A quick happy Memorial Day to those who celebrate it! May we always remember the fallen.

Chapter 3: Names and Gifts

A couple of days had passed, and Autumn's biting chill was growing stronger every day. Shaina had found coats hanging up in a closet, which was quite the godsend, as the wind was whipping up on this particular day. She walked down the streets of Wellsworth, bundled up and lost in thought. The last week or so was like nothing she could imagine. Her family was cared for, thank heavens. They had found that her parents had jobs lined up for them and various important documents were stashed away in a safe that had the combination taped to the top. Her brother found a letter stating that he was enrolled in a local school, which solved that issue. Everything they needed had mostly been either pointed towards or provided outright.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't see the man in front of her and they collided. Shaina groaned as she noticed herself sprawled on the ground.

"Are you alright?" asked a voice with a Liverpudlian accent.

Shaina looked up to see a bearded man in a British conductor's uniform holding out his hand to help her up.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine," she stammered, accepting the hand. "I suppose I should apologize for that."

"Don't worry about it," the man reassured with a laugh. "It's my pleasure, Miss…"

"Shaina. You can call me Shaina."

"Miss Shaina, an honor," the man replied. "I must be off now. Goodbye!" He tipped his hat and melted into the crowd.

Shaina stood there a moment in utter bewilderment. Who on earth was that man? He was familiar to be sure. No doubt a conductor of some kind, judging by his uniform. But… Why on earth did she feel the need to refer to him as Mr. C?

Shaking her head, Shaina decided to head home. She'd been out enough for the day.

-/-

Edward was resting at the shed since he had some time between trains. He watched as the girl from yesterday walked up the path, listening to how her voice carried in the wind.

"Just an ordinary day
All at once, you're on your way
To a place that cannot be
No one knows what turns the key."

Edward shared a glance with Charlie. She was an anomaly, it was obvious to the engines and crews, but none of them knew what to do, let alone think.

-/-

It was late that night when Shaina trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. She barely registered walking into her room. Well, until she spied the package on her bed with a letter atop it. Shaina was awake in an instant, examining them. The letter, in particular, looked intriguing, as it only had 'Songbird' written in looping cursive on the front of a crisp white envelope. She carefully opened the envelope and read through the letter.

Dear Songbird,

If you are reading this, you've successfully reached Sodor. Congratulations!

I can imagine that you're scared and unsure of why or how you're here. I cannot answer those questions, but rest assured that you are here for a reason. If you keep your spark, you will thrive. You are unique among your kind, and even I don't know how things will manifest for you later on. Just keep moving forward. You'll find your rhythm.

Best of luck to you and your family,

D

P.S. Here's some things to help you. I'll send more if I need to.

Shaina studied the letter carefully. No clue as to who sent it, she noted. Well, it was no one she really knew, anyways. She slowly unwrapped the package.

The first thing she saw inside was a few folded pieces of paper. She pulled them out and gently unfolded them to reveal maps. The biggest one covered the whole island, rails crisscrossing the land like a patchwork quilt. Some of the smaller ones focused on the various branch lines. Each map noted where stations, sheds, water towers, coal bunkers, important locations, and other places of interest were marked in bright colors that seemed to sparkle whenever Shaina turned her head.

She looked back into the box to see a pair of books. Both had the name of Sodor on them, though the covers were worn and it was hard to make out the authors. As she opened them, her eyes widened in interest. Inside, carefully annotated and highlighted, were stories and facts about the island and railway. Shaina scanned the books, curious.

She didn't remain curious for long, though, as the last item beckoned her. She gasped in surprise as she pulled out a laptop. In an instant, Shaina had it turned on and running. Pulling up the browser, she saw bookmarks already saved. They showed the official website for the North Western Railway, the railway's social media channels, webcams, websites of various locals and stores around the island, and other information about the island and railway.

Shaina gently turned off the computer, setting it aside and picking up the letter again. D? Who on earth would name their child D?! Probably some of the same people who named their kid Mr. C, her mind reasoned, still attached to that name for the man she bumped into earlier.

But those were thoughts for tomorrow, Shaina reminded herself as she put everything back in the box. And tomorrow would be another day in this madhouse.

A/N: You guys are seriously awesome! Thanks to Ginger and Penny for your reviews! Guys, I seriously adore getting reviews. They really help me figure out what I'm doing right, so feel free to let me know what you enjoy!

Wow, there's a lot to unpack in this one. We meet two mysterious people in this chapter, Mr. C and D, who I want to note are not related to each other. At least not THAT closely. I have a feeling that you guys might figure out who Mr. C is. He'll show up quite a bit more in this fic, though maybe not looking the same...

D, though... Oh, D is interesting. I don't want to give too much away, cause he'll be showing up eventually. Maybe not as soon as you think, but eventually.

Next chapter, Shaina's gonna go exploring! And we have a couple more characters coming in as we see another important aspect of the railway...