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Dust bloomed from the screeching tracks as the old steam train pulled into the station. It had been many weeks since the town’s last visit, so most of its residents had gathered to welcome the train in. There were rumours of towns’ folk visiting their tiny hamlet, whispers of plans to build new lives, along with a new town. These rumours weren’t uncommon really, but after all the talk of people losing jobs and prices within the city walls skyrocketing, they couldn’t help but think there may be some truth behind the story’s this time.
Zoey paid no mind to the chattering of her fellow residents, she was nothing less than thrilled at the prospect of seeing new faces. It meant new people to talk to; new story’s to be heard, maybe a mysterious stranger arriving to sweep her off her feet. Maybe she could finally be introduced to that world of adventure she had daydreamt about since she was little. A girl could dream, anyway…
As the passengers began to disembark Zoeys’ heart sank; they were nothing more than a bunch of snooty highbrows who, by the obvious lack of luggage disembarking with them, had no intention of staying much more than a night as the train restocked. With a final sigh of disappointment, Zoey turned away to head back to her work at the inn, and slammed straight into a figure powering in the opposite direction. With I cry of shock she stumbled backwards, her feet tangling around themselves and sending her tumbling to the floor. Or nearly tumbling to the floor. As she felt herself fall a strong hand sprang forward and griped her arm; holding her tight and safe from a rough encounter with the stations tiles.
“Well hello there, miss.” a strange voice greeted Zoey, and looking up along her arm she met the smiling face of her saviour.
“I do apologise for that little tumble I caused you.” the stranger smiled as they helped pull Zoey back onto her feet, “My senses are still frazzled after that god-awful long train ride, but no harm done, eh?”
Zoey took a moment to dust herself down and take in the person that stood before her; she was a pretty, powerfully built girl, with beautiful chestnut hair held back with a slightly tatty rainbow hair tie. She had shiny deep blue eyes and stood maybe a head shorter than Zoey, and Zoey couldn’t help but think she was one of the loveliest people she had ever seen.
“Oh how rude of me,” the new girl held out her hand with a smile “My names Fiona.”
Hardly hesitating Zoey took the outstretched hand in hers, “Zoey, I’m Zoey.” a grin spread across her face before their hands parted.
“So, you’re a local here, miss Zoey?”
“Yes, I guess... Bums, sorry, yes of course I’m local, silly me. I work for old man Peculiar at the inn.” Zoey blushed; she was never normally this bad with words, what had gotten into her?
“Well ain’t that perfect!” Fiona exclaimed “I was just off to look for a place to spend the night. You wouldn’t mind telling a girl where she could find this inn?”
“Oh I can show you! If you want me to, that is.”
“Well Zoey, it would be an honour to be escorted by someone as lovely as you.”
Zoey felt herself blush an even deeper shade of red and she quickly turned away, glancing down the now surprisingly empty platform. “Alright, miss Fiona, shall we be on our way then?”
“Lead on, my friend!”
With that Zoey began to make her way down the platform, Fiona falling into step beside her.
It wasn’t far to the inn, which sat only a couple of minutes down the road from the station. The village wasn’t big by any standards; all the main buildings shared the same dusty road and the residents houses sat scattered at the end of it and above some of the larger businesses. It wasn’t much, but it was home.
The Girls chatted happily as they made their way down what could have been called the high-street, hearing the clock strike 4 as they reached the swinging doors of the inn and made their way inside. As with everything in the town the building had seen better days; paint cracked from the walls, the counter was stained and dented from countless years of use, the remaining furniture sat at wonky angles, and the drinks that lined the wall behind the bar all had a dusty air about them. Despite all this the Inn was full of people, many the arrivals from the train, but there were also a number of the locals since the Inn also acted as the town’s only pub.
“Zoey!” the man behind the bar cried with relief. “Glad you finally made it back gal, I need you workin’ the bar. Minty’s not back from visiting her father and we’re desperately short on staff. If I say aniythin’ about these new folk it’s that they sure do enjoy their drinks.”
“Of course sir.” Zoey nodded, hardly listening to what the old man was saying. “Mr Peculiar, may I introduce you to Miss Fiona, She’s one of our guests off the train and is looking for a room this evening.”
Fiona smiled and outstretched her hand across the bar. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“Pleasures all mine, love.” Peculiar gave her hand a quick shake before turning to rummage in one of the drawers at his back. “I’ll see what I can do for you, just give me a second. Ah, here we go, room 14, top floor, second on the right, I hope you have a pleasant day. Now Zoey my girl, if you’re free-”
“One moment Sir.” Zoey said hastily and turned to Fiona, “Are you wanting any more help, miss Fiona?”
