scarlett - james f. potter

scarlett

September 1st, 1975

Where is this train? I sighed and looked around the platform. Parents kissing their children goodbye. Mothers crying and Fathers trying not to. How sweet.

I looked down at Wybie, my siamese cat, and raised my eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that"

Wybie turned his head away from me as if to say 'you can't fool me.' and he's right, I am jealous.

I sighed for the 4th time this morning, pulled out a cigarette and lit it with my fingers. I looked at my wrist. 10:50 - just ten more minutes.

"Excuse me?" I turned around to face who was speaking. "That's a fire hazard"

A short girl with brown piercing eyes and wavy hair was standing close enough for me to hear her but far enough for me to extend my arms and still not reach her.

She wore a black skirt with a navy sweater tucked in the front. She wore black mary janes and had a gold necklace that matched with her rings.

"What is?" I blow the smoke behind me and acted oblivious.

"Not sharing cigarettes" She picked up her luggage and owl cage which had a beautiful brown owl in it with green eyes. She walked towards me and smiled. "I'll incendio the whole place if I don't smoke before I get on that train"

I laughed and reached into my leather jacket pocket, ready to hand her one when a loud voice suddenly erupted from behind me.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" A head of blonde hair with blue jeans and red jumper lunged towards the brunette in front of me and hugged her. "Dad went to Salem during the summer and returned with a bunch of American movies and they're all like 'motherfucker this' 'motherfucker that' and the women had breasts the size of a trolls he- who is this?"

She stopped her rambling and eyed me from head to toe. I was wearing black stockings with a short black skirt and a fitted white dress shirt untucked with a pair of black boots and my leather jacket. I had only my mothers silver ring as jewelry underneath my black gloves. I started to feel self conscious under her gaze which led me to smoke my cigarette faster than usual.

"Scarlett. Scarlett Wilde"

Her green eyes widened and both girls looked at each other with realization. They quickly put smiles on their faces to cover it up but failed miserably. Please don't ask me. Please don't ask me.

"I'm Dorcas Meadows and this is Marlene Mckinnon"

"I can introduce myself, you know" Marlene looked at dorcas and rolled her eyes. She was about to say something but she seemed to have fought against it. Instead she settled with - "A cigarette a day keeps the doctor away"

"Only if you smoke two a day" I said while retrieving two white cigarette from my pack and handing it to them hoping they took it as a sign to be friends. "You both owe me your friendship now"

Both Marlene and Dorcas had their cigarettes lit by a regular lighter that Marlene had in her boot. They looked at me then at each other as if agreeing or disagreeing on the subject.

While they were debating silently, the train came by. My hair moving all over my face, my cigarette almost done and wybie between my feet. I dropped my cigarette and moved the hair outta my face. I looked at my surroundings once again. Students of all ages piling up to aboard the train. I looked at one of the windows on the train and saw four boys my age looking at me as if I was a hippogriff. They immediately looked everywhere except for where I was standing. Strange.

"You can sit with us - only if you tell us your favorite band." Dorcas said as she stomped on her dead cigarette ready to aboard the train.

"Easy, The Rolling Stones"

They smiled at each other and picked their luggages up and entered the train.

I stood there watching not sure if they confirmed or denied me until Marlene looked back with a cheshire grin.

"You coming or what?"