They were back on the highway again, the car devouring miles without pause. Damien drove without stopping, eyes fixed ahead, hands steady on the wheel.
Jacqueline stole glances at him every so often quick, fleeting looks from beneath her lashes.
By evening, he finally pulled into a gas station. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly in the dimming sky. He stepped into the convenience store and returned with snacks.
Mathieu thanked him shyly, and the siblings began eating almost immediately. They were exhausted, hungry to the bone but Jacqueline was in agony.
She had been sitting upright for hours, stiff as a plank. Her back burned as if someone had pressed hot iron against her skin. Every small shift sent a fresh wave of pain through her.
She held out a packet of biscuits toward Damien. He was still driving and hadn't eaten anything.
His eyes flickered toward her, met hers briefly, then darted back to the road. He took two without a word and crunched into them.
