*I don't own Transformers or anything affiliated with Transformers. I only own my original characters and plots. All rights go to Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.*

Spending six hours on a smelly, crowded bus was not fun, but after three months, you get used to everything life has to throw at you. I know I have.

The bus came to a stop in front of a Pilot truck stop, so I decided that now was a better time than ever to get off. This was definitely no place for me to hide, but I actually hadn't had a bite to eat in three days and I was starving. I grabbed my bag from the compartment above and threw it over my shoulder before quickly stepping off the bus. Dozens of semis and other various vehicles lined the pumps of the station and I carefully made my way passed them, finishing the journey towards the building entrance. I pulled the door open, an assortment of delicious smells flooding into my nose.

Considering the vast amounts of resturants inside the building, it was hard to choose what I wanted to eat at first, but once I spotted the Burger King they had at the opposite end of the enormous store, I strolled over, a small smile on my face. The cashier studied my face as I approached the counter, an unreadable expression crossing her features, only to quickly be replaced with a friendly smile.

"Thank you for choosing Burger King. How can I help you?" she greeted me politely. I just smiled and pulled out my wallet before taking a twenty dollar bill out and laying it on the counter.

"I'll just take a double cheeseburger, a thing of fries, and do you guys sell bottles of water?" I asked her. If I was going to be running again, I needed to be hydrated and soda definitely wasn't going to cut it for me. It had been about four months since I've had a drop of soda in my system and I wasn't going to cave now.

"Yes, we do, actually. Is that what you would like?" she asked me sweetly. I narrowed my eyes at her. I could already feel the bad vibe radiating off of her and I didn't like it.

"Um, yeah. If it isn't a bother."

She quickly reached behind her and pulled open a small cooler. She grabbed a small Dasani water bottle and laid it down on the counter in front of me. I snatched it off the counter and stuck it into the side pocket of my duffle bag before turning back to the young worker.

"That'll be eight dollars and forty-one cents," she told me. I just pushed the twenty closer to her and she happily took it, punching in the amount on the computer. She handed me my change and I shoved it back into my wallet.

"Thank you," I said to her as I made a move to turn around. She called me back though and I rolled my eyes before turning back around, a fake smile now present on my face. "Yes?"

"I didn't get your name. Can't get you your food without a name," she chuckled dryly. I was seemingly unsure about this girl, but instead of allowing this to become a major issue, I answered her.

"Bree Morgan."

Without another word from either of us, I spun around and walked over to sit at the table in the corner of the building. After about seven minutes of sitting, there was a tray of food being laid down in front of me. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked up at the girl standing by my table. If I remember correctly, I gave her my name so I could get my food myself.

"I'm sorry. I thought I was supposed to get my own food?" I spoke, my tone a mix of curiousness and skepticism.

She gave me a small smile.

"Um, yeah. I just didn't want to make you walk. You looked pretty tired as it was. That's all. Enjoy your food," she responded before quickly walking away.

I only scoffed and began eating my food. After not eating for a few days, I probably should have went with something a little bit more healthier than fast food, but I couldn't help myself. Ever since I was little girl, I had always had a certain weakness for Burger King or anything that was fast food, really. Whenever my dad was home, the both of us and my brother would go out to some random fast food franchise almost every night. In all honesty, I was surprised I hadn't gained about three hundred pounds within the last couple of years; I guess I just had a fantastic metabolism, and with the way things were looking, it would probably remain that way.

It didn't take me long at all to finish the rest of my meal. It had taken a mere five minutes at the most. I couldn't exactly stay long anyway. That feeling still lurked inside my mind, and as long as I remained here, it would.

I grabbed my tray and got up from my seat, walking over to the trash can to dump whatever trash I had laying on the tray. Once it was bare, I placed the tray in its designated spot on top of the bin and turned back around to retrieve my things. What stopped me, though, was the sight of three police officers slowly strolling towards the small franchise. In one of the officer's hand I noticed a piece of paper, and as I focused harder I could very faintly make out my picture on the front of it. My breath caught in my throat as they approached a woman and her two kids at the counter.

"Ma'am, have you seen this girl? We got a tip that she was spotted here," one of the cops said to the woman as he held up the picture of me. That damn counter girl chewed me out.

The woman shook her head quickly and turned back around to finish ordering her food. The three cops scanned the area and I put my hood up before heading back over to my table to retrieve my stuff.

Just as I was about to take a step away from my table, there was a tap on my shoulder. I most certainly didn't need to turn around in order to know that it had been one of the cops, but knowing what they were after, I turned around anyway, a warm smile on my face.

"Hi, can I help you?" I asked them. They held up the small piece of paper and I frowned as I got a closer look at the picture. They weren't going to find me with this. This had been taken last year and I have matured quite a lot since then. The sight almost made me want to laugh.

"Yes. We were wondering if you had seen this girl?" the cop holding the picture asked me.

I shrugged.

"No, sir. I'm sorry." There was quite the doubtful look in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. He gave me a small nod before he and his colleagues turned to walk away.

I sighed in relief and started my fast-pace stroll towards the exit door, but my relief was cut short as the sound of the officer's voice echoed behind me. I turned my head to see them walking towards me, at a rather fast pace might I add. With a gulp, I ran the length of the store and shoved the exit door open. Once I was outside, I scanned the area, my eyes stopping on a blue and red flame-decaled semi parked over in the shade. Without a second thought, I ran over to the large truck. The tint on the windows far exceeded that of the average car, but from what I could see there was no one inside; if there was, well then I would definitely have to explain myself to them, but at the moment that particular issue was the least of my problems.

