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Hugo had directed them out to the loading dock the minute the light under the camera dimmed. There had been a car waiting for them; Margaret’s car, apparently. They had brought it over from her apartment, although how they had figured out which car was hers was unbeknownst to her.
Margaret was shaking slightly, a sheen of sweat sitting on her skin. She tossed Daniel the keys and immediately fought to yank her cardigan off as she walked. It had been bothering her all night: too scratchy, too rough. Climbing into the vehicle, she breathed a sigh of relief and tossed the cardigan aggressively into the back.
Daniel turned the car on and was immediately assaulted with No Doubt blaring from the speakers.
“Sorry! Sorry.” Margaret leaned over and turned the radio off, face flushed with embarrassment.
The man let out a short breath. “It’s fine. Where…where are we going?” He looked to the passenger seat, but didn’t quite meet Margaret’s eyes. Looked behind her, mostly.
“Maybe a motel? I don’t think…there’s nowhere we need to be right now.” Margaret supplied, shaking her head a little. She was still trying to get used to the feeling of knowing. The exercise in her childhood bedroom may have helped, but it didn’t mean the transition to being Someone Who Could Tell Things was going as smoothly as those aliens had probably hoped.
Jane piped up from the back seat. “I second that.”
Neither of the car’s front seat occupants had heard her enter. “Jesus, Jane!” Daniel whipped around at the sound of her voice, startled, but immediately calmed down and grabbed her hand where it rested against the driver's seat. She seemed about to drop, eye bags as pronounced as humanly possible. Honestly, all three of them did. It had been quite a night.
The car dropped into calm silence as Daniel drove (mostly matching the speed limit, thank you very much), making his way out of the city. After a few hours, he peeled off the highway and into a small town with a 24-hour motel that looked only slightly less sketchy than the one he had stayed in the night prior.
Jane did most of the talking, booking them a room with twin beds for the night. Daniel kept a hand on her arm, and Margaret looked everywhere but at the very tired motel employee. The three of them certainly looked suspicious, but the employee didn’t mention the news besides a quirk of the eyebrows when they walked in.
One set of jangling keys acquired, the trio made their way to their room, and Jane immediately plopped face-first onto one of the beds as they wandered in. Daniel made his way to the bathroom, and Margaret sat down on the other bed, back as ramrod straight as it could go. Her mind still felt like they were in danger, adrenaline spiking. She wasn’t sure, as tired as she was, that she could sleep.
She heard the sound of the shower running and relaxed a little. A confirmation that someone was awake with her (a quick glance at Jane confirmed she was already asleep). She picked at her nails and stared into space until the shower turned off and Daniel opened the door.
“Can’t sleep?” He asked, nodding his head in Jane’s direction.
“No, I…” She looked at his face then, letting herself learn he was worried proud overwhelmed tired awake nervous all at the same time. “It’s a little loud. You know?”
He nodded like he did, kindly, and sat down on the bed.
She moved to face him. “Y’know,” Daniel looked down at his hands, then back up at her. “You know so much about me, and I don’t know a lot about you. I mean, we’ve known each other since we were ten, kinda, and I don’t know anything besides the way your powers work.”
“You know I’m a weather reporter!” Margaret countered with a smile. “I...I wanted to be a news reporter.”
“They’d probably let you, now. You’re good at it.” Daniel smiled at her.
“Thanks.” She sighed slightly. “They’d probably let us do anything, now.”
They both got quiet, letting the reality of their lives settle over them one more time.
Margaret broke the silence. “I read when I’m not working. Mostly fantasy novels, although I like memoirs too.”
“Huh?” Now Daniel was back to looking at her, although their vision never made contact with each other.
“You said you didn’t know anything about me. Now you know I like to read.”
The man let out a quiet laugh. “That’s true, I guess. I never really liked to read. English was always harder to comprehend than math.”
“Makes sense. Do you watch a lot of TV, then?” Margaret could feel the adrenaline slowing, finally. She tried to pretend she didn’t need to yawn, which just made her want to more.
“Well, I spent 15 years in federal prison. So I didn’t really do anything.” Daniel replied, straight-faced.
Margaret tried her best to cover a smile with her hands. “Sorry, it’s not funny. Just your delivery.”
Daniel smiled back. “I know what you mean.” He stretched out, and Jane shifted behind him. He looked over at her fondly, then turned back to Margaret. “God, I’m wiped.”
“So am I.” They both turned to their respective beds, Daniel shutting off the little lamp between them. The room became quiet, besides the sound of the AC unit and the occasional car on the highway.
After a minute to build up his nerve, Daniel offered a “Good night, Margaret.”
“Good night, Daniel.” Came her reply. The pair smiled to themselves and finally, thankfully, fell asleep.