~~Young~~

Chapter Eight

   She stopped by the middle car and waited in line behind the other passengers. This one was her choice in cars- the best of the worst as she saw it- the regular fair beverage service car, where every set of seats came with a table between you and the person across from you. Enough room to ignore or interact if you wanted to. There was no option of buying lunch on this car- that you had to be riding in the cabins for- but Chelsea always sent her off with a bag full of granola bars and green teas. It was nice to get something hot sometimes…but with the prices inflated well past what you would pay at an airport she was good.

   She waited as each person showed the conductor their tickets, just to verify they were getting on the right car. He had to turn two cheerful old ladies with their blue tinged hair towards the next car back, helped a mother and her toddler son up to the landing, passed a few business men and women on with barely a glance before it was Sera’s turn.

  Her too he just waved on. Apparently her face was just as recognizable to him as the regular commuters, wonderful.

   Upon stepping into the car she immediately regretted her choice in hair styles. What were the chances of there being a tableful of girls from her university on the same train as her? And not just any girls, but girls she knew, who knew her. Well no, not completely full, there was one open seat. She really didn’t want to get invited to fill that seat with them on the ten hour long ride. It was open seating on this car, just like the commuter car she had turned back to reconsider now faced with this possible hassle, and if they should so ask then she technically could sit with them.

   She wished she had left her hair down and not pulled back into a pony tail so she could hide behind it. She hadn’t had the time to dry it and style it for one, but that was her usual traveling get up anyway. Hair pulled back and out of the way, her Sherpa boots so her feet wouldn’t hurt, a regular old pair of boyfriend jeans- not J Brand or Citizens, just something she got off the rack somewhere- and your standard brown sweater/ tank top combo under her favorite jacket. It was a couple of years old, and seasons out of style with its waist high cut, but Sera had come to like the black and grey plaid flannel coat. Its black faux fur trim around the hood had seen better days, but- like the jeans- it was comfortable. And comfortable was all she could ask for once she was out on the streets in Vancouver.

   She had to keep moving though, no place to hide and all, and inched closer to the table trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She looked around for her other options, there were two seats open three tables down, but she figured the mom and kid was already eyeing that one. There was an elderly couple on the other side, the perfect grandparent types who would most likely just coo and giggle over the little boy. One open seat- no, businessman number two just filled that one. There were two open seats on the other side of the girls, but that was just too close.

   Looked like her only option was going to be that empty table on the other end of the car, at least from here it looked empty. For all she knew there was a reason besides that it was closest to the door meaning it would be cold, like a broken bench or a leaky window, but she was going to give it a try.

   She hitched her bag up one more time, stuffed her free hand in her coat pocket, and tucked her face as far inside her hood as she could and tried to maneuver around the mother and son as they indeed took up residence across from grandma and grandpa Joe. But just as she had passed them, just as she was coming up to the table full of girls, the little boy decided now was a good time to starting a screaming fit. 

   All of the girl’s at the table turned at once, all of them seeing Sera before the screaming boy.

   She began to grimace, but seeing the fourth girl coming back to take her seat it turned into a full smile.