The Detour

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.

"You've ruined everything!" I howled, fixing my stare on my reflection in the dirty passenger window. Miserable - I wrapped the grubby coat he'd shared with me tighter around my body, desperate for a reminder of warmth.

"I was only trying to help."

I refused to talk to him, watching on into the growing storm. If I could only focus on the blizzard, maybe I would be able to get through the night without tearing into him. My eyes drifted. Sleep threatened to take hold, but I knew I shouldn't surrender to it. I was furious. I had to stay awake.

"I didn't know they'd react that way..." He mumbled, battling on with the broken windshield wipers that refused to clear the glass.

I huddled into the cracked leather seat, shivering. The hum of the engine didn't comfort me like it usually did. I wished to be home already. How much longer were we going to be? It wasn't worth asking him about it, not that he'd ever give me a straight answer. Drew was like that - forever cryptic, one of the few traits about him I'd once been attracted to.

"What's the plan then?"

I made sure to sigh audibly, shaking my head. "I don't know. I'll figure something out." I guess I was equally mysterious from his perspective, though to be honest, I hadn't a clue.

He easily got the car back under control after it swerved. Since it was his job to drive in poor conditions, I suppose he was used to it. He tried the radio - the static crackled for a moment before tuning in.

'JUST ANOTHER REMINDER FOR ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLE TO AVOID TRAVELLING ON THE ROAD BETWEEN LEWICK AND HEAHAM, WE'VE GOT A WHOPPER OF A STORM ROLLING IN AND LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES HAVE ADVISED EVERYONE TO STAY HOME IF YOU CAN -'

We lost the signal. The commentary was drowned out behind a wall of noise.

"That's not a good sign." He chuckled, glancing in my direction. I recognised his eyes bearing down on the back of my head. It was horrible - feeling the weight of his innocent cluelessness on top of my own raging emotions.

I stiffened, ignoring it. I was losing my capacity for pleasantries anyway.

The car lurched, suddenly moving in a direction I hadn't expected. He'd pulled off the main road onto a country lane, creeping up the hill.

"Why'd you turn?" I snapped, sure it was a result of his stupidity. "We can't get back this way."

"I know, I wanted to make a detour." We left the assurance of red lights from the car ahead, carrying on into darkness. Surely he couldn't see anything through the heavy snow.

"Turn around, or we'll be stuck here all night."

"Trust me on this." Drew shot me one of those looks that had once quickened my pulse, instead had become little more than an invitation for an eye roll. I looked away, turning my attention towards the back seat of the car.

My things were still piled up in a neat stack. It wasn't too much effort to reach - I rooted around the pocket of my backpack after a granola bar I always kept in case of emergencies. I probably should have replaced it sooner; it was stale, but I doubted I'd get anything better to eat for hours.

Drew was quiet beside me, much too focused on the way ahead.

He had set my blood boiling. I'd had everything under control, for once. Not that it was ever a surprise when he'd suddenly take over. Normally, he was good about keeping my secrets. Not this time. That was the problem with Drew. He would do or say anything if he thought he was protecting me, even the one thing I'd begged him to let go of.

"I just... I don't think it's something you should be ashamed of. People should know the real you."

"Nobody knows the real me." I sighed. "Isn't it supposed to be my choice who I tell?"

"Well, yeah, but... They're your family. I thought you'd want them to know how amazing you are."

I wanted to scream at him, remind him how embarrassed I'd been. There was nothing left of my dignity. "They didn't need to know. You saw how they reacted. How do you expect me to face them again?"

"If you give them time to come around-"

"Just stop!" I yelled out in that grating, infernal tone, and the car veered into a nearby hedgerow. Luckily we hadn't been going that fast. Besides a few scratches on the bonnet, we were fine. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" My eyes burned as they always did afterwards.

"No, it's okay, no harm done. I was going to get it scrapped for parts anyway." He tried the engine, which spluttered, and eventually growled back to life.

"I want to go home." I shudder, gripping onto my seat-belt.

"Please, trust me here. One more stop, then we can move on." Drew had learned to temper his optimism with logic, but as usual, his methods were less than subtle. He obviously thought taking me wherever he planned for us to go was the right thing to do.

Not long after, I realised where he was headed. I glared at him. "Really, we're driving to Elmgarden?"

