The windows allowed for some of the soft gray-blue sky to seep in. It was just enough light to make out the blurred outlines of leather seats and slumped bodies. The whole vessel moved while enveloped in the grayness of the sky. As she climbed the steps and entered fully, her eyes tilted upward and focused on the dull, white walls. Her line of vision traveled further up the wall to its curved top.  The walls had subtly transitioned to the roof, making the vehicle seem like a mobile cave.
She breathed in the room, somewhat breathless from the ascent into the dank and dark space. She smelled the dampness and felt the slight chill it left as it passed through her nose. She made her way to a seat. Beneath her feet was the cool, rubber surface. The soles of her shoes gently passed over the grooves of the rubber, but in the tips of her toes, she could feel the friction between the surfaces. Her feet lagged behind, hindered by the traction of the rubber surface. Still recovering from the momentum of climbing the steps,  her back and shoulders were pushed forward, over her feet. Her head fell slightly and hung heavy, drowsiness contributing to her body’s imbalance.  Instinctively, her hand rose to grip the leather seat, stabilizing her. She could just see it in the darkness of the room. But even if dark, gloomy clouds had shaded the windows that morning, she would have still gripped the familiar leather. It had become routine now. Her thumb fell over the chair sides as the rest of her fingers found their place, calmly wrapping around the chair’s curved top. It was rough, the leather, but in some ways the routine of the sensation was soothing. She stood stable then, with the help of her hand and the chair. She could feel a slight stretch in her arm as it bent. The very act of placing weight on her forearm pulled her shoulder back. As she stepped towards an open seat and stretched her arm further, the tension in her body melted away. Before sitting down, she made sure to take off her backpack, which she had almost forgotten was there. Its weight did not impose itself on her body. Rather, like a winter coat, it took shape to the curve in her back. Taking it off she felt lighter, but it was not a spring lightness. It made her vulnerable. Had she not been sandwiched between two leather seats, she might have swayed from the breeze, her backpack no longer centering her to the ground. She sighed, bent her knees and sat down.     
The vehicle began to move. Sitting comfortably now, she was enveloped by the vibrating noise. The sound was the cool wind that the vehicle pierced through as it lumbered forward. Even from within, the sounds of air passing over the metal surface could be heard; however, it did not intrude her peace of mind. The sound soothed liked white noise, making  the sound of the engine almost inaudible. The tires beneath her made sharp screeching noises but the hum of air softened the sounds until they were a whisper. The peers in front and behind were blurred by the grayness of the space. They too seemed to have merged with the calmness of the hum that could be heard throughout the space. They sat, their eyes blank and minds calm. She, the others, and the sound moved as one body. When they reached their destination, the shadowed gray of the bus and the damp air drove away, leaving them defenseless.