Chapter 1
Row, Row, Row Your Boat...
She awoke, nearly sliding off her seat as the train lurched forward and halted. She lazily sat herself back on the bench properly. Extending her arms in a gentle stretch, she glanced around the box with weary eyes. Rovington no longer occupied another seat. The remaining seats were also empty, leaving the box vacant except for Althea and orange rays of light filtering in through the closed curtains. She hadn't closed the curtains, had she?
A soft smile turned up her lips. Rovington- er, Ron must have. She hoped the villagers really happened to be "good folks," as he claimed. She shed her coat and quickly tied it around her waist. She'd definitely warmed up during her sleep. Her brain fully computed why it was still light out- she'd slept until the next day.
A ding dong filtered through the intercom, and a woman's voice crackled a message. "Passengers, we've arrived at Ferrus Harbor. Please gather your belongings and make your way to the nearest exit. Please remember to-"
Althea stopped listening as the woman droned about trash disposal and safety precautions. She wrapped her slender fingers around the handle of her well-loved leather suitcase, tucked her umbrella under the same arm, and slid open the door to the main area. She popped into the line filing out of the train, and waited. Idle chat and laughter filled the car. It smelled of antique wood and smoke, a smell like a country home resting atop a hill that sprouted the greenest of grass.
"Excuse me, ma'am," a voice from behind snapped her out of her reverie.
Her eyes had been closed. "Oh, uh, sorry," she apologized, then filled the gap before her. She strained to keep her thoughts focused. Soon, she would board a ferry over to Mineral Town. Since roads or railroads hadn't been built over the mountains to the rural village, the route she took proved the speediest. Besides, the ferry ride was said to be an hour to an hour and a half. She flicked her wrist up as she took a step forward, checking her watch. The little hand pointed between seven and eight. A sigh puffed from Althea's mouth, the full realization setting in. It was going to be a long day...
Fortunately, she was pulling in for the home stretch, only a few people now between her and the door. She leaned over and tried to peek out. Someone assisted the people who traveled with many bags at the door, currently helping a man carry out a large suitcase. The line moved up, and she gasped at the sight of the harbor city.
Huge white buildings accented with greys and blues towered over bustling streets. Men yelled to each other along the piers, performing various sailors' duties under the slowly brightening sky. Next thing she knew, her toes dangled over the edge of the stairs leading down to the platform.
She nodded a polite "Thank you!" to the helper and hopped off the train. The platform's canopy sported the navy and white nautical palette, along with the remainder of the station. Good thing she removed her coat earlier; heat waves sizzled off the platform where the sun hit it. She trotted over to the doors leading into the station. She slapped her palms against the door- and nearly slammed right into the door itself. Her eyes drifted down to the long, silver pipe handle. Realizing the letters "PULL" were printed across the door, she laughed and blushed, pulling it open and hoping no one really noticed.
Although the harbor city had an old-fashioned feel to it, the station certainly didn't. Staircases wound up to multiple levels, leading to snack bars, souvenir shops, and other kinds of shops you'd see in a mall. Steely white tiles dipped in the middle, creating a central area. Tables were scattered around a column with ads flashing across an electric sign around the top. Althea chuckled at a veggie juice ad featuring a particular icy blue haired singer.
She started towards the far end of the station, dead set on getting to her destination as fast as possible. Crowds chattered loudly and lingered in circles or in lines. Others, like Althea, swiftly made their way toward the place they ought to be.
She wove in and out of crowded areas, and nearly fell down the abrupt incline to the center. Her suitcase and umbrella clattered to the ground. She mentally cursed herself out, reaching for her dropped items; however, a rough hand quickly snatched up her things.
She was about to yell out that someone stole her luggage. Her eyes trailed up to look in the stormy grey eyes of a tanned young man.
"Drop these, Miss?" he smirked at her.
She couldn't help but laugh. "No, actually, I threw them on the ground," she remarked.
His dark locks spilling out of a plum bandana bounced as he chuckled. "Really? Kay, I guess I'll just hold them for ya. Where you off to, Miss?" he said, voice smooth as silk.
Her features darkened. "Look, I can take care of my things myself, thanks," she mumbled, and reached for her suitcase.
"Ah, ah, ahh! First tell me where you're headed!" he teased.
"I can get security with a snap of my fingers. They're right over there."
"Please, I can take em."
"They have guns. Or tazers."
