The blue faded to gray, the gray to white, and the white to pink with no signs of slowing down. One thought feinted into another in a spiral, the way thoughts always do, and she leaned her head against the cold, glass window. The expression on her face said comfort, though everyone in the train knew of her unease. A white, knitted hat was pulled carelessly low over her face and strands of brown, straggling hair were struggling to escape. It seemed so odd to see her on a train. What could a 16 year old be doing alone on a train during the holidays? She herself didn't know. She knew that the letter had arrived three days prior, and being the instruction follower she was, followed it. She wasn't one much for adventure, and she wasn't much for lying. Yet stories told themselves to her family and friends of her old friend in an emergency, and bags packed themselves carefully, and she wondered who she had become. They were passing through a ghost town now. Dusk was settling like a heavy cloud, and only that and the red brick houses at the top of the hill made up the town. There was no coffee shop, no convenience store, no post office, no bank. She still didn't understand what compelled her to listen to the letter. She knew she craved something interesting, but she didn't crave being the subject of a mysterious, creepy, coming-of-age story either.
She was normal. An As and Bs student. In charge of Yearbook and treasurer of student council. One annoyingly peppy younger sister. One intelligent older brother. A nurse of a mom and an advertising executive of a dad. They lived in a stately, Victorian style mansion, amidst the sprawling green hills that made up their picturesque neighborhood. There were two girls at school she liked: Maria and Kinsley.
Maria was the oldest in a bustling, Hispanic family of nine. She lived on the outskirts of town, in a run-down house, but her house was so pleasant. Pleasant smells and pleasant, carefree Spanish babble filled the house constantly. Maria was caring and responsible. She was the girl to go to at any time for anything. Maria was like her mom. She'd give anyone a listening ear and a home-cooked meal if she thought they could use it.
Kinsley was Kinsley. Kinsley was actually her last name, but she hated her first. She said it was too mom-ish for her. Her actual parents had immigrated to America from Scotland a while back, and Kinsley was born when they were in their forties. Kinsley was an only child but she didn't resent it. She usually preferred the company of her cat and her art. Kinsley could make anyone anything, and she liked to do it. It was not unusual to see her with a paintbrush behind her hear, a smock haphazardly draped across her, and scraps of dry clay lining her arms. She had her head in the clouds. She was passionate and creative; she believed in living life to the fullest.
And Bella. Bella was normal. Bella found herself on a train at the moment. She didn't know what she considered herself. An intellectual, maybe. She wasn't exactly withdrawn or introverted, she just didn't know many people she liked being around. Her parents were red-blooded, all American. Her dad had played football in college, and her mom, tennis. Their parents were like that too. Volunteers in soup kitchens, presidents of boards, members of sisterhoods at churches. They were a relatively normal, well off family. Adam, Bella, and Erin, their two parents, in a neat, big house smack in the middle of Tresley Circle, with other houses that had other families like theirs.
Bella wasn't stuck up. She knew people thought she was though. She looked out the window again and a smile spread across her face. She didn't know why but she liked this place. It was a little bit magical. There were quaint little cottages with rickety fences and trickling streams. The place was full of color; the burning orange of the leaves, the dark blue of the sky, the calm purple of the flowers. There were meadows in the distance too. With green grass and yellow flowers. It looked like a place that would be called Shady Brook or Misty Lane. It looked like a place where families exchanged recipes and had weekly picnics. It made Bella happy. Her life at home was calm, but this was a different kind of calm. This was a calm of being removed from suburban life, the calm of a natural life. The train picked up speed and Bella said her goodbyes to her happy cottage town. She fell asleep as the train shlowe down again and woke up as it started to go faster. The watch on her wrist told her it had been four hours. She didn't remember dreaming of anything, and she wasn't too disconcerted when she woke up.