Yo there! Gonna make this short, buuuut
thanks for sticking around for the first chapter!
More to come very, very soon. :D

A Long-Lost Symphony
Chapter One: Night Train to Nowhere

"Hey!"

A voice called out, to which I immediately responded to. But not just any voice; there was a certain familiarity to it. I glanced around, scanning the area, but saw nobody to match the sound. I then found myself combing through the hundreds of people whom — such as I — were donned in long, navy blue gowns, searching to and fro like a child. Looking for my mom was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I clutched my diploma and matching colored cap tightly, still trying to follow the voice that I swear I thought I just heard.

"Over here, Riley!"

And there it was. My attention piqued once again, searching a little harder this time — like playing a game of hot or cold. But then I finally found her, and it was when we met eyes that we really started running.

"Oh, honey you did so great up there! I'm so proud of you!" She practically came flying towards me, taking me into her arms as she squeezed them tightly around me. It felt comforting, and safe — one of few things that I felt truly sure about all day.

And frankly, what a day it's been. I honestly never thought that a salutatorian's commencement speech would be terribly difficult. You say what you feel (rather, the things you put together into words the night before) and then when you're done, you watch people applaud for you. Some even come up to you afterwards and personally commend you. People say it's such a surreal, very compelling sort of feeling. But why didn't I feel it?

"Thanks mom." I was finally able to tell her above her reverie. "So, what now?"

"To your graduation dinner, of course!" My mother's chocolate brown eyes gleamed simply at the thought as we walked arm in arm together, away from the crowd.

I didn't really ask for much. If anything, all I wanted as Chinese take-out to enjoy in an intimate setting — at home. But my mom insisted that we brought the whole family; most of which actually didn't even make it until after the ceremony was done.

Nonetheless, I could only think of my room while I sat along yet another throng of inquisitive people while trying to stomach my food. Questions arose such as "what are you doing this summer?" and "where are you going to college?" flew across the table and I found myself answering the same things all night.

"Oh totally, the campus is really pretty."

"I know, living in a dorm is going to be different, but I know it'll be fun."

"Yeah, I'm driving up there for orientation in about three weeks."

By the end of the hour, I was getting pretty sick of it. I didn't even hear how monotonous I was, but surely felt it. I practically sounded like an answering machine on replay.

"So, Riley!" Another question came from a family friend, who attempted to get my attention with an angled raise of her fork. "Have you thought about what you were going do in college?"

And that's when it struck a chord — the question that I was really hoping nobody would bring up. My face must have been deadpan, because I felt everything stop at that very moment. I swallowed heavily.

"Umm… Well, I… actually, I wasn't sure quite yet." I could practically feel sweat forming in my palms. I looked down once in hopes that it would help regain my sense of sanity — it didn't. "I kind of hoped to, you know, figure it out… o-once I got there."

"Isn't that a little too long, deary?" I cringed upon hearing such an awful pet name. "Don't you want to decide now before it's too late?"

"W-Well… I…" This was what I was afraid of.

And as if it wasn't bad enough, the words still kept on coming. "And gee, if you don't think about it now, what if you never really 'figure it out'? There's so much we need to do in so little time, you know! In four years, you've really got to start getting yourself out there. I'm just saying, because—"

I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't even care if she was done. And it was then that I did something that I didn't expect myself to do. I stood up from the table, biting my lip as I felt the tears try to fight their way out from behind my eyes. I opened my mouth, as if to say something, but all I could feel at that moment was panic. And I did the first thing I could think of — which was to run back home.

"Riley!"

"Where are you going!?"

"Come back!"

I ignored the fervent, constant pleas they made for me to return. After all, they were only concerned because they saw the way that I reacted. Otherwise, would they have cared?

But there was no time to think about it. All I had that was level-headed in my mind was a sense of direction, and that was towards the place that made me the safest.

I still felt myself choking in the back of my throat as I frantically reached for my house keys, in hopes that I could at least make it in before anyone else could spot me. Afterwards, I darted straight for my room and I locked the door. And what then followed would be my first — and only — sigh of relief for the day.

Some time had passed; to what extent, I didn't know. But what I did know for sure that I was hiding in the dark for much too long. It was only then that I decided to curl into my blanket when I felt the presence of somebody else at home. It must've been mom, having just come back and gone straight up the stairs to the place where she know she'd find me because I heard that her keys were still in her hand.

