Boarding School Express
Kiki was furiously cleaning up the mess after having sent Marty to pack her belongings. She couldn't wait to send the little brat far, far away. Priscilla's would have to handle the Monster Child now; it was THEIR problem, not hers anymore. She couldn't believe she had come all this way just to lose valuable, irreplaceable items. Things that she could never, ever get back.
"First thing in the morning- the station," she muttered under her breath. The sooner she could get The Brat out of her sight and onto that train, the better off she would be.
~*~*~*~
It was the following morning when Kiki barged into Marty's bedroom. The sun was barely up as she snatched the covers off the child. "Get up!" she growled.
Marty sat up sleepily, her curls matted from sleep and a sleepy expression on her face. "What?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
Kiki grabbed Marty's arm, yanking her up. "Get dressed. Move it! Let's go; you have a train catch. I won't have you dawdling or trying to pull any stunts," she forewarned her niece with a glare.
*Ohhh no! Boarding School day,* Marty thought sadly. It really was happening, just like Aunt Kiki had said. She remembered the mess, the packing, and her aunt's threats to send her away.
*Please, please let me like it there,* Marty silently prayed.
"Y-Yes, M'am," Marty whimpered.
She was afraid of her aunt as she tried to hurry up and get ready. The morning getting ready was not spent in fun. Kiki made her bathe and dress. Then she brushed Marty's hair. What was usually a peaceful task for Marty was not this morning as Kiki just didn't care to be gentle. She jerked the brush through Marty's beautiful blonde hair, still furious from last night.
Once they were both dressed and ready, Kiki seemed to be in a hurry. She couldn't wait to get rid of the whiny child. She grabbed some necessities for herself, mostly money. There was just a little bit in the house. The rest was tied up in her brother's accounts. All of that paperwork would have to be settled first thing after she shipped the child out.
"Get your bag!" she ordered.
Marty hastily grabbed the small child-sized suitcase that belonged to her. It was stuffed full of her belongings. She hurriedly dragged it behind her tiny frame. It was an awkward tumble from her room towards the outside of the house.
The Saybrookes had a motor car, and Kiki located it from where it was parked in the drive. Marty entered the motorcar. She sat in the back with her bag beside her, holding onto it carefully, while her aunt climbed in front. Soon they and were headed for the Train Station, but Marty was keeping her lips sealed. She was too afraid to ask or say anything to her Aunt Kiki right now.
The entire time on the ride to the Train Station, Marty thought about boarding school. Would there be other girls like herself who had mean, snooty aunts? Would there be grouchy teachers like Kiki? She didn't want to go to a place with mean people. She really hoped that the teachers and children there would be nice to her and Sara Beth.
When they arrived at the Train Station, Kiki stopped the motor car outside along the curb. She climbed down quickly, waiting impatiently for Marty to exit with her suitcase. It seemed as though Marty was taking forever just to get out of the vehicle.
"I thought I told you not to dawdle!" Kiki snapped impatiently at the child.
"I'm hurrying! I'm hurrying!" Marty promised as she tried to get herself and the suitcase out of the vehicle. It was a lengthy descent from where Marty was situated. She was afraid that she would get dirty climbing from the vehicle, then Aunt Kiki would holler at her in front of total strangers. She hoped she would not ruin her second best dress. She had been sure to pack her nicest things for boarding school. She had thought that if she looked nice then maybe people would be nicer to her.
Once Marty was on the ground, her dress still looking nice and her suitcase in hand, she hurried to keep up with Aunt Kiki's purposeful strides towards the ticket window. She waited quietly as her aunt strode up to the window to buy the ticket.
"One-way, child's ticket to Boston," Kiki said with authority to the ticket master.
"First Class? Second Class? Or Third Class?" the ticket master asked.
"Third class," Kiki replied. She was NOT spending a penny more on this child than necessary to ship her off!
"That will be 98 cents," replied the ticket master.
Grumbling about the high price of the ticket, Kiki counted out the money. With reluctance, she handed it over. Then she snatched the ticket from the ticket master and turned to Marty.
"Let's go," she said, after a quick glance at the ticket to see from which platform the train would depart.
Marty rushed along beside her aunt, trying not to trip while carrying her suitcase. Together, they headed for the platform. Train whistles and the sound of voices calling for departures could be heard as other trains pulled out of the station. Other trains were just arriving.
Minutes later, Marty stepped onto the train, her heart in her throat. Her cruel aunt didn't even say goodbye. Kiki just turned around and walked into the crowd.
Marty took a seat next to an elderly man, trying not to cry as she held tightly to her suitcase. A train steward walked by, taking Marty's ticket. It wasn't long until the train departed, headed toward Boston. She was on her way to her destiny... whatever that may be...