Faith trust and star dust
Chapter 1
"Got your ticket?"
"Yes."
"Your trunk?"
"Yes." I nodded rolling my green eyes frustrated at the questionings.
"Your head?"
"Mother I have it" I laughed touching my head but I could feel tears starting to form. Mother crouched down to look up to me. Mother was always believed that behaving like a lady was neither her thing nor mine. She would rather eat her own foot than be a girly girl. She raised me like a tom boy always playing with her but now the playfulness brought back those memories making it harder not to cry.
"Don't worry you will be ok, I promise." Mother said. Her sweet smile illuminated her face as she stroked my head. A red curl fell down the side of her face. I brushed it aside. I felt a tear run down my face. I felt my mother's hand wipe it away. "Hey, No crying now. You remember that you're my daughter and you will not cry like a little sissy, ok missy?"
I giggled a tiny bit and nodded, unable to speak yet. I hugged her with all my might. She sighed squeezing me tighter. "Why must I go away?"
"Because it's safer in the country. You wouldn't want to stay in a bomb shelter forever? Do you?" Mother whispered in my ear, she turned to look at me. The stations clock behind her read 8:57. Only three minutes left till I leave the city, my house and Mother to an aunt and cousins that I have not seen since I was five. I vaguely remember talking to Jane. I felt without Mother by my side I would be lonely.
"Why can't you come with me?"
"Honey, this is where I need to be. I must stay here while you go to your Aunt Wendy's house. If not, there is nothing for you to come back to."
"Why must I go?"
"Because I told you" She countered.
"But I don't want to go. I want to stay with you."
"Jaime! You are thirteen years old but still just a child. You must stay safe and play with your cousins. Before you know it the war will be over and your father and I will come and get you. Ok?" She encouraged, her jade eyes met the stare my own eyes casted on her.
I heard the whistle of the train come. I looked towards the crowd of other children who would leave their parents as I would. I nodded reaching up to adjust my black cap. Mother adjusted my thick winter's coat. The cold London breeze then hit me I shivered. I pulled the collar of my coat past my ears. I tucked a strand of my red hair back into my cap. My hair just reached my shoulders but I had decided to tuck it in my hat as I always have done but being that it was winter my neck felt bare and cold. I turned to see the train loading up children.
"Jaime, take this." She opened my hand she placed a dark brown pan-flute in it. The instrument felt smooth like metal but I could tell it was made of wood. It was mystifying to look at it. There were many different sizes of thick hollow sticks that wrapped together playing different notes. I put it to my lips and blew a few notes. It felt so natural to play it. Before I knew it I was playing a song that I never had heard of but the notes rang through me. I felt the melody ring through my head and toes. As I finished the song the children surrounding me clapped in unison. Many of the younger ones were in tears. The older ones clapped hooting and shouting "Encore! Encore!" repeatedly.
"It was your father's birthday present for you last month. He never got to give it to you so here it is. Your father got it from a friend when he was a boy. 'Keep it safe. Keep it close. And play it when you want to believe or to be brave. Play it and adventures will follow' is what he said to tell you."She explained sadly. I hugged her tight.
"Thank you, I will treasure it."
"Last chance." The conductor announced. He looked at me and back at my mother. "Say your last goodbyes."
I picked up my trunk and ran to the train's door. As I reached the step I turned back to my mother. Tears ran her cheeks making it harder not to leave. She blew a kiss my way. I held the brim of my cap and nodded. I smiled shouting "Goodbye Mother!"
"Goodbye Darling!" She shouted back. I ran into one of the cabins with two other children in it. I poked my head out the window. As I passed her I waved. When the station was out of sight I sat back down. I looked at the other passengers but they turned to look the other way. I shrugged, smoothing out my worn-out trousers my mother found and slept.
…
I woke up to see green grass stretch for miles around. I turned to my cabin mates but had seen they have already moved to another cabin. Searching through my trunk I found the pan-flute. Taking it out I pressed an ear against the wall to hear the people next door. To my luck I couldn't hear anything I preceded to play the flute. I put the flute's strap around my neck. Another melody started to sing. I was relaxed. I felt at ease playing it. The world was gone and I felt light inside like I was flying. The air rushed in at once I looked down. I was thirty centimeters above my seat. I gasped, as I stopped playing I landed back down.
"Bloody Hell!" I cursed. Not that I don't occasionally curse but I usually don't swear after I was raised thirty centimeters or so from my seat.
I started to play again but this time I let myself rise. I looked down continued playing and I was 50 centimeters above my seat. The same warm feeling flooded in to me. The feeling was spectacular. The sun light from outside warmed my face making me play with more feeling. This feeling was mine and mine alone. No one else besides me at the moment felt this way. It was like openness. The cheery tune made me less home sick. Instead it made me feel connected to home. I kept playing the song till finally the train started to slow down. I stopped and dropped hard on my seat again.
I hastily put the flute into my trunk. I clasped it shut. I looked out the window. The sun was high in the sky. The cool winter's air circled around me. I held tightly to my trench coat. I gathered my things while different children walked outside to the crowd of people. There was a man who stood on the pudendum. A list was in his hands. He looked at us and snickered something under his breath.
He read off the names in alphabetical order. I placed my trunk down vertically and sat. I waited and waited. I felt bored wanting to do something else than sit till my name was called. I started to hum childhood song my mom would sing. I heard him announce my name.
"James Darling." He announced messing up my name. I rolled my eyes I stood up. He surprisingly looked at me.
