Chapter 3: All Abroad!
I'm am so very sorry this story didn't came out before Christmas, but you'll still enjoy it, promise. Enjoy for all and for all enjoyment!! (gets a mouthful of hot chocolate for stupid phrase)
Raven was petrified at the magnificent sight. An enormous Victorian-style locomotive, spewing out clouds of smoke, and at least 350 feet long, parked right in front of the now snowy beach on an island. And etched on the each section of the train were the words, "Polar Express".
Raven's eyes never took off from the train, until she noticed something in front of it, and once again, petrified. Rail tracks. 2 metal pieces were floating on icy cold water, and stretched as far as her once teary eyes could see.
Raven was awestruck and dumbfounded at the same time. When in the world did, this… train get here!?? And how did those tracks appear out of nowhere!? I…I must dreaming. That must be it, I must be in a dream! Figuring that was the only explanation, Raven started to slowly trudge back to the Tower, while hoping the train will disappear. Until she heard…
"All abroad!!" A lump of snow exploded from the shock Raven so unwillingly received. She shot a quick to the left to see where it came from. It was a man wearing blue, standing on a staircase leading into the train.
Being the type that was cautious but suspicious, Raven slowly walked towards the man in blue, who seems to be the imaginary conductor of this magnificent train (she was still in denial that a train was sitting on an island beach on Christmas Eve). She readied herself for anything.
After for what is actually a tiny stroll, Raven felt like she went through a marathon, and finally, a few feet, away from the, conductor. As Raven took a better look at him, he was checking something on a clipboard, then the time on a golden pocket watch, a sight quite uncommon in Jump City. Then his eyes that were shielded by a pair of crescent moon spectacles glanced over to a very dumbfounded little grey girl with a comforting smile on his face.
"Evening miss. Are you Raven by any chances?" the conductor asked with a rather –let's get on the train- tone.
Raven nervously nodded. In the rather interesting dimension that was Raven's mind, Timid was so nervous to the point of shivering, she doesn't even have the energy to look for Brave, who was being a bit neutral right now.
"Check. Hmm…" After ticking his clipboard, he made several disappointing clicking sounds. "Tsk, Tsk miss, you've got the one of the worst reasons to get on the Polar Express I've seen in years!"
Raven, who was in an awestruck trance for awhile now, shook it off at the surprising remark she just heard, "Excuse me? One of the worst reasons to get on this train…"
"Well sure, says right here on old Clippy: you made a rather hurtful remark to your friend; you blown up a mistletoe, with a cute couple having a memorable moment below it by the way, and at dinner…"
"Stop, stop! I've heard enough already," Raven was getting more and more confused by the minute, and having flashback of the…incident… doesn't help at all. She could feel her eyes starting to water, and here she is, with nothing to wipe it away.
Seeing as how the little grey girl reacted to his…speech…, the conductor politely offered her his handkerchief. "Thanks," After wiping off her tears, Raven gave the handkerchief back to the conductor with .a rare smile, only to have it wiped away when she got a good look at it: a Christmas tree. It was a good thing the conductor quickly took it back or she would've just dropped it.
"No problem miss, so , ya comin?" The conductor replied while checking his pocket watch. Having adapted to already so many mind-boggling happenings in a matter of minutes, Raven simply raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Am I coming? As in, me, getting on this train? To where?"
The conductor snorted, and replied, "Why to the North Pole of course! Hahaha, where'd you expected, the South Pole!?"
And just when she was getting used to it, the words "North Pole" came along. This must be a dream…there's nothing there but snow and polar bears!! This has to be a dream…it has to be!! What little grey was left on Raven's face. She took a few steps away from the conductor, and another, and another, until her hand was touching the doorknob which leads back into the Tower, away from the…dream…
The conductor took one last look at Raven with a sigh and what Raven could've sworn, a touch of sadness, and went back into the train. Then, the train started to hum back to life, with clouds of smoke huffing up into the air, and the enormous wheels started turn, moving the train forward and away from Titans Island.
As the locomotive started to pick up speed, Raven felt a lump of regret slowly engulfing her. Why, why didn't I board the train? Why? There were so many whys in her mind Raven felt sick to the core. Then, she did something not quite instinctively, not quite regretfully, but most definitely wholeheartedly: "Hey, wait, stop!! STOP!!!"
