The other side of the ley lines were packed, but the ones going north were blessedly empty. The ability to transport yourself across land and sea in about the same amount of time it took to get a fast food burger. What a time to be re-alive.

Or, more like, it would be if the line ever fucking moved. Even the other side, the busy side, made more progress than this one. Maybe that’s why it was so empty. At this point, she could drive her way to Atlanta faster than it would be to take the line over to Sioux Fall and then down to Georgia.

Dona groaned as another minute passed. She slipped on her shoes and kicked open the door. She walked down the line all the way to the beginning to the little tear that lead to Avalon. This particular path to Avalon was marked with a literal archway, which, if you asked her, was excessive. Who was she to judge how magic decided to portray itself,

A few PEN officers were by the portal itself, so she backtracked a bit to the nearest car instead. The man inside opened his window when he saw her come.

Dona leaned on the open window frame. One of her eyes squinted in the especially bright, Cali sunlight beating down in front of them. “Do you know what’s the hold up?”

The man shrugged. “Apparently someone is lost in there. They didn’t check in with their friend like they should have or something.”

And that is why you never should even look off the path on the ley lines. Even the smallest deviation could send you flinging into a horde of Fae that were none too happy for you to be in their space. And, since she had almost been a friend with a changeling, Dona could tell you that being shot by one was literally the least painful thing that could have happened to her. Normally, Fae had the reputation of, you know, grinding your bones into their muffins and stuff like that.

With the line clearly not moving, she went to the rest station. She checked the vending machines. After a few strategic hits, one dropped a tiny bag of trail mix in its little chest cavity. A true mother lode. She stuffed that in her back pocket as she filled her water bottles.

With the PEN agents still milling around, coming closer to the rest station at that, she started back to the Camry.

Then again, maybe it would be best to keep away from that too seeing as Camry was probably not legal anymore. Or ever really. Seeing as she stole it. If you looked at it the right way, you could still see “SALT LAKE CITY POLICE” on its sides even though the entire area was painted over. Granted, it was painted over with a dull, greyish black paint that never matched the nicer black that was already on the car, so it was not exactly subtle.

That being said, it was probably not even road legal anymore. It was practically running off determination and the copious amounts of luck charms stuffed between the seat, neither of which could stop it from billowing out some really nasty black smoke every once and awhile. There was also like a 60% chance that it was haunted, but, like, that was just a bonus right?

She leaned on the door, in what was hopefully a casual way and not in a I-will-run-if-you-question-my-car kind of way, as she munched through the mix of nuts and candies. The little bits of chocolate had melted all together and left smears all over her fingers. She wiped them on her pants. They were already all caked with a few weeks of living anyway, so it wasn’t like she made them any grosser.

A car pulled too close behind her. There was no way to turn back even if she thought about it before.

It was just a waiting game now.