"Hey, sweetie, can I come in?" A knock came and her muffled voice followed from behind the door as she said this with concern.

"Mm…" I called out incoherently, still beneath my sheets but having taken them with me as I unlocked the door and creaked it open lightly.

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" She saw through my tear-stained, puffy eyes that tried so desperately to hide beneath the fabric donned over my head.

I couldn't even speak. All I could do was nod lightly, even though we both knew that that was a lie. She sat both of us together on my bed as she tried to meet my eyes.

"Riley, I know that this has been really hard for you. But you know that what she said wasn't to hurt you. I'm sure she was just curious." She patted me on the back as she told me this. Sighing once, she tucked away a strand of my hair behind my ear before continuing once more.

"Tell you what, it's been a long day. I'll leave you to it for tonight, and we can talk about this more tomorrow." Her smile was contagious, and I couldn't help but try hard to return it, even though I had to fight it a little. "It'll be okay, honey."

And after a final hug, she kissed me once on the forehead and I heard her footsteps fade in the distance.

I sighed, reaching around my bed for a pillow that I could tightly clutch on to. Clumsily, I felt it fall to the ground below my bed, and I tried to find it with my hand. But instead, my eyes widened at the feeling of a hard-covered spiral notebook. "W… What the…?"

"It can't be…" I got out of the covers a lot quicker than I should have, immediately turning on a light and peeking underneath my bed.

Upon picking it up, I blew the dust off carefully and flipped through the pages quickly, until I found the last, where a small stack of pictures stuck out slightly. I picked them up and gazed at them as a wave of nostalgia began hitting back at me. I haven't seen these since I was a child.

Below me were images that instantly gave me flashbacks of happier times. I was included in a majority of them, standing side-by-side with a group of smiling faces behind what most people would say were "just animals." Deep inside, however, I know they were more than that — they were my friends, and they were real.

My eyes swelled in an overflowing stream of tears as I continually leafed through the same pictures over and over again, gazing at them longingly as all kinds of memories came crashing through like a tidal wave. In the back of my mind, I was starting to clearly remember a time when I really, truly felt happy. I missed them.

At times of both happiness and sadness, I found myself in a sanctuary where I knew I was safe from anything and everything. And it was when I felt in my heart, it's what I was missing all along — a piece of the past that still hasn't faded away.

Or, has it?

"Hmm… I wonder…" I muttered aloud, staring straight ahead as a flurry of questions flew into my head. "Only one way to find out."

And without even thinking, my mind went straight for my closet. In a fit, I found a small bag and started throwing out some articles of clothing, among other essential things.

I looked around in a bit of a hurry, finding my notebook and flipping through an empty page as I ripped it out and started quickly penning out what would be a note to my mom. Was I really about to do this?

I can't stop now, I was starting to say to myself. I have to do this.

In a messy scrawl, I mentioned to her that there was no need to worry and that I was going to go someplace where I can think — a place to get away. In truth, I wasn't sure when I was going to return, but I told her that there was something that I really needed to do. And when I felt I was finished, I folded it in half and placed it on my bed.

Then, I took one last look at my bedroom before shutting the door and making my way out.

I was walking for what felt like hours. When I finally found my destination, I finally took a breather and sat down on a nearby bench. I slumped down on it, grabbing tightly at my belongings. It was dark, and eerily quiet. A single florescent light flickered on and off, and a slight wind was picking up, causing the nearby signs to creak noisily as it wobbled about. I scanned around the area, and figured it was already late, as I was the only one here.

I heaved a small sigh as I played with my fingers, only to be quickly caught off guard by heavy quaking beneath the ground. I rose to my feet instantly, looking all around until I spotted a faint light glowing bigger and brighter the faster that it came.

My hair flew in all directions as a small chain of locomotives slowed to a complete stop in front of me, the brightly lit cars practically empty at this late hour. I stepped on to the nearest door of the train, my heart racing.

I took a seat by a window, in hopes that memory still served me correctly and I could spot the town that I knew and loved, like in the pictures.

And so I tried — unsuccessfully — to fight the need to sleep, only to awaken and find that it was now the crack of dawn. A slight tinge of bright yellow gleamed beneath a deep blue sky, welcoming a new day. I thought about mom and wondered if she was awake by now and if she'd found me missing. But I shoved that matter aside when I heard a garbled voice come on to the intercom.

