Shadow of a Train

Chapter 1: The First Night

Victoria continue doing her job assembling many of metal objects passing them onto the next person it is very tiring doing this job but it's the only thing Victoria can do and does the job it's boring and very doing the same action assembling the same parts for who knows how many years that why mealtimes are best as a lot of chatter about myths and stories of the outside world even if they're not real some more fairytale like as the days progress. Then again came the banging of the drums to show work was over its was now time to go to the Playroom the location was deep under the main building Victoria and other orphans all got up from their stalls started marching out the door in line out of The Workshop down some stairs down more stairs the air full of musty particles its darker down here than the upper floors with only odd coal miner lights attached to an old decaying plaster walls every few meters.

The Caretakers look even more creepy and disgusting in this gloomy light with too fake faces and grey dirty jackets wearing their black work trousers each one had a number sewn onto the middle of the jacket. From one to eight some had goggles on their what look like faces they faced were old and masked like with beady speaks of colours from green to purple even Number 7 has red irises that's the strangest one Victoria has seen. Victoria marched along the tunnel through a large open door into the Playroom. It was time for the Orphans to play from the slide to the roundabout to the wooden train set. There were a lot of things for the children to play with and Victoria spotted Sophie and Rena over in the corner of the room where a few bookshelves full of books and stools for anyone wanting to read any of these books.

Many of the books were ancient in age one odd thing about it they always books here some about pirates exploring uncharted seas to fairy tales about boys who cried for metal men and other tales this area was Victoria's favourite place as she could immerse herself into the stories not focus on her own world look into another better more adventurous one.

With all things it would not last Victoria could not stay here forever she knew this you can't be freedom even if this place keeps everyone alive this is not a living healthy place and then the clanging returned meaning it playtime was now over Victoria never really likes this place she can't think of anything else other than this place inside she knows this is not a place that will always have her that's why when Sophia says about the rumours of missing children earlier she thought to herself "Why can't it be true if true then where do the children go"

Placing back the book she was reading Victoria slowly move into the line that was forming trailing away from the Playroom.

It was back to work more work making this time Victoria was doing placing the finished devices onto a conveyor belt that led upstairs to rooms which were only accessed by The Caretakers you can't question or argue against The Caretakers as the controlling force of The Orphanage they do answer to someone never seen or heard even The Workers another force who help behind the scenes who are seen a bit do fear her it is called The Governess the head of The Orphanage Victoria at the time did not know it would affect everything soon.

Hours passed and more tasks from making more of the cloak like devices to cans filled with a strange liquids from tubes from the ceiling no more fun an odd thing happened while Victoria working at her branch all eight Caretakers when away to a mysterious room and when they returned something was off and then clanging came meaning to move on to a new place it was dinner time.

Victoria followed the other children back to Dinner Hall. It was not the same stuff as breakfast, more a brown substance with meat like shapes in it and it was not nice. Victoria had a plan while working. She wanted to have an adventure. She heard the rumblings of trains and then the rumour of missing children both excites her and scares her. Dinner when without anyone talking a change had come over this place Victoria could not place what had happened something looked different The Caretakers still looked menacing and controlling the walls were still old and ancient from children attacking them and playing with them.

Next up event was bedtime one of the only times were Victoria can think about the world and what it's like meeting people new people not having to be under the control of The Caretakers she did not know what the future holds she wanted not be here in this place it was not either bad or good it was just grey and dark. She changed into her nightgown now she could think she needed time to see if she could be the one to confirm Sophie's rumour where children are being taken and why only the children know of it. Thinking about the stories she read in Playroom from Whispers of Cogs's fairy tales where a girl fights some wolves and one about two siblings losing their way and finding an odd man with many arms to the Tale of Steel Knight a tale of brave knight and mechanical ogre she wanted to write stories like these when she was older she just needed to get out of this place. Victoria could only remember being in this place. She did sometimes have fragments of her past. It does not help that this place feels like it wants her and the others from here to get out. That's crazy saying that Victoria was playing into a hand that had not yet been revealed to her time will when that hand unleashed her. Victoria sleep came onto her and she dreams of battling robots and the feeling of flying high over a steam city of cogs and copper pipes not knowing that her dreams were not just fiction but reality in this strange and mechanical driven earth.