centerfont face=monotype corsivafalling the wrong way/font/center
chapter 2
Kevin watched the california countryside fly by as they entered a particularly rural zone. In the distance there were fields of grape orchards. He was numb inside, like he had never felt before, not even when his parents left at his first summer camp ever, and he had cried for hours before meeting some guys and going swimming. He felt used and alone, like he did not matter anymore. Ayanna and himself had a well furnished compartment on the transamerican express train, with leather seats and a big open window. She sat across from him, her carry light suitcase clutched firmly in her hands. Overhead they each had a medium sized bag, Kevin's few favorite outfits and Ayanna had her ballgown and dress. Kevin stared at Ayanna, and wondered how a simple outfit could have transformed her so. Now in a pair of baggy jeans, a loose tee-shirt advertising: "Don't wear a cow, man" and sneakers which had seen better days, she looked too odd. Her raven's wing hair was held in a no nonsense pony tail, her expression slightly sick as she watched the country side fly by.
Kevin leaned over, watching her expression. She didn't look too good. She was very, very pale and a bit green around the edges as she clasped her suitecase with knuckle-white fingers. A book lay beside her, open and forelorn, abandoned long ago. The title at the top of the page was "The Old Man and The Sea", a book Kevin had read in Eighth Grade Honors English. "Hey, Ayanna, are you okay?"
"Fine, my lord. It is just....I have never been on anything that went quite so fast in my life. Back home we use horses." She said softly, a low moan escaping her throat as she lay back and placed one hand over her head. It was slightly comical, seeing her so when she was supposed to be the bravado-filled one.
Kevin shook his head and sat back, crossing his legs and reaching to swipe "The Old Man and The Sea" from Ayanna's side. She did not try to stop him. He read the first few pages before putting it back beside her. This time she lay a hand over the book, as if protecting it. "Look, Ayanna. If we are going to make this whole huge journey, don't you think it would be easier if you weren't 'my lording' your way to the moon and back. Don't you want to be on even friendly terms? Kevin? Kev, even." For it was true, Ayanna had not tried at all to be even moderately friendly. She only acted like a servent or a lady, someone lower than him. It made Kevin uncomfortable, that anyone made themselves inferior to him.
Ayanna blinked as if seeing Kevin for the first time, a look of confusion crossing her features. Was he really that mean looking? Kevin didn't think so. A smile creeped across her lips then, and she offered one hand, slightly shaky with her motion sickness, to him. "Friends, then. Untill we get to tortall, or better."
Kevin took the proffered hand and shook it, heartily. Then Ayanna dropped her hand and returned to staring out the window, and Kevin figured it was going to be a very long trip indeed.
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Kevin couldn't sleep. It was midnight acording to his watch, and the window shade was rolled down. Ayanna was curled up under a fleece blanket, the kind issued by the train. Her hair had been pulled out of it's pony tail, and her curls fell freely around her face. She looked so innocent asleep. Kevin had the sudden urge to touch the porcelain doll cheeks, to have one of her curls cling to his fingers. As he reached over to gently brush her face, his breath came short. Could it be he actually felt attraction to this girl? At school she wasn't near his social group, and she would never be. She was quiet and distant and rattling, but he felt a pang in his heart when he looked at her, all the same. His fingers brushed her smoothly pallid skin, running down the curls of black hair. Suddenly, her eyes flickered open, and it took a moment to focus. He could have pulled back, denied everything. But her eyes had changed color from the deep brown they were that morning to an almost lime green, and he was captured by them. Ayanna gasped when she realized what he was doing, and later Kevin figured it probably would have been freaky for him if they had been vice versa. But that was hardly an excuse for what she did next. Kevin saw red as the pain from the sharp slap on his cheek sunk in, and sat back with a loud "oomph." Ayanna was sitting up now, the blanket clutched around her shoulders. Her hair was mussed, and there was a red spot on her cheek from where her arm had been. "My lord, what do you think you were doing?" She asked, her voice was a myriad of emotions. Mostly, Kevin reasoned later, horror. But why?
"Oh, well..." He couldn't really think up a good answer. Ayanna eyed him wearily, as a mouse might eye a hungry cat. She then made a pardoning noise and gave a little shrug before falling back into slumber again, though he could tell it was a very light, easily awakened one. Kevin sighed and lay back on his own seat, tugging the plastic off the red fleece blanket and fluffing the pillow under his head. Ayanna was so close, he could reach out and touch her. He forced himself not to, however, and determinedly shut his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep.
