Chapter 1 - A Warm welcome...?
I woke with a start, rubbing my eyes. The train conductor stood above me.
"Are you getting off or not? Train can't wait all day," I read his name tag: Porter. He was smiling, something that oddly made me a little mad.
"Thanks," I said, and without a look backwards, I pulled my suit case off the train.
"Hooray!" I was met by a crowd of cheering animals. The one that stood out was a cream colored dog carrying a clipboard. She stepped up to meet me by the door. The rest of the animals – an indigo penguin wearing way too much makeup, a very small but cute brown bear, and a burnt umber colored elephant – stayed back and waved excitedly.
"You must be our new mayor. I'm Isabelle, your assistant!" She stuck out a paw as my jaw dropped. Mayor?!
"…I'm Lena," I said hesitantly. "Lena McKlinn," She smiled wider, if that was possible. "But wait, mayor? I don't remember anything like THAT being in the brochure," It was a joke, but Isabelle did a double-take.
'No, no, you must be! You match the description almost perfectly," She said matter-of-factly, pulling out a picture. I took a good look and compared it to me. We had the same raven black hair, and face shape, but otherwise, no one would be mistaking me for her. My eyes were forest green while hers were ice blue. She was maybe a head shorter than me, maybe even more. Was this dog high?
"I…but…I," I stuttered. She shook her head, handing me a map.
"You have a lot to do, Lena. Get settled in, and then we'll talk. I'll be here, in the office when you're ready!" She disappeared behind the door near her desk. Sighing, I exited the office and waited for Isabelle outside the town hall. If I had to be mayor whether I liked it or not, she had to be a damn good assistant. Whether she liked it or not.
Well this version I think is way better – I hope you liked it! I'm so sorry for the short chapter re-do, I didn't want to include too much detail first. They definitely will get longer, I promise. Feel free to review and give CC, as long as you're not a jerk about it. Chapter 2 and 3 are in progress!