"Excuse me, excuse me." The speakers boomed as practically incoherent words sounded from it. "This is the last stop, I repeat, this is the last stop. Please exit the vehicle."

"Wait…" I gasped lightly and sat up immediately, seeing the empty car and the doors of all sides open before me. "H-Hey! Wait a minute!"

"Ma'am, please exit the vehicle." The voice repeated in the same fashion.

I sighed, knowing that there was nothing I could do at this point. With my belongings in tow, I stepped out of the train and walked into the station as the locomotive disappeared from sight.

I took note of the significant damage — water dripping from above the ceiling, rusted railroad tracks, metal laced in cobwebs — possibly from wear and tear, or maybe even poor maintenance. I tried to find a map of the stops, only to find that anything previously legible had either been smudged out or had gone all but faded.

As I approached the exit, I found that there was nobody to greet me like in other stations, nor were indications of visitors in a long while. I felt so unsure of where I was; hiding inside my hoodie never felt safer to me.

Walking rather slowly now, I eyed similar surroundings all around as I stepped out, seeing the sun start to peek out from below the horizon. I squinted and hovered a hand above my forehead, looking ahead. I wasn't quite sure of where I was, let alone how far away I was from home. But with little to work with, I could only assume that I had to kill some time before the next train were to come.

I knew it was early, so it was quite possible that the townspeople weren't even awake yet. Although, I suppose there's no harm in trying anyway.

Down the small steps of the station, I was brought out to a gray cobblestone path laid around the vicinity. To my right was a worn, wooden board where it looked as if papers once belonged there. To the left was an old level crossing that blocked out to a slight up-hill area.

Considering the conditions, I was starting to believe the chilling thought that I may have been the only one in the small town. Still, there was no sense in giving up, for there was still the question of what time another train was going to arrive.

I walked along a path of dried soil where a building stood due west of where I arrived from. Judging by its looks, it appeared to be the area's town hall, although it looked as if it hadn't been used in years.

I sadly turned away as I lay my eyes upon a larger cobblestone area. In its center was a single square-shaped area with the appearance of a flower bed where dirt lay.

There was a slight chill in the air, and my arms crossed tightly along my chest as I took a seat on the square of bricks and dirt, thinking hard at the thought of what to do next.

And it was when I got comfortable that I found out that I wasn't alone, hearing the sound of pattering footsteps along mushy grass. My first instinct was to hide and to not be spotted, but also, another part of me felt that I should make some sort of communication with somebody around here. Maybe then they could tell me where I am.

I felt my heart jump to my throat, rubbing my eyes as I wondered if I was dreaming. For it was at that moment that I came across what appeared to be a teddy bear who had a jagged purple line along his orange head. He bore multi-colored ears and arms. His eyes — or lack thereof? — were simply two x's, making it hard to tell whether he really spotted me or not. His smile was small, and he didn't seem like he was there to cause harm.

"Ah!" A scream came from the small cub, the frightened expression on its face eminent as he appeared taken aback at the sight of somebody new to him in front of him. "Oh… Who are you?"

I wasn't sure how to respond, even though I knew what he asked of me. I drew in a sharp breath. "Well, my name's… Riley. I'm not from around here. I… Um… You see, the train… It stopped me over here and I'm not sure where I am so if I could just—"

"Hold on a second!" The bear exclaimed in realization. "I know who you are!"

"Y-You do?" I asked, my mouth agape.

"Oh, yes!" He squealed, his expression not too far off from mine. "You're the new mayor!"

And then, as if there were a sound of a record scratching, I frowned slightly. "Wait… What?"

The cub didn't seem to mind my confusion, for he went into a state of confusion and slightly panic, looking around before turning back to me. A hand pointed straight at me as he spoke. "I've got to tell everybody in town, pronto! Oh, wait until they hear this!"

"Wait! You have the wrong person!" My hands shook about. I wasn't even sure exactly how to react, but before I could even think, the little bear had gone off to another direction screaming quite loudly in a sense of urgency.

"Come back!" I screamed once more, trying to find where the teddy bear went.

"Guys, guys! Wake up!" His faint voice could be heard from the distance, and so I kept running. "The mayor's here! Our mayor! She's finally here!"

"Oh no…" I hid my head in my hands. This was going off into a bad start…

Welp. Hope that was a good start. Thanks again for dropping by. 'Til next time! :)