"Sure. Your grandparents are there, it's been a while since you've seen them, right? Considering the weather, it might be an idea to check up on them."

I looked out at the snow-covered road, unable to say anything for a few seconds. In the end, no matter how mysterious he tried to be, he always proved himself as laughably predictable.

We carried on for another fifteen minutes, finally pulling into the gates to the car park. The worst of the storm was all around us - a great blizzard unlike anything I'd ever seen. When hit by the headlights, the flakes were blindingly bright, sticking to form a blanket that settled over the frozen ground, undeterred by the generous seasoning of grit.

Both of us stepped out into the gale, shutting the car doors firmly, and hurrying around to meet each other at the front. Drew had a torch, guiding us ahead along the path with his jacket sleeve also around me. Not that I'd ever be warm enough.

We approached a great statue - I ritualistically tapped my hand against its feet to let it know we'd arrived. Keeping to a path I knew well, even in freezing darkness, we soon found my grandparents. I knelt in the snow, digging my hand down to find the earth beneath.

"Hi grandma, hi granddad, it's Kassie." To say they were surprised to see me was an understatement. While sheltering me, Drew kindly brushed off their headstone, and uncovered the flowers suffocating under the snow. It had taken many visits and long conversations to get to a point where he was quite so comfortable with my powers. Somehow he couldn't understand how difficult it was for me to share that with others, forgetting how long it had taken to be honest with him about it.

My grandparents roared in delight at my return. In my head and heart, they joked of my appearance, and of Drew. My grandmother asked if I'd been eating well, wrapping up warm enough in this weather, how job-hunting was going, and the obvious - if Drew and I were back together.

I must have sounded like a lunatic. "Yes, grandma... Yep... It's okay, though no interviews yet... No, we're just roommates."

Then my grandfather wanted to know about my driving lessons, where his favourite football team were in the league, and finally, he asked after my parents.

"Got my theory test next month... They won two-nil in last week's match... They're..." I struggled to find the words. "They're fine." Considering the results of my recent visit, I wasn't sure what else to say. Drew apparently understood the topic from my tone, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I... Um... I told them about... Well... They know now." My grandma pushed me for more details. "They just laughed. Said that I was crazy, or making it up. After that, I... I stormed out. I don't think I can go back."

Unlike my parents, grandma had always understood me. She might have died when I was two, but she knew me better than anyone else. I told her everything. And granddad - well, since he'd died he understood. When he was alive, we barely spoke, but I'd talked to him at his funeral, and we'd grown close since then. Mainly he just wondered about the news, sports, and his favourite pub. He rarely talked about mum or dad. On the few occasions when we did discuss it, he wished they'd visit more often. They worked long hours, and didn't care much for frequenting the deceased if it meant using up time normally wasted on sitcoms and crime dramas. And so I was the only one who brought them flowers and maintained their headstone.

Granddad was quiet for a while, before speaking up with - "Well we're proud of you, poppet. And we'll always be here for you if you need to talk."

"I know." I smiled, knowing that I wouldn't take his words for granted. "We'll have to get going if we're going to make it back before the storm gets any worse. I love you." They both offered me their goodbyes, and as my hand left the floor, their voices fell silent. I stood. With a nod, Drew guided me back to the car.

He immediately turned the heater on. I glanced up into the rear-view mirror, seeing my eyes turn black as they always did when I used my powers for too long. A migraine would follow - I knew to be prepared, ready with the packet of painkillers in my wallet.

"How did it go?" Drew asked, dusting off his clothes.

I hid my face as always, not wanting to expose anyone else to such a sight. "Just catching up."

"You ready for home then?"

I nodded. His fingers met my chin, compelling me to face him. I was more worried about the tears streaming down my cheeks than the colour of my eyes.

"You're amazing."

I wasn't sure I believed that, yet it was nice to hear it from the living for once. With the car warmed up, we set off into the night, carefully navigating the lane back to the main road.

He passed me the wilted flowers - the petals crumbling off over my jeans. I of course planned to take more after the show melted, but in the meantime, I pinched the stems with my left hand, and hovered over the heads with my right. With a little concentration, I restored them, reminding myself of their scent.

"We'll put them in some water when we get back." Drew nodded, playing the cassette already loaded in the player. "And maybe next week, we can go visit my grandparents?"

I laughed, thankful for his company.