Free See by Jamie Magee Page B

get me anything. Not a big deal to graduate; we all do it.”
    Kara walked over to us. I watched how they looked at each other, sure that they were still hiding something from me. I slowly opened the box, really having no idea what it might me. Inside, lying on a silk pillow was a set a keys. My eyes widened. I tried to say something - to at least ask what it went to, to tell her that that was too much - but I couldn’t.
    “ Do you want to see what it goes to?” Mom asked.
    “ Oh my God - yes?!” I said, reaching up to hug her.
    She squeezed me tight, then pulled me around to the garage. Inside, I saw a brand new dark blue Volkswagen bug with a huge red bow on top of it.
    “ I can’t believe this – you got me a car?! I – I just don’t know what to say.”
    “’ Thank you’, ‘Can I take it for a drive’ – that’s a good start,“ Kara said, laughing at me.
    “ There’s a gas card in the console, and the insurance card is in the glove box – this is all yours - in your name - a gift for this passage in your life,” Mom said, pulling me to her so she could hug me again.
    “ Thanks, mom,” I whispered in her ear.
    “ Go ahead, take if for a drive. There’s GPS if you get confused; I know you haven’t even driven out here before.”
    “ Yeah, but it can’t be any harder than learning to drive in the city. I’ll wait to take it out; I know you have to leave soon, mom,” I said, running my hands across the body of the car and tasting my first flavor of freedom.
    “ No, take it out; I’ll be here when you get back,” Mom said, opening the door and taking the big ribbon off.
    I looked across the car at Kara; she was smiling proudly at me. I felt bad for being so short with her. I was sure this is what they were hiding from me.
    I slid into the driver’s seat and let my hands run across the wheel as I breathed in the new car aroma around me. I reached for my seat belt before putting the key in to turn the car on.
    “ Wait,” I heard Kara say.
    I looked through the windshield to see her walking around the side of the house. My mom was folding up the large ribbon. I thought for a second that Kara was going to come with me, but when she came back around the house, she was carrying my purse. She handed it to me through the open window.
    “ You need your license,” she said to me.
    I checked my wallet just to make sure it was there, and I found it tucked into one of the pockets. I moved it to the open plastic part so I could see it more clearly.
    “ Anything else?” I asked, daring to hope that they’d hand me my phone next.
    Kara shook her head no. “Drive safe.”
    I nodded, then took in a deep breath as I pulled slowly forward. The driveway circled our house, so I turned the opposite way from where Kara’s car was parked. As I crept down the driveway, I fumbled with the radio, trying to find a station to listen to; all I heard was commercials, though, so I turned the volume just loud enough to cover any distraction that the whispers could possibly bring. When I reached the road, I turned back the way we’d come before. Madison’s house was almost directly across the street from ours. I could see a ton of cars parked down her driveway; I knew that she graduated today too and that they were having some kind of celebration. I decided to wait to see her. Besides, I still wanted to change. I’d never wanted my jeans more.
    I weaved through the long roads around our neighborhood for almost forty-five minutes. The sun that had shined all day began to fade as gray storm clouds covered its glare. I held my breath and reached for the radio, and just as I turned it up the station lost its signal. Panic came over me as I stared forward at the shadowed road. I heard the hiss of whispers over the radio that was tuning itself in and out. The shadows across the road began to change form, then before I knew it they looked like large dark figures reaching for me. In my panic, I drove faster. The shadows