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It was half past midnight now, Trine was asleep and the moon was clouded by the sky. My eye was becoming dry and tired but I tried to ignore it, I needed to press on for as long as I could. I didn't want to put any quiet music on because music distracts me when I'm driving. Maw stole one of Trine's books and was flipping through it. He snickered. 

"You guys are nerds?" He sneered, making another one of those raspy chuckles.

"Hmph, and you aren't? I saw the Powerpuff Girls and Invader Zim pins you stuck to your pants pockets." I scoffed.

Maw's cheeks turned red, the red that mixes in the atmosphere like mine. 

"Hey, those are good shows and you know it!" He retorted sharply.

I chuckled and then shushed him. 

"Don't make fun of us and we won't make fun of you." 

I wonder what Paradise will be like. It's been explained to be so wonderful and free. I really hope it is. It is. I'm sure of it. Everything will be okay once we get to Paradise. No more hurt. No more suffering. No more uncertainty. I thought about what it would look like for a while, becoming lost in my own little world, when I heard an annoying tapping noise over and over again. I looked back and Maw was tapping his nails on the side of the car door. It sounded like a fast melody. Another tic, I noted. He must have a lot going on in his mind and the only way to calm it is to do something to distract him. I understood that, maybe he was anxious like me. I think the only thing keeping him from being totally like me was his crazed personality. I didn't like it. It felt like being friends with a dumpster fire. I don't think we even are friends to be honest. He isn't very friendly, he has bad manners, and he is loud when he talks. But, who would I be if I didn't accept him for who he is? He's one of us, and that's who he'll be this whole journey, until he goes his separate ways and we never see him again. I wasn't sure if me and Trine would live by each other either, there must be hundreds of places to go in the Paradise. I became giddy just thinking about it, for now, though, I realized how much adventures we could have while we're on the road. I'm sure there will be tons of amazing places to stop, not to mention a clothing store for Maw. I'm sure he wouldn't want to be stuck in his work clothes the whole ride. I started becoming irritated with myself for thinking about Maw so much, it made my brain feel itchy. I glanced back at him another time, he was focused on his shirt and started biting at its collar. He noticed I was looking at him and stopped, wiping a bit of drool from his mouth. 

"I know you're a giant eyeball lady but can you stop staring at me? It's creeping me out." He said, with a bit of a growl at the end of his sentence.

"Ah, I'm sorry! It's just a habit." I blushed. 

He nodded with attitude and then sighed and looked up at the ceiling. I heard his stomach growl.

"I can stop somewhere to eat," I said. "Trine's probably hungry as well."

Like she was summoned, Trine opened her eye wearily.

"Oh, yes! I want food!" She exclaimed, yawning.

Maw licked his teeth again with excitement.

We saw a McDonald's with 24-hour service after a few miles and I headed to it. Since Nexternity was an alternate universe, virtually everything on Earth exists here. Maw ordered a large fry, a coca-cola, and a happy meal. I smirked at him.

"What!? I like the toys!" He explained, flailing his arms, flustered.

Trine ordered a chicken sandwich, an iced coffee, and a donut.

We pulled out of the drive through after we received our order and I was happy that I could finally please everyone. Trine was enjoying her donut and Maw gobbled up all of his meal in what felt like two minutes. He almost ate his toy until he realized. He opened it and it was a cute little cat with a third eye. He awed at it and kissed it but then hid it behind his back to act cool. I couldn't hide a chuckle and he grunted angrily at me.

I drove for another hour and Trine was trying to make conversation with Maw.

"So.. where does the food go when you eat it? Your neck isn't attached to your mouth!" She raised a question I was wondering too.

"How do you open a hole in your neck? This world is weird, 3-sides." He responded.

He was right about this odd world. Everytime I smiled I couldn't feel my mouth, and sometimes I was envious of those who did have one. The only thing people could see when I smiled or frowned is how my eye curves one way. I'm sure Trine felt the same way, she didn't have a pupil, just a large, red oval for an eye, and Maw didn't have any eyes at all, you had to depend on the way he was facing to notice where he was looking. I often wish I could have been reincarnated as a human, or an angel, or even a demon. Anything that could show all of my emotions. But alas, this was what I was stuck with. 

For 11 minutes we didn't speak to each other, just focused on our own things when I heard Maw's nails tapping again. It was more frantic, like he was thinking of something that upset him. Then he growled and slapped his hands onto his thighs impatiently.

"Are we just not going to talk about what happened at the carnival? He froze! You all saw that right? Did one of you do that to him?"

I knew we would have to talk about this. I avoided it so that Trine wouldn't be uncomfortable. I saw Trine's eye widen. 

"It's...it..." She stuttered. "It was.. the Moon."

"The Moon?" Maw replied with an incredulous expression. "Can you just tell me the truth? Do one of you have super powers?" He made an interested smile.

Trine started breathing faster, I saw her tremble and then she bursted out.

"IT WAS THE MOON, OKAY? DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HIM OR I'LL-" she stopped in her tracks, realizing how enraged she got. Maw gaped at her.

"I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She said, shrinking back in her seat. She covered her face with her hands.

"Him?" Maw repeated.

"It's best we just don't talk about it." I said, trying to save Trine from embarrassment. "You're away from Ryder. It doesn't matter how."

"But-"

"Please, Maw." I begged.

Maw shut his mouth and then looked back out the window with sass, clicking his nails together with annoyance. I huffed at him.

Trine was looking outside too, tears forming in her eye.

I put my hand on hers to make her feel better and she turned to look at me. She smiled and wiped her tears away. I let go of her hand and sighed. 

She deserves happiness. We all deserve happiness.