The sun has set and with no streetlamps to light the way everything is dark. Too dark. Which is why Mare stopping to pick up a strange boy on the side of the road is strange in itself. How did she see him? I was literally looking out the window in his direction and I didn’t even see him. He is smiling as he climbs into the backseat, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, hair mussed from the supposed wind outside. I look at him curiously as he slides into the center seat in the back and buckles himself in. He notices me staring. His previous smile grows even brighter, “Hi! My name is South Dakota. I really can’t thank you enough for letting me hitch a ride with you.” Mare hums in acknowledgement as she gets back onto the road. “What were you doing out there in the dark?” I ask him after a moment. The car hits a small bump. “I was actually looking for someone. My car broke down a while back and I just started walking, hoping I’d find either a town or someone to help me out. Luckily that second part came true or else I would have been walking the whole night in the dark!” He laughs, which is a nice sound to hear in this car, which up until we picked up South Dakota, had been quiet. He levels his gaze back on me and asks, “What are you two doing driving down this way? It’s not exactly a road leading to something.” “Were just passing through.” He nods at my answer and leans back into his seat. Another beat of silence, then I turn back to him, ”If you don’t mind me asking, who was it you were looking for?” He shifts a little in his seat, his hair falls into his eyes. “My missing half.” He leans forward. “In my old town there was this kind of legend, it said that in this world there is one person out there who was meant for you in both body and soul. Unfortunately this other half would be hidden away from you, and the only way to know who this other person would be was to see if they had a mark on their body that matched yours. I’ve actually been looking for my other half for awhile now and I figured it would be easier to go out into the world to find them then just sitting still and waiting.” He looks back up at me eyes shining. “I feel like I’m so close to finding them. To finally meeting this person who completes me.” The car hits another bump. “Do you think it’s silly to want to be with someone you’ve never even met before?” He asks. A long moment of silence fills the car. The darkness outside is beginning to fade as night slowly turns to day. “No” South Dakota and I both startle at Mares answer. “I think wanting can be a good feeling, something that drives you to a goal you never thought you could achieve.” Another bump, another beat of silence. “You can let me out here” South Dakota says, “There’s a fork in the road and I don’t think we’re headed in the same direction.” His smile is still brilliant, but it seems a little less somehow. “Are you sure you don’t want us to drop you off in town?” Mare asks. “No I don’t want to derail your road trip, you have important places to be don’t you?” He isn’t wrong. Mare pulls off to the side of the road, and South Dakota slides out of the seat, duffel bag in hand. He leans on the open door for a moment before smiling at us, “Thank you for the ride, it was nice to chat with you two. Hope you get where you need to.” With that he pats the bag at his side and shuts the door. Mare doesn’t move for a moment and we watch the boy head down the road. We wait until he’s just a speck in the distance before turning back onto the road and heading in the other direction. Driving as the sky begins to turn pink with dawn.
