The Wayward Bus Novels & Stories

I don’t wave, I just hold his gaze for a second longer than I should. Then the bus lurches forward, and the town slides away. I relax into my seat and let myself breathe, because I got away. I got on the bus without my protectors catching me, and Alaric has my number, even if it’s the wrong one. The town thins out as the bus picks up speed, buildings being replaced by long stretches of road and pale fields. I rest my forehead against the cool glass and watch it all blur.

A bus entered the frame. Unmarked. Plain. Too clean. The doors opened. Men stepped out first. Then the children. Or rather— They were moved. My jaw tightened. They were walking, but wrong. Slow. Unsteady. Unresponsive. Drugged. One by one, teenagers were taken from the bus and escorted onto a waiting boat. No resistance. No awareness. No sound. I began counting aloud. “Three.” “Seven.” “Twelve.” “Fifteen.” No one in the room moved.

I chose to wear a miniskirt with sheer black stockings clinging to my legs, paired with a plunging V-neck shirt that put my snowy-white cleavage on full display. The outfit hugged my figure in an extremely sultry way. I knew Uncle Mike would be impressed enough to set me up with the best role at his club. … I hopped on the high-speed rail and headed for Merrihaven. Once I arrived, I decided to take the bus to save on cab fare. The bus was crammed with middle-aged men whose eyes lit up the moment I boarded. The blatant lust in their stares actually got me excited. The bus was so packed that some men took advantage of the crowd to grope me—some even sneaked a squeeze of my backside.

The journey would take about four hours even without traffic, so Harmonia planned to take a nap. Meanwhile, the little girl in the row behind them was talking to her mother in a childish voice, “Mommy, can you smell that? It smells like garlic! It’s so unpleasant!” A crackling sound suddenly echoed, and flames ignited inside the bus in the next second. Boom! A raging fire akin to the devil’s claws began to rampage.

“Oh well. Hey, you got whatever stuff you need? Because Miles is one hundred percent not kidding about being on the bus at 3:05.” “Oh crap,” I whispered, and ran out of the penthouse as fast as I could. I made it out to the bus with five minutes to spare. It was waiting outside the main circular drive in front of the hotel. The exterior was black, with ‘BIGGER’ in huge white letters on the side – plus a graphic of the .44 Magnum Smith and Wesson from their first album, only now it was about twenty feet long. Subtle.

The bus begins to move. I sniff, only then realizing that my eyes are misty. I try to blink back the tears, but a single drop rolls down my cheek. I wipe it away quickly, before Bibah or anyone notices. I feel ridiculous. Five hours. I sigh and pull out my phone, opening a Spotify playlist and plugging in my tangled earphones. An Oliver Nelson remix of Greek Tragedy by The Wombats begins playing as we pull out of the large, black double gates of Acadia Academy. The air in the bus is cool, everyone’s collective anticipation and excitement almost a palpable presence.

"So, what do you want? There must be something you want. Everyone has something they want!" The gears in Ben's head were slowly working again, already tweaking their game a little, perhaps adding her answer to the pool of possible choices. He was clearly the brains behind this operation. Pulling into the depot, the bus screeched and shuddered, coming to a complete stop in the parking bay with one final groan. Chaos erupted around them as passengers, eager to be reunited with their loved ones waiting in the sweltering heat, scrambled out of their seats and grabbed their bags.

They knew better. I remember one day when Venus came home from school and she walked straight past Zeus without even looking at him. This was a few months before we left for training. Venus had just turned twelve at the time. After bribing her with chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk he got her to tell him what was wrong. Apparently a group of boys at school were always picking on her about not having any friends. Normally she handled it well. Able to give it right back to them. Venus had always chosen to keep to herself. We knew she thought friends were a waste of time. She was constantly studying, or reading, or just listening to music. She said friends would come later, but for rig

With one last hug the kids and I load up in my car, and we pull away. I steer my car towards downtown, unsure of where I should go, but needing to put distance between myself and Jax. The kids are oddly silent as I begin to drive aimlessly through town. Levi finally asks me where we are going. I replied honestly and told all the kids that I have no idea. I pulled into the gas station, giving the kids money to go in and get something to drink. I stayed in the car needing a moment to gather my thoughts and calm my brain. Knowing that I need to find somewhere to go I searched through the brief list of contacts I have in my phone.

I begged Zach to let me out. Zach cast me a look of utmost disgust through the crack in the door. "You must be delusional to think an apology will make up for what you did to Thalia. Stay in there and think about what you did! You're absolutely vile! I'm disgusted by you and your dirty thoughts! "Thalia and I are going to the airport soon, but tomorrow someone will stop by to let you out. Use this time to reflect on yourself!" My vision was turning blurry. All of a sudden, my phone rang. I did not care to check who was calling. I pressed the accept button and croaked for help.