"I'm quick on my feet."
"So am I."
They stared each other down with intense gaze. Finally, Althea broke off, casting a worried look behind him.
"Is everything..." he turned his head slightly, but stopped. "Wait! You can't-" he realized too late.
She lashed out and managed to free her suitcase. She hesitated, but decided she couldn't return for the umbrella and sprinted for the exit. Heads turned in her direction. Not caring a single bit about what they thought, she flew over to the door and shoved it open, stumbling out onto a pale concrete sidewalk. Cars rolled along across the street.
Her gaze focused on a ship directly across the street, a sign stood up at the corner of the dock in front of it. "Mineral Town Ferry Service," the tall red letters scrawled across the white surface. Exactly where she was informed it'd be. What luck! For once, her travel agent got one right. She'd have to congratulate him... Later.
Cars drove by under the green traffic light, preventing her from reaching the ferry. She coughed as a strong whiff of exhaust fumes drifted by. "Harbor or not," she breathed, "it's still a city."
"Ain't no place like the countryside, eh?"
She jumped and turned to see the man from earlier. "Excuse me, but-" she started fiercely.
He held up one hand and thrust his other toward the woman. Grasped in his fist was her umbrella, extended to her as a peace offering.
Ripping the umbrella from his grasp, she pursed her lips and looked him up and down. What should she so? Thank him? Slap him? She settled on the less violent of the two, making it the least warm and fuzzy way possible. "Thank you," she clipped, giving him a sharp glare.
He only chortled in reply, nodding, as if agreeing that he needed to be thanked. He rested his hands against the back of his head. "No problem!" he exclaimed.
She huffed, trying not to stare at his sculpted, sinewy arms. They weren't impossibly huge, but he was no string bean. She continued to stare across the street as she waited for the light to turn red.
The man started to whistle and tap his foot casually. "So," he said, attempting at breaking the awkward silence, "you headed to Mineral Town too?"
"Yup," she replied curtly. Wait a second. "Wait, you're..." she looked at him in an oh-no-you-didn't expression. Well, good luck had to end somewhere, didn't it?
A smirk overtook his face. Oh, yes he did. He gave a wink and turned back in the direction of the ferry. "Call me Kai," he said with a toss of his head.
Althea's feet planted firmly on the concrete, her eyes bored into him, her mouth slightly agape and brow furrowed.
They both stood in a heavy silence. Finally, the green light switched to red, enabling them to cross to their destination. "That was a rather long light," Althea complained, legs stretching in a brisk pace.
Although Kai towered over her by at least half a foot, he was having trouble keeping up. "Eh... Mind slowing down? The ferry won't leave till at least another half hour! Hey, uh..." he sighed, unable to get her attention. He caught up to her and matched her pace, his boots now making a hollow clunk on the boardwalk. "I'm... sorry?" he offered in an attempt to make up for bothering her; though, he still wasn't sure what he'd done wrong.
Althea kept her gaze focused straight ahead at the ferry, a steely expression plastered on. She made a point of glaring at him. Looking back ahead, she opened her mouth, "I forgive you. Somewhat." Her rosebud lips pressed back together in a thin line. She halted a few feet away from a whistling man perched atop weathered crates, a cheap umbrella opened above him.
It's nautical blue color was faded out, and the edges of the cloth were frayed and torn. The man, assuming him to be captain, looked no better himself. His leathery skin crinkled around his facial features. He glanced up with a surly look on his weathered face, which quickly brightened at the sight of Kai and Althea. "Ey, I assume you're here for the ferry ride? Welcome back, Kai!" He spoke in a surprisingly smooth, deep voice.
Althea nodded half-heartedly, gears churning in her mind. Welcome back. Kai must've been a regular to Mineral Town. She flashed her watch before her eyes. Eight thirty, precisely. Kai's prediction was actually correct; they'd have to wait half an hour for the ferry to leave.
She squinted off at the sea, sun dancing on the vivacious waves. Kai and the captain made idle, friendly chatter; Althea simply gave a defeated sigh and sat on the warm wood. Too late turned into too early. Which was worse? As she pondered this, she took no notice of Kai taking a squat right next to her.
"So," he began.
She jumped, but quickly exhaled and calmed herself. "Yes?" she replied cooly.
He beamed at her reaction, giving a little laugh. "Whatcha going to Mineral Town for?"
