Author's Note: Big fat ass apology for leaving it for so long, problems
with moving and the internet. You can blame me, but I'd rather you blame
my mom's boyfriend. I just plain don't like him. I don't think you guys
would either.
The descriptions in this are set around the book. Like the school uniform, the car... etc. This chapter is set after Penny finds out the news from the nurse. It's her on her way to her new home...
~#~
Chapter Four – City Girl
A bump on the track jerked my body out of sleep. For a moment I thought that it was all a horrible dream, but a glance at my surroundings confirmed that this was real. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and prayed that I wouldn't start crying again. The loneliness was harsh and cold; I always hated leaving my friends, but was only now that I felt truly alone. When we had all said goodbye, I think even Ivy started to cry as I got on the train.
The train pulled to a stop at Harlow and I realised that the next stop would be mine. A few people left the carriage, there were still a lot of people on the train, but it wasn't crowded. I looked out of the window again as we started to move, more trees, more mountains, more nature. I just hoped that my newfound relative didn't live in a log cabin, out in the middle of nowhere. I needed lights and excitement, not plants and home cooking.
I had learnt that there was an elderly woman, Mrs Chalmers, in Castle Rock who had proof that I was a far distant relative of hers. I think my mother was her niece, or she's my grandmother's sister-in-law, something complicated like that.
I wasn't exactly sure about the proof she had either, it all seemed to strange, that after being on earth for over eighteen years should someone claim me. Why not sooner? I couldn't have been that hard to find.
I picked my suede rucksack from underneath my legs and held it on my denim- clad lap. Someone was supposed to meet me when I got off the train, I couldn't remember his name. He was a student that had gotten into trouble; his community service was delivering a poor orphan girl to, possibly, her only living relative. I hadn't even got to the damned town yet and already they pitied me.
The train stopped and I felt like just staying there, not getting off and going into the unknown. But where would I go? No family, I couldn't go back to the orphanage because they'd just drag me back here.
But if I got off at Castle Rock Train Station, I'd have a chance to find out about my family, if the old bird was telling the truth and wasn't just senile beyond belief. I picked up my denim jacket that lay beside me and slid it on in one quick movement, I moved out of my seat as I picked up my rucksack and headed for the exit.
Few people got off the train with me, even fewer were waiting at the station. I searched for the trouble-maker who was picking me up. Definitely wasn't the old couple sat feeding pigeons, or the young family to my right. I took a few steps forward and turned to my left, there he was, standing on a bench, leaning against the wall, cigarette in hand.
He was wearing shiny black shoes and black trousers, his white shirt wasn't tucked in and he had a nylon red jacket on, which I presumed was school uniform. I instantly started praying that I wouldn't have to wear a skirt.
Puffs of smoke arose from his mouth and nose; I couldn't see any of his features. I was silently glad that he hadn't noticed me yet, judging by the way that I was staring, and possibly even drooling. I started walking towards him, clutching my bag in my arms, I stood in front of him for a few moments, waiting for him to notice, he didn't.
"Um, hi," I said, looking up at him with curious eyes.
He noticed me then, "City Girl?" He asked in a rough and velvety voice, looking me up and down, and then back up but more thoroughly.
I saw cold and mocking blue eyes, his strawberry blonde hair was combed back with Vitalis and his mouth curved up at one side in a relaxed grin on his unshaven face.
"The name's Penelope." I said, slightly irritated and annoyed at the way he was looking at me. I threaded an arm threw a strap on my rucksack and let it hang on my left shoulder.
"That all your stuff?" He gestured to the bag.
"Yeah, I'm a light traveller." All I had in my bag was another pair of jeans, some underwear, a pair of trainers, a few t-shirts and some toiletries.
"That's funny," He replied as he elegantly bounced off the bench. "I had the impression that you were going to be here permanently."
"Well," I struggled for words, I was supposed to stay here, if she was my family then she couldn't kick me back to the orphanage, she had to keep me no matter what. "I plan to stay here for as little time as possible."
He looked at me for a moment or two; his eyes seemed to be laughing at some private joke, before he walked towards the exit, motioning me to follow. I was curious about how much he actually knew.
I stopped as he climbed into a black 1952 Ford. Gangster whitewalls and spinner hubcaps, highrise chrome bumpers and Lucite deathknob with a rose embedded in it clamped to the steering wheel. Painted on the back deck was a deuce and a one-eyed jack. Beneath them, in Roman Gothic script, were the words WILD CARD. This guy sure loves his car.
A few minutes into the journey had gone and neither of us had said a word. The radio silently released one of Frank Sinatra's songs and I sank back into the white, leather seat.
"What's your name?" I asked, not taking my eyes away from my view at the window.
"Ace."
I turned to him, "What kind of a name is Ace?"
"What kind of a name is Penelope?" He sharply retorted.
"It's more normal than Ace." I said, turning back to the window.
"Yeah, but who wants to be normal?" (A/N: Such a Chris thing to say)
I didn't reply, I figured it was a rhetorical question anyway. We eventually stopped outside a small house on a gentle looking street.
"You have a motorbike?" His voice seemed faraway and blurred.
"Huh?" I looked at him whilst being dragged from my daydream.
"Do you have a motorbike?" He questioned again, pointing to my motorcycle boots, that I had stolen from Anne months before I left.
I answered him as I exited the car. "No, my friend does though. I ride it sometimes. If she lets me."
"You like hard things throbbing between your legs?" He asked after I slammed the car door shut.
I looked at him in shock, nobody had ever been that blunt with me and I wanted to hide as I felt crimson heat spread across my face.
He chuckled and gave me a wink. "See you in school, City Girl." He pulled away from the curb and I was left a few yards away from my new home.