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"Did not sleep well, Kevin?" Ayanna asked that morning as they sat in the dining cart, her munching on a full breakfast of eggs, toast, cereal and milk. He only had a small piece of french toast, he had no appetite. He must've looked a holy terror, too. Kevin tried all he could to go to sleep that night, but it was impossible. All he could think of was Ayanna.The touch of her, her skin was so soft, she smelled like earth, fresh things. iI'm in love./i Kevin realized shortly, thunderstruck by the thought. He was in love. Love! It was so odd...yet real.
"Yes, I slept fine, after I got down to it." He said, replying in the same tones she used with him. It was if last night had never happened, as though he had come so close to confessing his feelings and yet...now he wasn't.
"We should be arriving there tomorrow morning, probably around eight." She said testily, as if spending another night with him did not sound any better than spending a night with cockroaches.
"That's good. What will we do after we get off?" Kevin asked in a conversational tone, as if nothing was wrong. He knew there was. And Ayanna would tell him in good time, he knew.
"Well, we'll grab a taxi to take us to the sea. We'll be arriving about ten miles from it. We can stop to eat and rest, if you like. Or sight see. The Highnesses said to let you do as you please untill you enter the land of Tortall. After Boston, we will go down by a certain harbor. We'll have to climb down, and walk a good five miles before we hit an inland cave. There we'll find a small rowboat waiting for us, and it'll take roughly two days -"
"Two?!" Kevin asked, looking incredilous. "Caves aren't that big that it would take two days of even the strongest currents."
"They are weak currents, and it takes two days because we are traveling between realms, Kevin. Think about it. Tortall is a far cry from America." Ayanna said matter-of-factly, before leaving the table. Kevin sighed and pulled out his wallet, giving ten dollars to a sniggering waiter and told him to keep the change.
Kevin then went looking for Ayanna, searching the train for her. She wasn't in the compartment, the resturant, anywhere. Finally, through the windows between trains he saw her, standing on the end, a small platform. It was about four feet long and two feet out, with a flimsy wire railing holding it on. Within arm's reach was the railing of the next car, and through the window a waiter pushed a trolley of snacks through the isles, stopping respectfully at each door. Kevin slid open the door surprisingly easily. He came up and leaned on the railing beside Ayanna. He knew they probably weren't allowed to do this, but Ayanna did not seemed to care. She neither accepted his being there nor shooed him off, and Kevin enjoyed that secret little victory he had won. Score: one for Kevin, none for Ayanna.
chapter 2
Kevin watched the california countryside fly by as they entered a particularly rural zone. In the distance there were fields of grape orchards. He was numb inside, like he had never felt before, not even when his parents left at his first summer camp ever, and he had cried for hours before meeting some guys and going swimming. He felt used and alone, like he did not matter anymore. Ayanna and himself had a well furnished compartment on the transamerican express train, with leather seats and a big open window. She sat across from him, her carry light suitcase clutched firmly in her hands. Overhead they each had a medium sized bag, Kevin's few favorite outfits and Ayanna had her ballgown and dress. Kevin stared at Ayanna, and wondered how a simple outfit could have transformed her so. Now in a pair of baggy jeans, a loose tee-shirt advertising: "Don't wear a cow, man" and sneakers which had seen better days, she looked too odd. Her raven's wing hair was held in a no nonsense pony tail, her expression slightly sick as she watched the country side fly by.
Kevin leaned over, watching her expression. She didn't look too good. She was very, very pale and a bit green around the edges as she clasped her suitecase with knuckle-white fingers. A book lay beside her, open and forelorn, abandoned long ago. The title at the top of the page was "The Old Man and The Sea", a book Kevin had read in Eighth Grade Honors English. "Hey, Ayanna, are you okay?"
"Fine, my lord. It is just....I have never been on anything that went quite so fast in my life. Back home we use horses." She said softly, a low moan escaping her throat as she lay back and placed one hand over her head. It was slightly comical, seeing her so when she was supposed to be the bravado-filled one.
Kevin shook his head and sat back, crossing his legs and reaching to swipe "The Old Man and The Sea" from Ayanna's side. She did not try to stop him. He read the first few pages before putting it back beside her. This time she lay a hand over the book, as if protecting it. "Look, Ayanna. If we are going to make this whole huge journey, don't you think it would be easier if you weren't 'my lording' your way to the moon and back. Don't you want to be on even friendly terms? Kevin? Kev, even." For it was true, Ayanna had not tried at all to be even moderately friendly. She only acted like a servent or a lady, someone lower than him. It made Kevin uncomfortable, that anyone made themselves inferior to him.
Ayanna blinked as if seeing Kevin for the first time, a look of confusion crossing her features. Was he really that mean looking? Kevin didn't think so. A smile creeped across her lips then, and she offered one hand, slightly shaky with her motion sickness, to him. "Friends, then. Untill we get to tortall, or better."
