Early morning buses returned and left the town’s bus station. Daybreak was coming and a few tired people waited and left the area, whether returning home or visiting a close one. It was tedious walking through dirt grounds that were still moist from the early hours of the morning. Ariel's shoes were messy, causing them to make sputtering noises as she took steps on the concrete of the bus station’s entrance. She was worried people would comment if they notice her looking disoriented, tired and with a nearly over-stuffed backpack behind her. Ariel’s short stature made her look like a teenage runaway and she felt awkward standing there, pausing for a moment. The burst of adrenaline she received from her 5-mile walk left her feeling jittery and no matter how hard she tries to keep her feet still the trembling sensation crawled from the soles of her feet up to her legs. During her walk in the wilderness she had taken off her bright red hoodie and tied it neatly around her waist as the warm morning temperature slowly approached. Her light blue cotton shirt and tie-dye shorts were slightly damped from the mix of humidity and sweat, and it felt uncomfortable. Ariel stood there a few feet of the entrance for a few minutes to catch her breath and letting the moistened air freshen her tired lungs. Finally, she began walking forward while lazily scraping her bottom red hi-tops on the concrete ground to clean them and not bring the mess with her. When she entered the station, she felt sudden cool air sweep across her damp face, making her facial muscles relax and feeling the tension in her leg muscles ease. The station was not big, still far from being lavish and only taking up about as much space as a large house. It was built to be functional like any bus station that manages to carry the flux of travelers coming and going. There was nothing special to its interior design other than some updates; like freshly painted beige walls with bright blue wallpaper borders, new lighting and an air conditioning system. The only thing inside the building that stood out was its cracking, mustard-yellow vinyl floors that made the inside building become luminous and warm when the sun rose. Ariel thought it looked horrible but homely, looking as it did before it was refurbished. On the left and right side of the square building were large rectangular windows nearly stretching from the floor to the ceiling. It helped the interior feel more open and less congested despite its small space. The left side of the building had the seating area with a few rows of metal frame seats, two vending machines against the wall, a water fountain, the restrooms, and a small sharp linytron tv hanging from a corner of the wall, facing the seats. There was a soap opera playing but the static signal was interfering and causing bored visitors to mind their business with something else. Next to the waiting area was the terminal where people come and go, forming lines inside braided red stanchions before exiting the station to enter the buses. On the other side of the building across the seats was the ticket information and baggage service area. There wasn’t a spot inside the building that wasn’t empty, and each item attentively took over a space.

Ariel looked around and got familiar with her surroundings again, remembering the first time she arrived and how run down it was before. The place wasn’t jam-packed yet with only a few people minding their business as they wait for their buses. She noticed more humans than chromatoons this time, but not unusual since most small towns had larger percentage of humans than eldritch sentients. She was hoping her journey to a larger city will help her find more people she can relate too, maybe finally find common grounds with a group, or just someone. Ariel did a mental list of some items she had and still sought to buy while deciding to wait, exhausted, she walked and scanned for an isolated spot to have her privacy. She hovered over people, carefully not to trip and observing what others were doing; one individual reading and others resting their eyes to catch up on sleep, not seeming to mind the soreness they’ll experience once awake. She threw her backpack on the ground in front of her and fell backwards on an empty seat, her shoulders falling to the sides and her legs stretching out, causing her to sigh heavily. She made sure not to make her trip a burden with excessive items she didn’t need...just clothes, a journal, a pair of shoes, deodorant, a toothbrush, a hairbrush…the ticket! Ariel’s panic rose when she felt the ticket she bought days earlier was missing. Oh no, no no... Ariel quickly grabbed her backpack and chucked it to the ground, making a few heads turn as she rummages through her bag desperately.

“Please let it be here, I know I brought it, come on…”.

She shoved her balled up clothing to the edges of her navy-blue backpack hoping to spot the piece of paper beneath the pile of clothing and accessories. Several questions started brushing through her mind. Did I leave it at home? I know I hid it in the bag, w-where else could it be?! Did it fell? Ariel’s ambition began to tear apart when the idea of it falling out of her bag replays in her mind over and over. While walking through the wet mud her golden ticket may have gotten lost.

“ Psst…Hey lady.”

Ariel's thoughts were interrupted by a young whisper, assuming it was not for her she ignored it and stared inside her bag.

“Damn kid,” she thought, “Why can’t he keep to himself.”

“psst…Hey Lady.”

Ariel turned her head around and moved her eyes to the direction of a child's voice, seeing a young boy sitting on his knees with his hands clutching the back of his seat next to a woman’s sleeping form. The woman’s head laid to the side a bit, resting on a small pillow as small snores were coming out of her while the boy's lilac eyes stared curiously at Ariel. He was wearing a white and blue stripe shirt, fit tapered leg jeans and white sneakers. He seem no older than 5 years old, had curly deep ash hair and olive skin, but his bright lilac eyes caught her attention. For a second, Ariel was trying to figure out if the boy was a full human or not. He appeared to be a hominine type chromatoon by his unusual eye color but there was also something off about his appearance. He had five fingers and he didn’t have the “pie-cut” irises that all chromatoons have.