Pondering her answer, she decided she was going to tire of the same response quickly. "It's... A secret!" she exclaimed in mock excitement. She flourished her arms and tossed her blonde ponytail in exaggeration.
Kai played along. "Wow! Really? Gee, sure wish I knew what it was," he teased.
"Oh, doesn't everyone?" she fluttered her lashes. They both laughed despite themselves. Maybe the boat rude wouldn't be so bad, after all...
After twenty more minutes of awkward sarcasm and thumb-twiddling, the two sat in the cabin of the ferry boat for more terrible joking and self-thumb-wrestling.
After a long silence, it was Kai who broke the ice. "So, what are you really going to Mineral Town for?" he inquired, scratching his stubbly chin.
She eyed him in exasperation. She gave a moody sigh, mumbling and proceeding to reach into her coat pocket to fish around for something. Since it was still around her waist, she wrestled with it a bit, producing a crinkling sound. Her enclosed fist emerged. A rosy pink paper jutted out the sides; she opened her hand and, taking the paper in her hands and tediously smoothing it out.
Kai reached for it, only to have her jerk back and give him a reproachful look.
He sank back into his seat glumly, crossing his arms.
She smiled in mock politeness. "Here. This should explain," she quipped, holding out the paper.
Kai raised his eyebrows, taking the page in a hand and looking at the long, slanted writing.
"To Althea:
I have been recently informed of your extraordinary musical talent. I would like to ask you to attend our next festival, the Fireworks festival, and play for us here at Mineral Town. I promise you'll be paid well. Of course, you're travel will have to be paid for yourself. In the end, it's really up to you whether or not you're willing to come.
I'm looking forward to it.
"So, um... you really decided to follow through with it? No name, even?" Kai asked in disbelief, looking the paper front and back.
"Yup," she replied haughtily.
Kai's lips turned down at the ends. "Couldja stop that?"
She stared at him for a moment. "Stop what?" she asked.
"Stop.. That!" he replied, waving his hands her her direction.
"Are you gesturing to all of me?"
"Well, maybe I-" Their argument was cut short when the boat lurched, and Kai fell out of his seat.
Althea latched on to the table as her body swung out of the chair.
"What the heck?" Kai shouted. He inhaled a wary breath, then jumped up to his feet.
Althea haltingly adjusted herself back on the seat. She looked to Kai with a horrified expression. "What happened? Why did we stop? Is everything okay?" By the end of her barrage of questions, she stood up straight, her fingers curling against the table bolted to the floor of the boat.
He chuckled, "We're here, silly. We just... Had a hard stop." He rolled up the letter and bopped her on the head with it. He began sauntering to the door.
"Wait," she cried, "I thought the boat ride was an hour and a half, not... Not a few minutes!"
He gave her a puzzled look, squinting his eyes and biting his lip. His face lit up when her misunderstanding dawned on him. "Oh, the mistake on the brochure? That's been there for ages, bro! Dunno why no one's bothered to fix it, but... Whatever," he shrugged. "Only someone like me, who's been there half a million boat trips, would know, I guess. Not that people regularly use the ferry to Mineral Town..." a distant look clouded his eyes as he gazed at the floor.
Althea, feeling rather miniscule and insignificant, stood abruptly amd walked past Kai. "In that case, we'd best get going, then," she announced. She cringed at the scorching sunlight flooding down from above, holding up a protective arm to shield her eyes. A few sets of footsteps clopped in the wood nearby, indicating other passengers making their way across the deck.
Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, finally, and she took in the sight of her destination; to her right stood a weathered wood building. A colorful sign was nailed to the front, but the glare of the sun made it hard to read. The same went for the sign above the clean white shack sitting next to the building. The shack looked significantly more sturdy and well-kept than its neighbor.
A strong finger tapped her shoulder and she turned to face Kai.
He pointed to the clean shack. "That shack over there is mine! Hurry up and pay the ferry man and I'll show ya around!" he exclaimed, then stalked off.
She smiled after him. Not a fake smile, but not quite yet a truly joyous one. Remembering the task at hand, she walked up to the ferry man, digging around in her pocket for gold. "Two hundred gold, sir, here you are," she handed over two large coins. Hoisting her suitcase up, she strode off the boat to the dock and stopped where the sand spilled over the wood. She snapped her head up as Kai waved from his shack. "I'll be right there!" she yelled back.