#~#
Author's note: The car's description is exactly like the one in the book. I just didn't want to screw with Stephen King's perfection.
The descriptions in this are set around the book. Like the school uniform, the car... etc. This chapter is set after Penny finds out the news from the nurse. It's her on her way to her new home...
~#~
Chapter Four – City Girl
A bump on the track jerked my body out of sleep. For a moment I thought that it was all a horrible dream, but a glance at my surroundings confirmed that this was real. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and prayed that I wouldn't start crying again. The loneliness was harsh and cold; I always hated leaving my friends, but was only now that I felt truly alone. When we had all said goodbye, I think even Ivy started to cry as I got on the train.
The train pulled to a stop at Harlow and I realised that the next stop would be mine. A few people left the carriage, there were still a lot of people on the train, but it wasn't crowded. I looked out of the window again as we started to move, more trees, more mountains, more nature. I just hoped that my newfound relative didn't live in a log cabin, out in the middle of nowhere. I needed lights and excitement, not plants and home cooking.
I had learnt that there was an elderly woman, Mrs Chalmers, in Castle Rock who had proof that I was a far distant relative of hers. I think my mother was her niece, or she's my grandmother's sister-in-law, something complicated like that.
I wasn't exactly sure about the proof she had either, it all seemed to strange, that after being on earth for over eighteen years should someone claim me. Why not sooner? I couldn't have been that hard to find.
I picked my suede rucksack from underneath my legs and held it on my denim- clad lap. Someone was supposed to meet me when I got off the train, I couldn't remember his name. He was a student that had gotten into trouble; his community service was delivering a poor orphan girl to, possibly, her only living relative. I hadn't even got to the damned town yet and already they pitied me.
The train stopped and I felt like just staying there, not getting off and going into the unknown. But where would I go? No family, I couldn't go back to the orphanage because they'd just drag me back here.
But if I got off at Castle Rock Train Station, I'd have a chance to find out about my family, if the old bird was telling the truth and wasn't just senile beyond belief. I picked up my denim jacket that lay beside me and slid it on in one quick movement, I moved out of my seat as I picked up my rucksack and headed for the exit.
Few people got off the train with me, even fewer were waiting at the station. I searched for the trouble-maker who was picking me up. Definitely wasn't the old couple sat feeding pigeons, or the young family to my right. I took a few steps forward and turned to my left, there he was, standing on a bench, leaning against the wall, cigarette in hand.
He was wearing shiny black shoes and black trousers, his white shirt wasn't tucked in and he had a nylon red jacket on, which I presumed was school uniform. I instantly started praying that I wouldn't have to wear a skirt.
Puffs of smoke arose from his mouth and nose; I couldn't see any of his features. I was silently glad that he hadn't noticed me yet, judging by the way that I was staring, and possibly even drooling. I started walking towards him, clutching my bag in my arms, I stood in front of him for a few moments, waiting for him to notice, he didn't.
"Um, hi," I said, looking up at him with curious eyes.
He noticed me then, "City Girl?" He asked in a rough and velvety voice, looking me up and down, and then back up but more thoroughly.
I saw cold and mocking blue eyes, his strawberry blonde hair was combed back with Vitalis and his mouth curved up at one side in a relaxed grin on his unshaven face.
"The name's Penelope." I said, slightly irritated and annoyed at the way he was looking at me. I threaded an arm threw a strap on my rucksack and let it hang on my left shoulder.
"That all your stuff?" He gestured to the bag.
"Yeah, I'm a light traveller." All I had in my bag was another pair of jeans, some underwear, a pair of trainers, a few t-shirts and some toiletries.
"That's funny," He replied as he elegantly bounced off the bench. "I had the impression that you were going to be here permanently."
"Well," I struggled for words, I was supposed to stay here, if she was my family then she couldn't kick me back to the orphanage, she had to keep me no matter what. "I plan to stay here for as little time as possible."
He looked at me for a moment or two; his eyes seemed to be laughing at some private joke, before he walked towards the exit, motioning me to follow. I was curious about how much he actually knew.
I stopped as he climbed into a black 1952 Ford. Gangster whitewalls and spinner hubcaps, highrise chrome bumpers and Lucite deathknob with a rose embedded in it clamped to the steering wheel. Painted on the back deck was a deuce and a one-eyed jack. Beneath them, in Roman Gothic script, were the words WILD CARD. This guy sure loves his car.
A few minutes into the journey had gone and neither of us had said a word. The radio silently released one of Frank Sinatra's songs and I sank back into the white, leather seat.
"What's your name?" I asked, not taking my eyes away from my view at the window.
"Ace."
I turned to him, "What kind of a name is Ace?"
"What kind of a name is Penelope?" He sharply retorted.
"It's more normal than Ace." I said, turning back to the window.
"Yeah, but who wants to be normal?" (A/N: Such a Chris thing to say)
I didn't reply, I figured it was a rhetorical question anyway. We eventually stopped outside a small house on a gentle looking street.
"You have a motorbike?" His voice seemed faraway and blurred.
"Huh?" I looked at him whilst being dragged from my daydream.
"Do you have a motorbike?" He questioned again, pointing to my motorcycle boots, that I had stolen from Anne months before I left.
I answered him as I exited the car. "No, my friend does though. I ride it sometimes. If she lets me."
"You like hard things throbbing between your legs?" He asked after I slammed the car door shut.
I looked at him in shock, nobody had ever been that blunt with me and I wanted to hide as I felt crimson heat spread across my face.
He chuckled and gave me a wink. "See you in school, City Girl." He pulled away from the curb and I was left a few yards away from my new home.
#~#
Author's note: The car's description is exactly like the one in the book. I just didn't want to screw with Stephen King's perfection.