Kevin took the proffered hand and shook it, heartily. Then Ayanna dropped her hand and returned to staring out the window, and Kevin figured it was going to be a very long trip indeed.
center* * */center
Kevin couldn't sleep. It was midnight acording to his watch, and the window shade was rolled down. Ayanna was curled up under a fleece blanket, the kind issued by the train. Her hair had been pulled out of it's pony tail, and her curls fell freely around her face. She looked so innocent asleep. Kevin had the sudden urge to touch the porcelain doll cheeks, to have one of her curls cling to his fingers. As he reached over to gently brush her face, his breath came short. Could it be he actually felt attraction to this girl? At school she wasn't near his social group, and she would never be. She was quiet and distant and rattling, but he felt a pang in his heart when he looked at her, all the same. His fingers brushed her smoothly pallid skin, running down the curls of black hair. Suddenly, her eyes flickered open, and it took a moment to focus. He could have pulled back, denied everything. But her eyes had changed color from the deep brown they were that morning to an almost lime green, and he was captured by them. Ayanna gasped when she realized what he was doing, and later Kevin figured it probably would have been freaky for him if they had been vice versa. But that was hardly an excuse for what she did next. Kevin saw red as the pain from the sharp slap on his cheek sunk in, and sat back with a loud "oomph." Ayanna was sitting up now, the blanket clutched around her shoulders. Her hair was mussed, and there was a red spot on her cheek from where her arm had been. "My lord, what do you think you were doing?" She asked, her voice was a myriad of emotions. Mostly, Kevin reasoned later, horror. But why?
"Oh, well..." He couldn't really think up a good answer. Ayanna eyed him wearily, as a mouse might eye a hungry cat. She then made a pardoning noise and gave a little shrug before falling back into slumber again, though he could tell it was a very light, easily awakened one. Kevin sighed and lay back on his own seat, tugging the plastic off the red fleece blanket and fluffing the pillow under his head. Ayanna was so close, he could reach out and touch her. He forced himself not to, however, and determinedly shut his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep.
center* * */center
"Did not sleep well, Kevin?" Ayanna asked that morning as they sat in the dining cart, her munching on a full breakfast of eggs, toast, cereal and milk. He only had a small piece of french toast, he had no appetite. He must've looked a holy terror, too. Kevin tried all he could to go to sleep that night, but it was impossible. All he could think of was Ayanna.The touch of her, her skin was so soft, she smelled like earth, fresh things. iI'm in love./i Kevin realized shortly, thunderstruck by the thought. He was in love. Love! It was so odd...yet real.
"Yes, I slept fine, after I got down to it." He said, replying in the same tones she used with him. It was if last night had never happened, as though he had come so close to confessing his feelings and yet...now he wasn't.
"We should be arriving there tomorrow morning, probably around eight." She said testily, as if spending another night with him did not sound any better than spending a night with cockroaches.
"That's good. What will we do after we get off?" Kevin asked in a conversational tone, as if nothing was wrong. He knew there was. And Ayanna would tell him in good time, he knew.
"Well, we'll grab a taxi to take us to the sea. We'll be arriving about ten miles from it. We can stop to eat and rest, if you like. Or sight see. The Highnesses said to let you do as you please untill you enter the land of Tortall. After Boston, we will go down by a certain harbor. We'll have to climb down, and walk a good five miles before we hit an inland cave. There we'll find a small rowboat waiting for us, and it'll take roughly two days -"
"Two?!" Kevin asked, looking incredilous. "Caves aren't that big that it would take two days of even the strongest currents."
"They are weak currents, and it takes two days because we are traveling between realms, Kevin. Think about it. Tortall is a far cry from America." Ayanna said matter-of-factly, before leaving the table. Kevin sighed and pulled out his wallet, giving ten dollars to a sniggering waiter and told him to keep the change.
Kevin then went looking for Ayanna, searching the train for her. She wasn't in the compartment, the resturant, anywhere. Finally, through the windows between trains he saw her, standing on the end, a small platform. It was about four feet long and two feet out, with a flimsy wire railing holding it on. Within arm's reach was the railing of the next car, and through the window a waiter pushed a trolley of snacks through the isles, stopping respectfully at each door. Kevin slid open the door surprisingly easily. He came up and leaned on the railing beside Ayanna. He knew they probably weren't allowed to do this, but Ayanna did not seemed to care. She neither accepted his being there nor shooed him off, and Kevin enjoyed that secret little victory he had won. Score: one for Kevin, none for Ayanna.