"It's Jaime Darling. Jaime isn't short for James." I corrected, half lying. Mother wanted to name her child James even if it was a girl but Father wanted a girl's name so they called me Jaime even though I was "James" on my birth certificate.
A dog came forward along with two other children. I presumed they were my cousins of how they were the ones to come forward. The girl looked about one year younger than me. Her brown hair flowed down in ringlets past her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled with child-like shimmer. The boy was about eight years old. He held on to the Saint Bernard's coat dearly. His brown hair matched his sister's and was just as tidally well kept.
"Are you our cousin? James Darling?" The girl asked. Not even an introduction.
I was already annoyed of how the Announcer got my name wrong. Pretending to be a boy was what I did often when I was tired of explaining the background of my name as well as how I dressed. Looking down and smiled a little. I could pass being a boy if I kept the cap covering my hair. The clothes I was wearing were prefect. I knew I had a child-like face. I decided not to correct them.
"Yes I'm your cousin." I said softly.
"In that case I'm Jane and this is Danny." She introduced. The Dog barked. "Oh and this is Nana Jr. Mom used to have a Nana so this is Nana Jr."
The boy peeked his head out. "Do you like to play football?"
"English Football?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, yeah."
His eyes grew huge in awe. He ran and grabbed my hand. He walked me to a cart where a horse was hooked to. Jane took the front seat and reigns while Danny and I were in the back. The ride was too long but Danny went on talking about everything he liked to do. He loved catching Fireflies as well as sword fighting.
"Jane won't sword fight with me liked she used to. So I play with a dummy." Danny complained.
"That's because it is awful. I would never wield a sword if I could help it." Jane told me. I laughed.
"Tell you what, I'll play sword fights with you if you want." I said.
"Really? Thank you James!" Danny yelled as he hugged me. He looked forward a said "look James, we're here."
I looked in front of us. There was a house as big as the building Mother, Father and I used to live in. We were surrounded by trees. I looked back from where we were but could only see forest. I turned back to the house and examined it. It was like father's old building from what he described what it looked like from his childhood. There were two stories visible. The house was… well awesome.
I saw a figure approaching. As we got closer I could tell it was a woman. Her hair was a light brown and pined up in a bun. She had a sweet smile. As I looked at her she reminded me of my own mother. But as I looked closely I could tell that they were very different people. This woman was far more proper and poised than my mother ever was. She reminded me of a story book mother whenever they were mentioned.
"Jane, Danny you're back." She yelled. The cart slowed down when we got to the entry way. Jane got out of the front seat along with Nana Jr. Danny hopped out the back and waited for me. I held my trunk tightly as I jumped out of the cart.
"Mother, look who we got." Danny announced.
"Why hello Jaime. I'm glad you could stay with us." Aunt Wendy hugged me. I could tell she wasn't faking her kindness.
"No Mother his name is James."
"Danny, Her birth name is James but she is called Jaime."
Danny looked at me as I took my cap off. My short straight auburn hair flew down. I put the cap back on my head. Danny stared at me Puzzled. "Do you still like to sword fight?"
I nodded and he happily jumped up. He dragged me to the front of the house along with Jane. He took us inside and up stairs. As he reached the room I saw three beds. They were old style of beds my parents would sleep in. I looked around the nursery. Toys were sprawled on the ground near the ends of the beds. I peered over to look at the window. It was taller than me. It arched fully showing the setting sun. Below it was a sitting area. The wooden area was clean and bare unlike the rest of the room which looked like a tornado flew in.
Danny ran over to the closest bed. He sat on it smiling. His cheeks dimpled making him like a little doll. He was so cute, in a little boy way. I wanted to release all the girlish tension and hug him. Instead I walked over and sat next to him.
"James this is where you will sleep." Danny said. "Oops sorry, Jaime this is where you'll sleep."
I shrugged. "Call me James if you think it's easier. I don't mind."
He nodded. "Ok. But will you ever tickle me? Because I don't like it."
I smirked, proceeding to go against what he told me. I started to tickle him. He started to giggle and laugh uncontrollably. He gasped "Jane help." But she came and started to tickle him to. It seemed so natural to play with Jane and Danny. They were so lively and free. Then they started to tickle me. I couldn't help it but I was having fun. Until I started to laugh and snort.
"Ok, ok! I surrender!" I cried defeated. They quit. I heard footsteps on the stairs. Aunt Wendy opened the door with Nana Jr behind her.
"Oh right Danny can you leave these two girls alone for a bit and help me with dinner?" she asked. Danny looked at her and stomped out of the room. The door quietly closed.
Jane and stared at me intensely. I stared back in confusion. "What?"
"You are a lot more fun than I thought you were going to be." Jane said smiling.
"Likewise." I smiled back. "So tell me about yourself"
Surprisingly Jane and I were a lot alike. Though our personalities were polar opposite we were alike in many ways. We both loved the outdoors and sports. Jane preferred cricket over Football but I could let it slide. We agreed that mushrooms were by far the nastiest thing on the planet besides raw tomatoes. But what was a huge gap was how she always liked girls to be lady like. I didn't even want o go into it. After she went on and on about it I got her to switch topics to other girl stuff
"Dinner!" Aunt Wendy's voice rang from down stairs. Jane and I rushed down to receive a bowl of hot stew. I ate it heartily because it was amazing. It almost felt like the feeling I had when I was flying. Almost.