Raven started to run at the train, shouting at her top of the lung to stop the train, but it was really picking up the speed. Luckily, Raven kept her a cool head and flew into the door.
As she got into the train, she felt an instant warmth flowing through her. As she turned open the second door that leads into the passenger seats, she was face-to-face with the conductor holding a rather large smirk. "Why the change of heart?" the man asked.
Raven paused a bit, then said, "I need to get to the bottom of this crazy dream or I'll be stuck guessing this phenomenon my whole life, happy?" The conductor could instantly tell that that wasn't the only reason. He made way for Raven to go through, while trying to avoid his piercing hazel eyes. And once again, shock of her life.
Children. Little children. From about 6 to 10 years old, shapes and sizes (but still normal children), about a dozen children with their pyjamas on, scampering about the seats, having conversations, or simply sleeping in their seats. This just can't be good for my blood pressure.
After a few nudges and pats on the shoulder, every child in this section of the train turned to look at Raven. Using this to his advantage, the conductor said, "All right kids, back to your seats, back to your seats now. You too Raven," Some of the kids gasped while others simply stared. Raven sat at the back corner of the seats, away from the others . "All right then, everyone, please hand out your tickets from your pockets to the nearest conductor -that would be me- to have your tickets punched, please,"
Raven bit her lip so hard, she almost tasted blood. What golden ticket? The conductor didn't say anything about a golden ticket!? She searched around her pockets, but realized, she doesn't have any. She looked around her cape, no pockets, she looked all around her leotard, no pockets, she even looked at the inside of her hood, no pockets.
Raven was starting to panic a bit. She didn't want to get out of this train so early! She looked around at the children and they all produced a golden ticket, and using a little puncher, the conductor punched the tickets at such speed that he rivalled a machine.
Raven was clutching her head again in sheer confusion. Doing it in front of a grown man was bad enough, but a dozen children!? I need to meditate when I get out of this train. She took another look at the conductor, and he got closer… and closer and he went out of the backdoor without even looking at her.
Huh? That conductor went out without punching my ticket, if I have one that is. This has to be a dream… Raven sighed and started to meditate. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos, Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos, Azarath, Metrio…"
Raven suddenly felt a soft breath of air touching her face. She opened her eyes and saw six little heads staring at her. A particularly little girl asked, "Miss Raven, what'ca doing?" She paused at the rather awkward question thrown at her at a very awkward situation.
"I'm meditating," Raven flatly answered.
"What for?" a boy asked.
"To calm me down," Raven answered again, but with a bit more attention thrown in.
"Why would you wanna calm down when we're going to the North Pole?" a girl in blue asked.
"North Pole? Kids, I'm not sure whether you know this or not, but the place has been explored before, and there's no Santa's workshop, no little elves, and no Santa for that matter, at all. It's just a figment of your imagination,"
The kids gave her a curious look, "If you knew there isn't any Santa or elves or anything Christmasy there, then why'd you jumped back into the train at the last minute?" One boy politely asked.
Raven opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. In truth, she has almost no idea why she did it, other than to get to the bottom of this mystery of course, but she didn't dare to tell them that.
"I guess it's because I followed my heart, and I was curiousto see where it takes me," Raven replied. The kids looked at her curiously, but they bought it and left her alone. In a philosophical sorta way, that was part of the truth, not entirely, but partly.
Just when Raven started to cross her legs to meditate, she heard a shriek. It sounds like it came from the window, but it was too dark to see what's outside. Some of the kids were already screaming. Whatever it was, it's trying to get in. Raven's mind suddenly floated back to her horror book, "The Stowaway". This was how the antagonist got in and killed everyone inside. I shouldn't have read that book today…
"Kids, get back, this could get ugly," Raven positioned herself in the middle of the train and the kids got all the way behind her. That…thing was making a hole in the window. She charged her powers to prepare for the worst.
The thing that cut a hole in the window, and popped into the train, was Red X.
Just call me the suspense king! Sorta. R&R please! Enjoy for all and for all enjoyment!! (gets a mouth full of zynothium for stupid phrase)