Once again he found himself sitting in an empty train, blank eyes staring out of the window, completely oblivious of the unknown destination.
Not that he'd cared where he was headed anyway.
Ever since his family had moved to Germany, left his beloved home behind, the sweet memories of his childhood, he had picked up the habit of strolling around aimlessly, entering random busses and trams, without any interest in where they'd take him.
After all, there weren't that many things to do for a 16 year old boy without any friends in the middle of the summer.
At least that was what he figured.
His bald head, shaven in an act of vain rebellion against his ever so busy parents, rested calmly against the stained glass of the window, allowing the cold to slowly extend its ruthless fingers towards his brain.
The sun seemed hidden behind a mourning veil of concrete coloured clouds, silently weeping, heavy raindrops falling to their death like flowing tears.
He felt like weeping with her.
This country just wasn't for him.
Silent curses went out to his father for taking that damn job offer without even asking how he felt about it. To his mother for also finding a new workplace so quickly. To both of them for leaving him all on his own, for neglecting him, now that he needed support of his guardians more than ever, all alone in this completely strange world.
But most off all, he was cursing himself for begrudging his beloved parents' newly found success and happiness.
Absorbed by his own thoughts, he didn't notice at first that the train had suddenly stopped.
An obscure voice from the speakers was muttering meaningless words he couldn't understand, but as he listened closely, he was sure to have heard Endstation.
With a resigned sigh he left the threadbare cushion of his seat and made his way towards the open doors.
Standing in the unrelenting rain, watching the train slowly descend into the distance, he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't alone in this godforsaken place, there was an intrusive aura somewhere, the presence of another human being.
Suddenly curious, he left his rigidity to start walking around the small train station.
Judging by its dilapidated, abandoned look, he figured he must have reached a very rural area, nothing like the neat and tidy suburbs of Saarbrücken he now unwillingly had to call his home.
Almost convinced of the falseness of his haunting feeling, he suddenly froze at the sight of a small figure, slumped on a bench in the shadow of the station building's roof, previously hidden by the huge sign that showed the train schedules.
However, the person didn't seem to have noticed him yet.
A moment was spent in hesitation before the boy's usual extroverted nature and curiosity took over and he guardedly started stepping towards the other, who didn't seem to take notice of his presence at all.
The closer he got, the more his eyes allowed him to see of the cryptic individual he now believed to be a redheaded girl, writing into what seemed like a black journal.
It wasn't before he finally came to stand directly in front them, that the unknown one startledly raised his head.
He found himself staring into the hazel eyes of an adolescent boy.
With the others' milky skin and soft, yet alarmingly slender, features, gracefully framed by his slick ginger hair, Roel couldn't help himself staring for just a brief moment too long.
Before he had caught himself again, the long-haired teen was already turning his head away bashfully, delicate fingers hastily closing the journal.
Suddenly realising how weird he must have looked, the intruder blushed, staring down at the tips of his sneakers.
"Sorry",
he broke the silence.
"I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay",
the other responded shyly, examining him with a quick glance, before looking away once again.
Relieved by this sign of acceptance, Roel settled down on the bench next to the boy he didn't know anything about yet, giving him a closer look.
He seemed to be dressed similarly alternative as himself, a bruised knee peeking out from beneath his torn jeans.
"So are you... waiting for a train?"
The redhead flinched lightly at the sudden question.
"No. I just come here to hang out sometimes. It's nice and quiet over here",
he answered hesitantly.
"But what about? You don't live here, do you? I've never seen you before."
"I live close to Saarbrücken. Also my family just moved here from the Netherlands."
The last word was pronounced with a subtle melancholy that fortunately remained unnoticed by the other.
"I sorta figured by your accent",
he chuckled cautiously.
"Sorry if I sound rude or anything, but if you live that far away, then why did you come here to this dump? Did you catch the wrong train?"
"No, I just... drive around for fun, taking random trains",
Roel admitted, hoping it didn't seem all too strange.
"Oh, that sounds cool."
A timid smile brightened the pale boy's features.
"I guess so. But what do you do here when you hang out? Isn't it boring being alone?"
Always used to having a big group of friends and being surrounded by people, he couldn't quite wrap his head around the idea of deliberately choosing to be alone.
"I prefer it this way. It's better to think. I usually come here to write. Sometimes I even bring my guitar, but that's not too often-"
"You play the guitar? Awesome!"
The dutch teen couldn't help interrupting other, his eyes lighting up with interest.
Before he could really realise it, he had erupted into an endless stream of words.
It was a liberated feeling, finally having someone to talk again after those endless weeks spent with himself.
The two of them kept talking and talking, slowly opening up to each other, sharing their thoughts on everything and nothing.
The most important fragment of information Roel took from the conversation was the revelation of his new acquaintance's name. Benjamin, a name that he would keep safely in the very depths of his mind.
It wasn't for the arrival of a train headed to the direction he remembered he came from that he reluctantly got up from their wooden seat.
"Sorry, but I think I need to go now. If I don't catch this train, I don't know how to get home."
"Oh, alright."
A spark of disappointment dulled the redhead's bright eyes.
"I usually come here everyday. Maybe, I don't know, you want to visit again sometime."
"Sure",
Roel conformed with an encouraging grin, before finally entering the train.
A warm, content feeling was spreading through his body as the lights of the train station faded away,swallowed by the arches of the nocturnal sky.
