The thundering growl catches him off guard every time, even when he knows it's coming. It rumbles beneath him—louder, more intense than being in the seat of a car.

She takes off, and the wind rushes. He's at least experienced the speed before, if not exactly accustomed to it. There's a moment as he adjusts, filtering out the noises from each other over the sounds he isn't used to hearing.

In a sense, he's beginning to understand: it does feel alive, in its own way. It's the difference from sitting inside a vehicle and riding atop one, maybe. Something about it carries just enough of the edges of familiarity that he finds himself settling into the motion—how it swerves and leans as Nadine brings them around the corner of her town.