaled, then inhaled before starting. “Juliet, you did everything in your life for a reason. Everything that has happened to you, was supposed to. Even us speaking about this right now was supposed to happen. It all falls into place, but when you try to change it, it worsens things. So, imagine you not having become a special. You’d still be a human hating her life, running away from everything. But finally you took a step, right off the sidewalk that you’d lived on forever, and began your life. That’s when you changed. And now, you want to step back on that sidewalk, afraid of the world once more, but it is all filled up, and you have to keep going. But what is in store for you is much better then anything you could have found upon that sidewalk.” I looked at him when he stopped and smiled, and he returned my sudden happiness.

“You know, I just processed all those words, and they hardly mean anything.” I smiled bigger.
“Yes but, you still listened.”
“Yeah, I guess I did. So where am I right now?” My smile disapered and I began to have a deep thought look on my face.
“In an airport?” He suggested.
I smiled widely. “I know that, I meant on the whole sidewalk thing.” He exhaled.
“You just jumped far from the sidewalk, and started running.”
“When do I stop?”
“When you start thinking against the flow. And start running back.” He stated.
“Oh.” I whispered softly, confused by the statements. I wanted to ask him more but he was already up and walking towards the guards.
I sat back in my seat and started imagining all the things I could do. Was I able to fly, or would I simply fall? Maybe that was a question I’d asked before I’d attempt.

I opened my eyes to see the guards talking to one another, and I walked over and stood with them.
“What is going on?” I stated.
“Nothing, the flight is simply early.” One female guard said. She was wearing hot pink and looked like she was going to the circus. But some people looked like that I suppose.

I looked over at two guards who had left the group and were watching people pass. Suddenly they looked at the wall time, and then at me and smiled.
“Time to go.” One responded. And two seconds after they stated that our flight was called.

The guardian slid his hand over my shoulder and walked with me towards the lady at the entrance spot.

“Tickets.” She stated, in an obvious, ‘I don’t want to be here tone.’
He grabbed two out of his pocket and handed them to her smiling. She gave them each a short look then nodded her head to go through. We did so and headed towards our shuttle.

We climbed into the first class area. Eight guards with us. There were also about five other people relaxing on the other side of the plane.

“Where are we going.” I whispered to him.
“Would you like to get the window seat?” He said, ignoring my question.
“No.” I said, and he just shrugged his shoulders and climbed in, I joined in next to him. I decided to try again. “Where are we going?”

“Iwo Jima.”
“But I thought it wasn’t public.” I said noting the people on the other side of the plane.
“We are making a quick pit stop. On the way to grab someone else.”
“Oh.”

Once again, I had no idea where we were heading. I inhaled and exhaled before leaning back into the seat putting my headphones back in my ears. Comfortable by John Mayer was on. I breathed slightly and smiled. My favorite song.

Next time I’d open my eyes, we’d be somewhere else. Somewhere farther away then I’d ever thought of going on my own, to find another special like me.

Then we’d finally go to Iwo Jima.