opposite exit I felt the entire thing shift beneath me. The train had started to leave the station and as I tried to catch myself I totally missed that I wasn’t alone. What I crashed into wasn’t wall at all. It was soft, perfumed and protested upon impact.
“Oh, goodness!” She said.
I didn’t want to fall, so immediately I released my new bag and went for the person I’d crashed into. Big mistake. We both tumbled to the floor. I landed hard on my back, the impact knocking the air out of me. If it hadn’t, I’m sure the girl landing on top of me might have done the trick. I felt her elbow like a knife against my gut and groaned.
“I am so sorry,” the girl said. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, and then the train started to move. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, sure. Maybe if you got off me I’d be a lot better?” I said.
She placed her hand flat on my chest and used that to push up and off of me. It took her a few tries to get up, her skirts were heavy and our feet were a little tangled up. It didn’t help that the shoes I’d stolen were a few sizes too big or the clothes were baggy. I did my best to collect my dignity and get up as well, using the wall to drag myself to my feet.
Once we were both on our feet, I was able to really look at her. She looked around my age, maybe a little older or younger. I realized I was staring at her when she blushed and turned to collect the books that had fallen from her hands. I cleared my throat and moved to join her, snatching a few up off the floor to offer out toward her.
“Look, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t expect the train to start,” I said.
“Oh, no! It was my fault, I should have looked where I was going,” She replied.
We stood staring at one another for a few seconds before we both started laughing. It was a little silly to exchange apologies over something like bumping into one another. I had sort of saved her from crashing to the ground as well. She should have been thanking me.
“What’s your name?” She asked, smoothing a hand down her skirts.
I’d moved away to retrieve my bag, my back facing her as I rose up from bending to grab it. When her question hit me I froze. Did I give her my real name, or did I give her something else?
“Uh, uhm-“ I replied, turning around to face her.
“Uh-uhm, what an interesting name,” She said. “Well, Mr. Uhm. I’d like to apologize formally for using you as a landing pad. My guardian and I are about to have tea in the lounge car. Will you join us?” She smiled and I heard myself speaking before I knew it.
“Of course! I’ll be there.” I stood there smiling like an idiot, the stolen bag clutched in my hands, dressed in clothes I didn’t own.
“Great! My name is Catherine. I’ll see you there.” She raised a hand to wave and turned to leave, disappearing down the hallway just as quickly as she’d appeared.
Once she was gone, I had a chance to look around. The car right after the baggage was a library car filled with shelves of books for passengers to read during the journey. I’d have to come up with a lie about why I’d been there, just in case it came up over tea.
“Ben, what are you doing?” I said to myself, making my way back to my car.
It was just as I’d left it. No one had messed with the panel that held my hidden bag. I stored my new clothes up in the proper place and took a moment to compose myself. I was going to have to interact with real socialites. I needed to act like I knew what I was doing, or they would make me real quick. I came up with a quick story.
I was Benjamin from New York, on my way to California to meet up with my Father. He had gone out there earlier to check on some investments. It was a thin story, but it would let me fill in the blanks when I needed to. I worked better on the fly. As New York began to fade from the window of my car I realized that this was the end of my old life and the beginning of something better. I wasn’t afraid anymore and I didn’t have to be afraid ever again. I was free.
###
About the Author
Abigail Stillwell is a long-time fantasy and science fiction fan currently attending Full Sail University's Writing for Entertainment program. When not indulging in the cinema, she's writing full-time as a group leader for an online fantasy community and engaged in epic adventure in several tabletop scenarios. She enjoys reading zombie apocalypse literature and playing RPG and MMORPG video games. One of her published short stories, Calypso, can be found on the web magazine site Storyshack.com.
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