Fiona let out a chuckle and patted Zoeys’ arm, “that’s sweet of you to offer, but I’m sure I can find my room well enough. Anyway it sounds like your skills are much more needed down here. I’ll be sure to pop by once I’ve got myself settled though, you haven’t seen the last of me!” and with that Fiona snatched the keys off the counter and made her way to the staircase and out of sight.
Zoey let out a sigh as she watched the girl walk away, but was soon reminded of her responsibilities by old man Peculiar and, almost begrudgingly, she made her way behind the bar to begin her work again.
The hands of the old clock that hung crookedly against the wall seemed hardly to move as Zoey worked. But as she was pulled into the hectic world of her work the minutes began to tick on into hours, until the clock was striking 5, then 6, then 7, and to Zoey’s dismay there was still no Fiona. At around 8 Minty finally arrived; full of hasty apologies that Zoey hardly heard as she rushed to finished off her last few jobs and excuse herself from behind the bar.
She couldn’t help but feel disappointed; yes she had made friends with strangers before, and yes many had avoided her before the end of their stay in the small town, but this one had felt different, and as she slid her way through the bustling crowed of the inns’ bar to the front door she could feel tears welling up at the back of her eyes. Stepping out into the night she took a deep breath to try and calm herself, before turning and almost striding into a shadowy figure that stood leaning over the railing that lined the bars porch.
“OH Dear, fancy this happening twice in one day.” The surprisingly familiar voice of Fiona piped up as she turned to smile at Zoey. “It’s as if were destined to run into each other!”
“Oh Gosh! Fiona, I didn’t think you were coming down this evening!” Zoey spluttered, joy bubbling up inside her to drown the tears she had already forgotten.
“What? Didn’t the old man give you my message?” Fiona gave Zoey a confused look. “I came down soon after I left, but you were out back so I left a message with Peculiar that I was going out for a look around town and I’d be back in time for your break. Damn, he swore to give it to you, I don’t know why-“
“Oh no, don’t worry its fine!” Zoey laughed with relief. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters. So, what did you want to do?”
“Well my dear, I was hoping you may have an idea of something awesome we could do, being local and all that.” Fiona watched Zoey expectantly, and Zoey hastily raked her brains for an idea.
They could go visit the stables? No, to boring. Explore the train station? No, to simple. Go get a drink back inside? No, to adult. Zoey felt they needed to do something special; something fun and amazing and, well, awesome. Then it clicked, and a grin spread across Zoeys Face.
“I know the perfect thing. Come on, I’ll show you!”
“ohh, a surprise is it?” Fiona laughed as they began to walk away down the road, “You do spoil me Miss Zoey.”
“Why don’t you just call me Zoey.”
“Alright, Zoey. But then you must call me maxamillion Octavian the 3rd.”
“Wait, what?”
“Or Fiona, Fiona also works. But it’s your choice.”
The girls held each other’s gazes for a second, before bursting out laughing. They continued down the track mapped out by Zoey; passed the houses at the end of the road, making their way up and towards the rocky hills that formed the towns’ backdrop. Time ticked away, but neither of them noticed. The stars appeared in the now inky sky, and the dim glow of the buildings fell behind the rocks as they wove their way further and further up the rugged hillside. Finally Zoey stopped them behind a slight wall of rocks and turned to face the shorter girl.
“Right Fiona, I’m going to ask you to close your eyes and take my hand. That is if you’re alright with holding my hand. Oh and closing your eyes of course. Bums I’m sorry don’t do that I-“
Fiona Chuckled and took Zoeys hand in hers, making the other girl blush. “I trust you Zoey, you said it would be a surprize. Lead on.”
Her cheeks still burning, Zoey timidly lead her partner around the wall of rocks and into the space that lay beyond. Once she thought Fiona was in the best possible position she released the other girls hand and stepped back, trying to ignore the butterfly’s that filled her stomach.
“Ok. Ok, you can open your eyes now Fiona.”
Fiona gasped as her eyes flicked open and she could take in the land that lay before her. They were stood on a wide, flat table of rock, nothing but a few loose pebbles covered it’s suffice. But it wasn’t the platform they found themselves on that was the subject of Fiona’s awe; stretching out below their feet was the vast expanse of the desert. A smudge of orange light made up the township that sat directly below them, the dark scar of the train track could be seen winding off into the horizon, and huge natural sculptures towering in the distance were silhouetted against the sand that almost glowed in the light from the moon. The whole scene created an epic picture that whispered to the girls of beauty and adventure as they stood silent on their rocky pedestal.
