Chapter 1- Voyage to Canada
The boy strode purposefully down the back alley. That had been a close one. The boy shook his head lightly. His jumped back in surprise as his top hat tumbled off his head. It was something that had never happened before. He bent down to pick it up and was startled to see a gold coin. He picked it up greedily and stuffed it into one of his many pockets. He kept walking.
After a while he heard walking not far behind him. There was the snuffling of hounds too. The traps! He thought quickly.
"There he is!" He heard one man call. Without a glance back he began sprinting down the narrow alley. He slipped and slid on the occasional patch of mud. He was getting worried at how close the dogs were when suddenly the alley opened up into a street. The train! The cogs in his mind were turning. He knew that the train led people away and they usually didn't come back. When they did, they were VERY wealthy even I they had been poor men before. He sprinted forward and leapt onto the back. He stood there and watched the traps and their hounds disappear in the distance. He was free. The first stop of the train was a very poor town. The next was a bit wealthier and more advanced. The next was even more so. None looked quite good enough though. He stayed on until he reached a huge building. It was terribly advanced. There were great metal things that went off the ground. It shocked the boy somewhat. He went inside and saw many people. Almost all the men wore long coats and many women wore long beautiful skirts. He walked to a man at a desk.
"You're one of the late deportees are you?" the man asked. The boy could think of nothing to say but yes. The man asked for his name and he gave it. The man handed the boy and slip. The boy was instructed to follow the man so he did. He was led down many halls to a small doorway. He stood at the door. A beautiful lady walked up to him, took the slip, and led him to a seat.
"Enjoy your flight sir." She said and walked away. The boy looked quite pleased with himself. He waited for something to happen. But soon he fell asleep.
The boy found himself being shaken awake. It was the woman from before. She led him out of the aircraft when he realized they were no longer at the same port. They were somewhere else.
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Our story will now, temporarily, follow the path of another young person. This time a girl. She was called Kate.
It was late in the evening as Kate sat on her bed and brushed her long red hair. Her pale skin showed the faintest signs of color about one cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them they were watering slightly. Perfect. She gave her head a brisk shake before she picked up her cell phone. She quickly dialed the number.
"Hello. Is Lukas there?" She said tearfully. "Hey, it's Kate.." Her voice had grown even sadder now and actual tears slid down her cheeks.
"I know and I'm so sorry!" she begged. "Of course!………………. I'm so sorry. I wish it had never happened……… Yeah……….. Yeah!" She laughed. He could always make her laugh.
"Thank you…. Bye." She hung up the phone. She wiped away the tears and grinned. He was so easy to control and mold to how she wanted him.
The next morning Kate walked outside. She yawned at the neighbors who were out weeding their garden. She glared at her other neighbors who were sitting merrily on their porch. Both sets of neighbors glared back reproachfully. Kate walked slowly down the lane towards the huge forest. The walk through there would lead to a field. On the other side was another forest and then the airport. She was walking through the field when she saw a figure in the distance. She stopped. The figure had stopped too. Kate kept walking, looking at it suspiciously. When she approached she saw it was the oddest-looking boy she had ever seen. He wore and old vest over a dirty, white, puff-sleeved shirt. His pants were a dark tan and his long and grubby overcoat was dark brown. At first she thought it was the messy top hat that sat atop his head that made him look so strange.
She saw that what made him so peculiar was his expression. It wasn't innocent like lots of guys she knew tried to pull when they met a new girl. It wasn't bragging like most guys she knew wore while with her. It was a bit in between. It was almost like hers. It was curious but also dangerous. She smiled slightly. She walked a circle around him just to finish surveying him.
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The boy wandered aimlessly out of the building. He saw a forest and base instinct told him to go there. He walked into it and by this time the sun was setting. He climbed a tree with a nice thick bough. He lay down upon it and rifted into a restless sleep. He awoke the next morning wondering where he was. He soon realized he was in a tree. He climbed down and continued in the direction he was going. There was an opening in the trees. A wide field stretched out into the horizon and just beyond that was another forest. He walked out of the trees and started down a thin path. He glanced up a few minutes later to spot a figure in the distance. The figure stopped. He stopped too. It continued walking and he approached it. It was a young lady, likely around his own age. Her deep red hair fell in lengths about her waist. Blood-red lips and deep blue eyes accented her pale skin. She wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt and a flowing brown skirt.
"'Ello there." He said in his startling English accent. Kate blushed slightly though it was barely visible.
"Hi. What are you doing in my field?" She asked almost accusingly but slightly more curiously.
"I'm sorry. I 'adn't realized this was your field. By the by, my name is Jack Dawkins." He responded cautiously.
"About here, you never tell no one your last name, okay? But my name is Kate." She responded. He smiled softly.
"You aren't from around here are you?" She asked. He shook his head.
"Have any lodging?" Once again, no. "Any money?" Still no. "Well then. You'd best come with me then haven't you." She said. She turned and started to walk away. He looked shocked but quickly followed. It was harder than he had expected. She had an easy going enough pace but the way she moved... It was like she was dancing…
"Excuse me miss. Where am I?" He asked cautiously. The girl turned and looked at him at if he were insane.
"You're in Canada." She whipped back around, her long hair fluttering out and whipping him across the cheek.
When they had arrived at the next forest she advised him to stick close or he could very well lose her. She disappeared into a doorway type entrance. She moved quickly down the thin corridors of trees. Jack's view was blocked in almost every direction by the many trees. There were many paths leading away. She got ahead of him for a moment. It was that one moment that made all the difference. He turned the corner and found several paths leading all different direction. Each 'doorway' was marked by a different color of ribbon. He looked around. The forest was silent. For the first time in a long time, he was frightened.
"Kate?… Kate?…" he called. He soon heard footsteps. Kate stepped out from a path marked by a pale blue ribbon.
"This way, Jacky!" she said with a touch of anger in her voice. Jack trotted quickly after her. He was careful not to lose her again. As soon as they reached the road she told him to stop. She told him to wait there. He watched her walk quickly down the road. He sat down in the long grass to wait for her. He waited for what seemed like an hour before she returned. She was carrying a bundle with her.
"Here, put these on." She told him, shoving the clothes at him. He looked at her strangely.
"Here? In the middle of the road? With you watching?"
"No! Go into the forest a few feet and put them on there. I won't look."
"Erm… Alright…"
Jack came out about 5 minutes later fully attired in the clothing Kate had brought him.
"This is a very strange outfit."
"It's what's cool around here."
"What do I do with my old clothes?"
"Just toss them in the forest for now and we'll come back for them later."
Jack did as he was told and Kate combed his hair and led the way to her house.