Clemont sat in the backseat of the Camaro, pressed up against the side, reading a book. I could tell he was still mad that I hadn't told him about Drew. For the most part Drew kept his distance, listening to his iPod and playing his DS.

   A couple of hours into the drive Drew asked, "What are you reading?"

  "A book," Clemont said. "Ever seen one?"

  "Ever seen a fist?"

  "Knock it off," Calem said.

  "Porky," Drew said. "Oink, oink."

  "Stop it," Clemont said.

  "Never seen a hog read before. Are you gonna eat the book when you're done?"

  "Shut up."

  "Oink, oink."

  "Hey, Drew," Calem said. "Ever wonder what a thousand volts would feel like on your tongue?"

   His grin disappeared. "No."

  "Then keep your mouth shut."

   Drew sat back and put his earbuds back in. I looked in the rear view mirror. Clemont looked pretty miserable. I felt bad for him. For his sake, I wished he hadn't come."

   I turned to Calem. "Thanks."

  "Sorry about that." A few minutes later Calem asked, "What music do you listen to?"

  "Hm, mainly what ever's on the radio. I prefer EDM and video game soundtracks. You?"

  "Country, dance, rap, rock, you know."

   I nodded.

  "About rock, have you heard of Mongolian throat singing?"

  "What?"

   Clemont's head lifted. "Tuvan throat singing, known as 'khoomei' is one particular variant of overtone singing practiced by people in Tuva, Mongolia, and Siberia. Basically, the sound of the overtone you are singing comes from changing the shape of your mouth, voice box and pharynx, the open area between your mouth and nasal cavity. The effect allows the singer to create multiple pitches at the same time."

   Calem looks in the rear view mirror at Clemont, back to me, then the road. "Well, yeah, what he said. There is a Mongolian rock band that have become more popular recently, to the extent of playing in one of the latest Star Wars games. Want to hear one of their most popular songs?"

  I shrugged. "Sure, why not. What's the name."

   Calem connected his phone to the car radio via aux cable. "It's called, 'Wolf Totem' by The Hu. There is the original just in Mongolian, but the music video has English subtitles. There is a more recent version with some English lyrics, but I enjoy the original more.

(This bit isn't in the original story, but I thought about it and it seems like something that Calem would listen to and enjoy. Wolf Totem is basically a war chant. I suggest giving it a listen. Original is up at top and the English version is down at the end.)

I stared out at the road while the music played. Calem was tap the steering wheel with the drums and was trying to sing the lyrics but wasn't pronouncing then correctly. Drew took out his earbuds and joined singing with the background singers and the chants. Clemont sat stiffly in his seat with an expression of curiosity and fear. His parents didn't like rock so he hasn't heard anything like this.

When the song was done I sat there in shock of what I just heard.

"Well? How was it?" Calem asked.

"It. . . it was loud and I didn't understand what they were saying but I can see why you like it."

"Yeah. It really gets your blood pumping for a good fight. What about you Clemont?"

He sat there still in shock. Drew laughed, "Ha, I guess little sheltered brains boy couldn't handle true music! He probably hadn't heard anything except Back."

Clemont turned to him. "First of all, his name is Bach. Second, of course I've listen to more than just classical, I just prefer it more than. . . this! Not only it was too loud and clashing, I couldn't even try to understand what was happening in the song."

"Haha, yeah. You froze up like a little goat. Ha ha, bleat little goat, little cubby kid, bleat. Haha!"

"Ash," Calem said. "Can you separate them please."

Drew stopped once Calem said that and returned to his music and game. Clemont turned and looked out the window.

A few minutes later Calem asked, "You an only child?"

"Yeah. How about you?"

"I've got two brothers and a sister."

"Are you the oldest?"

"No, I'm the youngest. I'm the only one still at home. One of my brothers is in Iraq. He's a Marine." He said this with obvious pride.

"That's cool."

"Yeah, he's really cool. He even got a medal for bravery."

"How about your other brother?"

His smile fell. "He's in prison."

I wasn't sure how to respond. I didn't know anyone in prison. I wanted to ask what he'd done but it didn't feel right. I didn't have to.

"He got really messed up on drugs. He and a guy were stealing snowmobiles to get money for drugs when the owner came out. The guy with him had a gun and he shot the man. My brother didn't even know that he had a gun, but the way the laws are, he's also guilty. So he'll be in prison a long time."

"Do you see him very much?"

"Nah, he's in Colorado. I only see him once a year." His voice lifted. "My sister's doing really well, though. She married a guy who owns a chain of tanning salons. They have a real nice home and two little kids."

"Do you see much of her?"

"Nah, she doesn't have much to do with the family. She got married young to get away. That's because my folks used to fight a lot before my mother left."

I now understood why Calem locked kids in lockers. I'd probably be doing the same if I came from a home like his.

Calem asked, "What about you? What happened to your dad?"

"He had a heart attack."

"Was he old?"

"No. My mom said he had a 'bad ticker.' "

"That's too bad."

I looked back. Drew's eyes were closed and he was still wearing his earbuds. I wasn't sure if he was sleeping or just listening to music, but I figured that either way he couldn't hear me.

"What's Drew's story?"

"Not good. His parents were alcoholics. His old man used to beat the tar out of him until the state took him away. He lived with foster parents until they put him with his grandma, but she don't really want him. She's not shy about telling him, either. You'd think an old lady would be nicer, but that prune could strip the bark from trees with her tongue. So he just hangs with me most the time. I'm kind of like his only family."

"He's lucky to have you," I said.

Calem looked at me with a peculiar expression. "Thanks, dude." Then he looked back to the road. I swear his eyes were moistening. I turned away so I wouldn't embarrass him.

It took us four hours to reach Winnemucca, Nevada. We stopped at a gas station to fill the Camaro's radiator with water, then we ate dinner at Chihuahua's Fiesta Restaurant. I got a burrito, Calem and Drew got two, and Clemont got the taco platter. We are quickly, then got back on the road.

"So how do you do it?" Calem asked me.

"Do what?"

"Shock people."

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's like asking how you sneeze. It just happens."

"But you can control it . . ."

"Yeah. Usually."

"Why didn't you shock us when we shoved you in the locker the first time?"

"Because I'm not supposed to use my power. My mother didn't want anyone to find out. She was afraid something might happen."

"Like what?"

"Like what did. That's why they took her."

"I didn't tell anyone," Calem said.

"I know. It wasn't you."

"So you know who took her?"

"Some corporation."

"This is like a James Bond movie," Calem said. "What are you going to do when you get there?"

"I'm going to find my mother."

"Hate to say it, but even if she's there, it's not like they're going to just let you in. If they kidnapped her, she's going to be guarded."

"I know. I'm making this up as I go."

"I get it," Calem said. He took a drink from his Red Bull and looked back at his watch. "We're got another ten hours. If we drive through the night, we'll be there by morning."

"Then let's drive through the night."

"I need to pick up some more Red Bulls." He reached in back and thumped drew on the head, waking him.

He pulled his earbuds out. "What?!"

"Get some sleep. You're driving from Bishop to Pasadena."

1447 words

Fun chapter, bit sad learning about Calem and Drew's backstory. I added the bit bout the song to try to lengthen the chapter. I enjoy the song and wanted to share it. Below will be the version with some added English verses.

As The Journey Continues ...

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]