“Zoey! Zoey it’s so amazing. How did you know about this place?” Fiona breathed, turning finally to look at the other girl.
“Well, uh…” Zoey felt herself blush once more and quickly glanced away. “I’ve always come here, ever since I was little. It’s my safe place, you know? It’s the one place where I can be myself and not have to think about my life and what I’m supposed to be doing with it. It’s my haven, really.”
“Oh Zoey.” Fiona gasped. “And you decided to share this with me?”
“I thought you might like it.”
“Zoey! Oh Zoey I love it!”
Zoey couldn’t help but smile at the other girl, before she wandered forwards to lie down on the ground, turning her eyes to the heavens.
“Come and see the sky Fiona, this is my favourite part.”
The other girl quickly came and lay down beside her; hands behind her head and eyes staring up into the void that formed their complete sky.
“Oh wow…” Fiona sighed once more, and Zoey couldn’t help but grin up at the stars. All the lights in the sky twisted together into galaxies and blinking bright beacons: a beautiful picture of all the existence that was going on above their tiny sanctuary in the desert.
“One day I want to visit those stars.” Zoey said wistfully. “One day I will get flown away from this silly little town and actually begin to live.”
“So why don’t you?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you just, you know, go? Ok, I know getting to space is a bit trickier than that, but still, you could start off having some adventures on this little planet of ours first.”
“Oh, my mother would never allow it. I need to be a ‘Proper lady’. Earn my keep at the inn, find myself a nice husband and give her a billion little grandchildren.”
Fiona made a disgusted face. “Eww that sounds awful!”
“Yea, it does. But this what my life is going to be.”
The girls fell into silence, both lost in thought as they gazed up at the stars. The night ticked on and still nether of them made any move to head back to the village, any ideas of leaving lost into the void with the blinking stars.
“Why don’t you come with me Zoey?”
“What?” Zoey fumbled to lift herself up on her elbow and look at the other girl, who was still gazing up at the stars.
“Come with me tomorrow on the train.”
“I told you I can’t, I-“
“But why not with me?” Fiona pushed herself up so she was hugging her knees, eyes on Zoey. “I know I know, ‘Your mother would never allow it’ but do you really want to live that life she has planned for you? This is your chance to have an adventure!”
“But, uh-“ Zoey fumbled for the reasons she couldn’t go that had been drilled into her head ever since she could speak. And then she stopped. Why couldn’t she just go? Heck, she was 18 now, and gosh darn it she didn’t need to listen to anyone anymore!
“Ok…” Zoey said, a grim slowly spreading across her face “Ok, I’ll come with you.”
“Are you serious?!”
“Yea, I think I am.”
Fiona squealed and flung her arms around Zoey. “Oh my gosh! Thank you thank you, this is going to be amazing!”
Zoey laughed and hugged the other girl back, happiness bubbling up inside her. When they finally broke apart Zoey had to quickly wipe some tears away, making Fiona giggle.
“Oh Zoey, you are a silly girl, aren’t you?”
“A lot of people do say that, yes.” Zoey laughed through her tears. The girls giggled and talked together for a while after that; simply enjoying each other’s company, before they finally lay back down to once again watch the stars. This time with their hands entwined and joy in their hearts as they lay smiling side by side.
The night disappeared as they lay there whispering to each other. The stars crawled across the sky unnoticed and time was forgotten. But eventually the glow of the soon to be rising sun bought them back to the real world, and they made their move to head back to the village. They had mixed emotions as they left their little platform; a sadness their time there was over, but also an excitement at what was soon to come.
The sun was only just peaking over the horizon as they reached the houses on the outskirts of the village. Zoey lead them quickly along one of the line of fences, weaving in and out of back yards, sneaking past windows, and slipping around walls until they reached her destination. Before them sat a small cottage; it was just a simple box, with a battered tiled roof and white paint cracking and flaking around the bright yellow front door.
“So this is your house?” Fiona whispered, and Zoey nodded. They had decided she should probably pick up a few things before they left the village for what could be forever. So here they were; sneaking around a building Zoey had called home for the first 18 years of her life, and Zoey couldn’t help but feel both thrilled and a little odd.
“Right, I’m going to try and get through my bedroom window, hopefully mothers still asleep.”