The strangest thing had occured once I laid a hand on the semi though. An immediate wave of comfort and safety flooded through my body and I pulled the latch on the door. The inside of the cabin was empty and I mentally thanked the good Lord above for this sudden stroke of luck. I pressed my boot onto the stainless steel step-up and pushed myself up into the truck, closing the door behind me. The interior of the vehicle was exceptionally warm, meaning that it had recently been used. I hadn't any clue as to when the owner would arrive, but I sure hoped it wasn't until after I took off.

Crawling over to the passenger's side window, I watched as the three cops exited the facility. They searched around for any sign of me, but were out of luck. I was out of sight, hiding in one of the most obvious places, yet hiding somewhere they would never think to look. My relief soon returned as they hopped back into their vehicles and drove away. Now the only thing I had left to do was get out of whatever city I was in.

"Miss," I heard a deep, gruff voice say from behind me. Startled, I turned around, my hand flying in front of me instinctively.

Standing in the doorway of the semi was a man who couldn't be much older than thirty. He wore blue jeans with a red v-neck shirt. His face held a considerable amount of scruff and his dark brown, almost black, hair was tousled on top of his head; he was kind of beautiful, actually. The last thing I noticed about him were his eyes. They were the bluest eyes I had ever seen in my life; they were even brighter than my own, almost transcendent. As cliche as it sounded, there was just something about them that almost hypnotized me.

The very strained and pained look on his face did wonders at informing me that I was hurting him. My eyes widened and I quickly retracted my hand, squeezing the seat below me in an attempt to calm myself down.

"I am so sorry," I spluttered.

He took a deep breath and looked at me. In reality, I had assumed him to begin freaking out over what had just happened, but that wasn't the case. He didn't even seem affected by it aside from just a few seconds ago. He was actually smiling at me.

"I can assure you that it's more than okay. May I ask what you're doing in my truck, miss?" he asked me. I pursed my lips. I was hoping that I wouldn't come into contact with the owner of this truck, but like always, the universe had other plans for me, whether they were harmless or not.

"I'm sorry. I was just-um, well, there was a situation," I stuttered.

He chuckled and held a hand out to me. "Tongue tied, I see? Why don't you come on out?" Good Lord, his voice was so deep.

I focused on the strange man for a few seconds before a smile appeared on my face. From what I could sense about him, he held a lovely ambience; it was unlike most people I came into contact with. One look was all that it took for me to know he possessed a good heart. I politely grabbed his hand, a new sense of protection and prosperity flowing into my body at the feel of his warm skin. He helped me out of the truck, my boots hitting the cement with a thud.

"Thank you, uh. ."

He chuckled again. "Optimus."

I raised my eyebrows. That was quite the peculiar name for a human, but I wasn't judging. It was unique, but I couldn't help but wonder what kind of drugs his parents had been on when they came up with the strange name. The thought just caused a giggle to escape my form.

"Thank you, Optimus," I said to him as I pulled my bag back onto my shoulder.

"You're more than welcome, Brenna." This caused me to shoot him a skeptical look. I hadn't remembered telling him my name and, if anything, I would have introduced myself as Bree.

"How do you know my name?" I inquired, leaning against the side of the truck.

"Give me a little credit, young one. I knew who you were the moment I laid my eyes on you. This entire country is looking for you, after all," he answered confidently. Well, that specific detail had sort of slipped out of my mind.

"Oh, so you're here to turn me in to the government. I see," I responded slowly.

He frowned and shook his head. "That was never my intention, Brenna."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure? Most anyone would enjoy that fancy one-hundred thousand dollar reward that they're giving out."

"Money isn't everything, young one. If anything, my intention would be to protect you."

"Oh really? But you literally just met me. Why would you want to protect me?" I snickered.

He smirked at me. "You'd be surprised with my reasonings."

So, he liked a little challenge, did he?

"Would you possibly want to enlighten me with your reasonings, Optimus?" I inquired with a smile.

"Care to discuss it over dinner, young one? I would be more than delighted to purchase an appropriate meal for you to eat. I hear that fast food doesn't exactly perform well within the human body," he chuckled.

I leaned my head against the side of the truck and thought for a moment. I had only met this man about five minutes ago and he already wanted to protect me and take me out to dinner? I could already tell from my senses that he was completely harmless and I was already feeling an immense amount of comfort just by speaking with him, but still, I had only just met him. There was no harm in it though. Being alone was growing old to me, and having a companion could quite possibly be a good thing for me.

"Um, I guess I can accept your offer, but I can't let you pay for my dinner though. It's not a part of my character to allow someone to waste their money on me," I said to him.

He only chuckled and hopped inside the truck while I stood there, looking utterly lost. He looked down at me, giving me a small smile. "Well, are you joining me or not, Brenna?"

"Right," I mumbled. I quickly strolled around the front of the semi and over to the passenger's side. I pulled the door open and hopped in, setting my duffle bag onto the floor in front of my feet. The moment I clicked my seat belt into place, the truck started, the sound startling me ever so slightly. This caused Optimus to chuckle.

"Are you ready, Brenna?" he asked me from the driver's seat. I just smiled and nodded, watching as Optimus put the truck into gear before pulling out of truck stop's lot and taking off down the highway. I sighed and sat back into my seat which was unusually warm. Never in my three months of running had my senses ever been wrong. I just hoped they remained that way.