Mahpari opened her eyes slowly. The moonlight flooded into her room, making her items turn a dim blue. Even she was glowing from this.

The girl sat up, looking around. It had been three and a half months since Durbe had called in saying he'd be home in four months, instead of a year.

Which meant it had now been four and a half months since he'd first left for this.

Mahpari was becoming worried. This wasn't like her brother. He was always on time. The most he'd ever done in terms of being late was coming home two days late from a funeral, but that was due to a snow storm.

Whatever was going on now, she was sure it was horrible.

The gray-haired girl sat up, staring out the window and at the moon that bathed everything it touched a light, sparkling blue. Her smokey-gray eyes blinked curiously, then closed for a moment in deep thought.

There was only one thing she could do. Go find Durbe herself.

"But, how do I get there?" Mahpari whispered to herself. If she got on the wrong train, there was no telling what could happen to her.

That was when she remembered the paper that had come to her brother in the mail. Surely that must say what train numbers would take him to the base, right? After all, how would Durbe have known where to go? He might know a lot, but he didn't know everything.

Mahpari smirked. She jumped from her bed, then raced as quickly and silently as she could. With a giggle, she took the paper in her pale hands. She skimmed through the words on it, making sure this was the right one.

Thankfully, it was.

"Alright. Now, where are those train listings?" Mahpari's finger glided around the paper, her eyes skimming the words on it like they were going to run away if she didn't. Finally, the smokey-gray eyes landed on the scattered bunch of numbers.

And among them were the list of ten trains.

"Perfect."

Mahpari didn't waste one more second standing around. She raced away, back into her room and grabbed her backpack. The girl went flying back to the kitchen, grabbing the handle of the fridge and flinging the thing open. It was easy to grab the five cans of corn, the bag of carrots, a sack of apples and string cheese, then stuff them in her backpack. Trying to fit the ten water bottles in there, however, proved to be a challenge.

Only four of them would fit, and Mahpari knew she needed more than that.

"Crap. What now?" The girl looked around, trying to find what she could place back in th fridge. She still needed to fit in a spoon and a fork, plus the can opener.

Mahpari growled, then sighed. She shook her head, then got up and grabbed the fork, spoon, and can opener she needed for this trip. With a huff, she forced them into her backpack, then zipped the pouch before anything could fall out. Another growl passed through Mahpari's lips as she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder.

Finally. It was time for her plan to go into motion.

XxXxXxXx

The cool morning air made Mahpari wish she had brought a jacket with her. It was about 6 AM, judging by the way the horizon was colored, so it made sense for the temperature to be in the middle. Wind blew her hair around in cute little circles as she came to the hill. Standing on it, she gazed down at the train station, watching them pull in and speed away.

A train with the number 22 written neatly on it was the one to pull in next. Mahpari smiled.

There was the train she needed to get on.

Without waiting for one more second, Mahpari went bolting down the hill. She skidded to a halt when she neared the entrance to the train, then walked a little more calmly, attempting to avoid the crazy looks people would send to her if she had continued to speed. Getting on somewhat cautiously, Mahpari raced to find a seat in the back. She pounced into one when she found it, then lay down, trying her best to stay hidden.

It seemed to work, because no one else knew she was on the train.

Mahpari smiled to herself, then remembered that this was going to be a long ride. Normally, she'd take this kind of time in gladly and use it to sleep. But she had been known to snore when she slept.

And she couldn't risk being caught. Only soldiers were aloud on the trains for a while. She was considered a stowaway.

The train began to pull away from the station. Mahpari had to bite her lip to keep form screeching when she went lurching forward. Thankfully, she managed to pull it off.

Whew, Mahpari thought, allowing herself to breathe after that incident made her hold her breath. That was too close for comfort.

Geez. It had only been two minutes, and Mahpari had already come close to being discovered?

This was going to be a loooong ride, that much was for sure.

XxXxXxXx

Somehow, a few hours had managed to pass, and Mahpari hadn't uttered even a sound. She still lay in the seat of the train, trying her hardest not to move a muscle, nor to speak a word or make a sound. The girl was twitching from trying so hard not to move.

The train pulled to a complete stop, and people instantly began to jump off. Mahpari continued to stay still until she could hear nothing. She blinked and peeked over the seat, seeing no one else was on.

Good.

Mahpari smiled and looked at her window. It was an easy open one, similar to those she saw on the buses back at home. No one lingered on that side of the train. Mahpari chuckled and opened it, then backed up at bit. She bit her lip, then rushed forward and leaped out the window, hoping she'd land cleanly.

Not gonna happen.

The total opposite, however, did. Mahpari landed with a thud, moaning in pain as she looked around. Her smokey-gray eyes darted around wildly as the train began to pull away, trying desperately to find a place to hide.

And it was only when they settled on some large rocks did she know she was safe.

Too bad Mahpari wasn't quick enough to flee over there.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here? Round up more soldiers! We've got a stowaway!"

Mahpari froze for a moment. But by the time it clicked in her mind that she needed to run, it was too late. She let out a scream when the soldiers grabbed her arms, lifting her by them and glaring at her menacingly. The girl screamed again and kicked at the soldier's legs.

They didn't even flinch.

"Let me go you psychos!" Mahpari yelled, trying to kick herself free again.

"Silence, child. Vector will be most pleased to know just who we found."

Now, Mahpari stiffened. She didn't remember her name clearly, but she knew the general that Durbe was now back with was not named Vector. Now that she looked around, she noticed something. These were not soldiers from Durbe's side, either.

Whoever they were, they were enemies.

"Yes," the other soldier agreed. "Let's get going, before we're noticed. If we tie her up, her older brother is bound to come for her. We take him out, and then, we go on with our plans. This war will be ours."

Mahpari gulped. She knew better than to say anything, for if she said one thing too many, she risked her own life. There was no denying it. The enemy had her in their grasp.

And she was being used as the bait to bring out and kill her brother.