“Oh yea, that would be a little inconvenient.” Fiona chuckled.
“Shhh! Don’t make me laugh.” Zoey scolded Fiona, before reaching up to begin wiggling the window up and away from the sill. “Now if I remember, I need to… then… Success!” Zoey cheered quietly as the window slid open and she was able to crawl inside.
“Be careful!” Fiona warned. “And be quick, the train’s going to leave without us soon.”
“Don’t worry, this won’t take long.” Zoey whispered back over her shoulder as she sneaked across her room. And it didn’t take her long; with only a few old dresses, some personal items, and her savings from her job with old man peculiar to collect, she had soon gathered everything up in her tatty hide shoulder bag and was about to head back to Fiona, when her door burst open.
“YOUNG LADY.” Zoeys mother roared as she stormed into the room. “Where the hell have you been?! Do you have no respect for me or your father?!” her mother was an intimidating woman to say the least; a large chest swelled below a round, pinched face. The faded yellow flowered dress that stretched across her full figure clashed strikingly with her flaming red hair (the only thing that could match her to Zoey as her mother) and it created one of the equally scariest and funniest images Fiona had ever seen.
As Fiona thought this, Zoeys’ mother then seemed to notice the bag slung over Zoeys shoulder, the closet hanging empty, the clear dresser and the obviously guilty look on Zoeys face, and she turned a beetroot red. “Don’t. You. DARE.” She breathed as Zoey backed slowly away from her.
“Mother, I’m sorry, but I can’t live like this anymore. I’m catching the next train out of town and there’s nothing you can say to stop me.”
“Like hell you’re leaving! You ungrateful spoilt brat. Get back here!”
Zoey dived for the open window as her mother lunged forward. She flew into the waiting arms of Fiona, who helped her find her feet so they could dash away. It wasn’t long before the faded yellow front door slammed open behind them and Zoeys mother was in hot pursuit.
“Fiona! What are we going to do?!” Zoey gasped between breaths as they powered down the main street. “The trains not going to leave for another 5 minutes, she’s going to catch us!”
“Uhh, I may have lied slightly about when the train was leaving…” a shrill whistle from the tracks told Zoey what she needed to know. “Our first adventure eh? Catching a moving train!”
“Oh my gosh Fiona.” Zoey panted and doubled her efforts to reach the tracks; the screams from her mother pushing her on as the train pulled away from the station.
The duo flew up the station steps, sliding around the stations waiting room door to reach the platform just as the last carriage disappeared from sight.
“NO!” Zoey cried in anguish, slowing her frantic pace. “We missed it. We missed it!”
“Not yet little miss.” Fiona said with a sly grin, pulling Zoey back into their breakneck pace and hurtling them towards the edge of the platform. “NOW JUMP!” She cried, and the two of them leaped onto the tracks.
They sprinted after the train, one behind the other, hearts racing and adrenalin pumping, the thrill of what they were doing sparking through the air. The train was within reach, they were going to make it! Fiona snatched at the handle of the back door; swinging herself up onto the ledge and hastening to pop the door open so they could get inside.
“Got it! Now come on Zoey!” She turned to help her companion but with a shock she saw Zoey was still much too far away to reach the train. Her flushed face and raking breaths reminded Fiona Zoey had never done anything like this in her life, and as much as she wished she could her body had reached its limit. The train continued to pick up its speed, and Fiona had a sudden flash of Zoey disappearing into the distance as she was left behind. In desperation Fiona slipped back out the doorway, wrapped her arm around the protruding handle, and leaned out across the racing tracks.
“Grab my hand Zoey!” she cried.
“I-I Can’t-“ Zoey panted as she struggled to keep up.
“Yes you can! Come on Zoey. I believe in you!”
With a final push Zoey Leaped forward, and Fiona’s hand wrapped around her wrist, firm and strong, and pulled her up through the door and into her arms.
“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…” Zoey Gasped, holding tight onto Fiona.
“See?” Fiona gave her an exhausted smile.“I knew you could do it.”
Once the two girls had regained their composure they turned to watch the village disappear behind them; Zoeys mother and all her problems along with it.
“Well if this is anything to go by, I think this is going to be amazing.” Zoey grinned as she slumped against the train wall.
“Indeed. We have quite an adventure ahead of us.” Fiona smiled and joined Zoey, entwining her hand in hers. Neither of them really had a plan about what to do next, or where they were going, or what was going to happen when they reached the last station. But for now they were content to sit together, both the happiest they had ever been, as they raced on towards their next adventure.