I guess at some point I fell asleep on the train. Because I was awoken by me being thrown onto the scarlet carpeting. the train carriage itself jostled and bounced. God did it terrify me. Stranger, yet I was the only one in the train car. I finally gave to one big jostle and my small frame was thrown high into the air before falling down with the train car. I kept on tumbling down and down and down with the train car. Until I hit the ground.
I was pinned beneath something when the falling stopped. something heavy. I knew I had to get out from under it somehow. I quickly wiggled myself out from under the mystery object. The train car was a complete mess along with myself. I was stuck God knows where for God knows how long. But then I caught a glisten of light through the curtains. So I was somewhere. But still, God knows where.
I quickly sat up wondering just how long I would be stuck here in this car. Hopefully, it would not be too long.
I stood up again and straightened my black dress.
I all of a sudden heard voices from outside the train car. I then heard loud thrashing noises and I hid behind the large mystery object from earlier.
Then came a loud boom and the light of a flashlight flooded the space above my head.
''What the hell? I could have sworn I heard someone in here'' said the voice of a teenage boy.
"Eh, maybe it was just some stupid little animal," said another teenage boy.
"It has black hair!" squeaked a sweet little voice.
"Geranium," sighed one of the boys.
Then I heard footsteps descend into the carriage and light shine upon my snow pale face.
"It's a pretty girl!" smiled the boy who shined the flashlight on my face.
"LeFay Clive Peregrine Love," he said as he lifted me up from the floor.
He certainly was handsome and he had leonine features with mint green eyes and lightly curled hair. What made it even stranger was his charming British accent. But his name LeFay Peregrine? Could he be? No, he couldn't possibly be could he now really?
The second boy arrived and retrieved my trunk from the overhead.
"Come on LeFay we gotta get back to my moms'!" snapped the boy.
"Coming Beckham just be careful," LeFay said as he set me down.
"Don't call me love," I snapped at LeFay.
"Okay. What's your name?" he asked as I trailed him out of the train car and onto a city sidewalk chilled with early fall breeze.
"Winterrose," I said as I adjusted my black pea coat gently.
"Winterrose. That's certainly a name you don't hear every day," He chuckled lightly in his charming accent.
"Well neither is LeFay," I snapped right back at him.
"Got me there," he laughed.
I continued to follow the two boys to a building. Not dingy but not well kept either. We entered in, and oh Lord the racket inside! Music and banging could be heard from almost every room. And finally, we arrived at Beckham's apartment. Geranium rushed through us and raced around the living room.
"Home sweet home," said Beckham as he sat down on the couch which was incredibly vintage looking while horrible polyester stripes and the chair next to it was made out of red milk crates and two cushions for no particular reason other than Beckham had probably made it. Then beside that stood a Victorian lamp with a slightly dirty cover. Then there was an old TV and eggshell walls that extended down into the bedroom hallway.
"My mom is waiting for you. The third door down," said Beckham as he pointed down the hallway.
I walked and did as I was told and I lightly pushed the door open. A tan woman stood looking out the window at the night sky. This must have been Beckham's mother. Even from the back, they didn't look a thing alike. Beckham was pale skinned with pink freckles, wavy black hair, seafoam blue-green eyes, And was rather tall and muscular with a slimness to him. While this woman was tall, slim, had deeply tanned skin, and had wavy raven black hair.
"Hello," I whispered softly.
"Hello," said the woman as she turned around.
She had milky white eyes I would have turned and ran if it hadn't been for LeFay blocking the doorway.
"Trust her. She's not here to hurt you," said LeFay in a soft voice.
"How do you know?" I snapped cruelly.
"Because. She's my aunt and she has never once tried to kill me," said LeFay.
"Ugh fine!" I groaned and sat down on the bed.
LeFay closed the door. The woman pulled a photo album out from a bedside table as she sat beside me.
"I am Rhea Mendoza. This is a photo album I have kept for many years to chronicle the life and times of my family. Of course, this includes the cousins' of my sons Beckham, Edison, and Archie, and my daughters Blake and Geranium. But of course, what is in this book may shock you. As you may think you know people but you don't," said Rhea in a kindly Spanish accent.
"Trust me I hardly truly know anyone," I said in a voice that tried to be edgy.
Rhea opened up the album with a sigh. On the first page was the picture of a young woman with long hair in a Victorian lace wedding gown with a beautiful handmade floor-length veil and a handsome olive-skinned young man who stood beside her proudly with his arm laced within hers. A smile on both of their young faces.
"Ah, the wedding of Alma LeFay Peregrine and Thayer Idris Demoiselle. I remember it like it was yesterday. Alma looked so beautiful in her ivory gown and Thayer looked so handsome in his suit. It was hard to believe what happened just fifteen years later," said Rhea.
"What?" was all I could say as my mouth hung open in shock.