She finally answered, “yeah?

The boy whispered loudly, fidgeting for a bit and hoping not to wake the woman next to him, “You look like you lost something, I don't think staring at your bag will help much.”

Ariel glared at him.

She felt a pang of annoyance but decided to answer him again, hoping he'll leave her alone with her thoughts.

“Well… I’m just staring now because I think I lost my ticket.”

The boy looked at her, pouting and narrowing his eyes. He crossed his arms and said, “did you check your pockets? You know you have those...

Before the boy could complete his sentence, Ariel shoved her hands into the pockets of her tie-dye shorts and felt a familiar ridge. He’s right why haven’t I checked before!? Ariel pulled out from her right pocket the crumpled-up piece of paper and with a huge sigh of relief she unraveled the ticket to examine it for any rips. She smiled, feeling a surge of excitement and feeling reassured as she firmly clutched the ticket with both of her hands like a child who just found her lost toy. She felt embarrassed but thankful. As she was turning around to thank him, she was welcomed with another question.

The boy pointed, no longer whispering, “Hey, what are those things sticking out from the side of your head? They sort of look like wings!

Ariel turned pale.

Her eyes grew and she froze, feeling her heart skip a beat when she realized what the boy meant. She quickly threw her hands above her, dropping her ticket, and tried to touch the miniature wings that formed from the sides of her head. She held them down hiding them with the palm of her hands while thinking of an explanation for the boy, too nervous to look around if anybody else heard him. She finally snapped out of her state of panic and answered, “Oh-oh! my hair just looks like that when it gets frizzy. It’s humid too so it-it’s just worse and they get like that! She looked at him wondering if her answer will quiet him. She knew it was a poor excuse, but she also anticipated it would hush the boy and make him lose interest quickly. Looking disinterested he stated, “I haven’t seen anyone’s hair do something like that before, even from people with more hair than yours. Are you part bird or something?

Ariel was taken back by the child’s bold answer and not sure if she should feel offended. She was still clutching her hair down and attempting to hide her wings as the boy looked at her suspiciously. At that moment she wished she had another comment to shut his down. A few minutes passed barely knowing this child and she was beginning to resent him. Ariel’s tongue twisted, attempting to think a few words to say but before her mind made up the boy began to bombard her with more questions.

Which of your parents are a bird?

Where do you live at?

And do you like video games?

Which one is your favorite?

Ariel’s expression shot up in uncertainty, her forehead furrowed until her focus went to the woman next to the boy, “Hey I think your mom is waking up…”

The boy quickly turned around in his chair as the woman next to him stirred in her sleep, slowly awakened from her slumber and in her groggy state she asked, “Jeremy...were you bothering people with questions again? She slowly got up turning to look at her son, “what did I tell you before we got here!? Ariel turned around and ignored them, drowning out the voice of the women scolding at her son and threatening to tell his father when they got home. She finally felt like she wasn’t being backed up against a wall. The boy’s words brought back memories of her as a child, remembering other children making similar comments as they petted or pulled on her hair. In a desperate attempt to conceal them her mother would force her to keep her hair tied in small pig tails so tightly they would cause her headaches. She’d hope that would teach her to control her emotions better, but it would prove to still be a working progress. It’s something compelling her hair does without an explanation, but it is evidence she carries from her father that makes her feel left out. Ariel wasn’t sure what she was even, not a human and not even a chromatoon. She told herself again what her mother had to do to hide the clear evidence that she was the daughter of some impeccable entity, a covert person who was as abstruse as his existence, one day suddenly vanishing overnight and leaving Ariel and her mother on their own. Over the years Ariel would ask her mother about her father, looking at her sunken eyes, too tired to ever give a solid answer of who her father really is or was. Her mother spoke of him as nothing but an individual who did what he felt he needed to do but never claimed promises. She did not know what her father was capable of, so her only clue was how worrisome her mother was left and that meant she had to be careful. Ariel sat on her knees grabbing her ticket and adjusting the items in her bag before an intercom on the building’s wall finally spoke, “Good morning everyone! Bus 151 from Hambell to Phoenix is ready. Please start forming a line with your bags and other small belongings. From the stop at Phoenix, 131 will then heads towards Los Angeles. The total drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles will be 5 hours so please keep some spare change for the 30-minute break at Phoenix. Thank you for choosing GrayHare Bus for your traveling experience on the road and have a wonderful trip!

Ariel sighed, “finally, at least there’s going to be food over there. I’m starving.” She got up from the ground and pulled her bag over her shoulder, hurrying to get to the gate to board the bus.