She rubbed her browned palms on her frayed skirt as she wet her cracked lips. Her eyes were aglow as she stared at cart filled with buns. The uncle who owned the buns and the cart had a large stomach, but she knew he was fast. Faster even than many of the bigger boys at the orphanage. She never could understand how someone so fat and old could be so fast, but it wasn't as if she actually tried to. The knowledge was all she cared for. From the corner of her eye, she saw the two boys slowly increasing the speed of their feet as they neared the cart. She had seen them a few minutes ago when they walked past the cart. One look at their eyes, at the naked greed, and she knew what was going to happen. She would only have a small window, which she intended to make full use of.
The boys were slowly distancing from each other. As they reached the cart, there was more than an arm's distance between the two. The uncle had noticed them, had gotten wary. The taller of the boys reached for a bun, and just as uncle stretched toward him, the boy pulled his hand away and started running. In the moment that the uncle looked at the running boy in confusion, the other boy grabbed several buns and began running in another direction. By the time the uncle noticed, the boy had made off some distance. The uncle was furious and began chasing after the boy.
She had begun walking the moment the boys started speeding, arriving at the cart just as the uncle began chasing the boy. With a smooth motion, she grabbed two buns with each hand and stuffed them into her skirt. When the uncle returned, with a scowl on his face and curses on his tongue, he found the dirty girl standing close to his cart. He glowered, she cowered. He stomped over to his cart, she ran away in fear. She slowed to a stop only after crossing many streets. The market was far behind. In front was the wide road that went all the way to the city. The capital, it was called. She had seen the pictures in the books at school. There were tall buildings, clean streets, pretty shops and happy people. It was a pretty picture. To her, the capital was only the long road disappearing into the sun. It was usually quiet in the evening, which was why she liked it. She stood by the side embracing the quiet and bit into the plain buns that were to her the tastiest food she had ever eaten.
The third bun was down to a half, when the quiet was broken. A bright blue car was racing down the long road. The wheels were spinning so fast, they seemed to be floating over the road. Just when she thought the car would disappear, there was a deafening squeal and then a loud crash. The car was upturned by the side of the road, and it was smoking. She had seen it in a movie. A car crashed and overturned, and then blew up. She knew the blue car was going to blow up as well. She found herself facing the question – what was she to do? As the smoke grew thicker and blacker, she sighed. Stuffing the bun into her mouth, she started toward the car.
The smoke was black as the midnight, there was a strange smell as well, when she pulled the door open and saw a handsome boy struggling inside. He was belted to the seat. There was white cloth hanging from the steering wheel. His hands were bloody, which was probably why he was struggling so hard with the button to release the belt. She saw what he was doing, understood, and pushed the button. It was simple enough. With a snap, the belt flung out and the boy fell onto the roof with a thud and a long groan. She reached for his shoulders and slowly pulled him out, clearly struggling. There were tiny flames underneath the smoke. As she pulled him further away from the car, the flames grew. The bigger the flames grew, the faster they spread. Soon, they were feeding on all of the car. The explosion she was waiting for, never came. She pulled the boy to the other side of the road, where they lay collapsed staring at the burning car. It was a strangely, grotesquely beautiful sight, the yellow flames on the blue car under the red sky.
After what seemed like forever, the flames had shrunk like the setting sun and the blue of the sky cleared away for the violet of night, the boy cleared his throat grabbing her attention. "I'm Max," he said.
"I'm Nina," she answered with a smile that was almost intoxicating in the reddish hue.
Max gasped, the sound of his own breath clearing his head."Can you reach into my pocket? Grab my phone. And call the last dialed number. I think I might need a hospital."
"I'm pretty sure you do,"she said as she pressed the phone against her ear. "What do I say?"
"Could you hold it to my ear, please." He was hesitant. The blush was evident even in the bloody face.
She didn't mind. She was patient as she waited for him to finish speaking. From so near, he could see her clearly, the face underneath the layer of dirt and grime, the buried beauty. As she flipped the phone shut and laid it next to him, he saw the faint line of red trickling down her arm. She was hurt as well, but she seemed oblivious.
"Are you okay staying out so late?"
She stared at him blankly, which was all the answer he needed. There was no one waiting for her, her eyes were saying.
"Stay with me," he said.
She nodded.
He meant for longer than until his friends arrived with the ambulance. She was calm. It almost seemed like the two understood each other. If not for the blood, the two almost seemed like a boy and a girl enjoying the quiet sunset.