Vanilla+brown sugar (Hyunlix)

Three Stops

The bus ride must have been an hour long. I had passed that time by staring out the window at nothing but fields and cows. I was now standing in front of a train station. I never thought I'd make it this far on my own, it felt unreal. Like I was daydreaming. My body shook slightly. This was really happening, I needed to calm my nerves. Looking around me I could see people making their way to the ticket booth. Right, a ticket. Before I knew it, it was my turn in line.

"Where to?", the man behind the glass asked, without looking up. His face wrinkled with old age not helping the tired expression on his face.

"Wh-where does this train go ?" I replied. Feeling my chest tighten.

He looked up. " It has three stops kid."

"One ticket for the last stop, please". I figured that my aunt's bakery was probably located in the town of the first stop.

He handed me the ticket. "Mhm, that will be $7, the train will be here in ten minutes."

I paid with my aunt's card and made my way to wait for the train, my ticket held tightly in my right hand. Just like he said, the train came after 10 minutes. The conductor took my ticket and punched a small hole in the side. I entered the train taking my seat by a window. Luckily it didn't seem like a busy day, so the train didn't have many people. Leaving the seat beside me empty. I placed my carry-on onto that empty seat, unzipping it, pulling out a black hoodie and a book I had been reading for a while now. I pulled my hoodie over my head unfixing my hair in the process, then began reading my book from where I last stopped. When the train left the station I could feel my nerves calming down, as I listened to the chugging and whistling sounds the train made. I was finally leaving this dreadful place that I had been in all my life.

The atmosphere on the train felt cozy and matched the almost gloomy weather outside. The inside of the train was dimly lit and smelled like coffee, the strong kind. The first few hours of the train ride, I spent it reading my book. Occasionally looking out the window, and counting water droplets on the glass while the rain drizzled. After what felt like a couple of hours, a man dressed in a black suit and white bow tie, who I assumed worked on the train, offered me a croissant and coffee. Which I didn't refuse. Although the coffee was not to my liking, it was not sweet at all, leaving me to only enjoy the croissant.

The train stopped, screeching loudly while the breaks hit the tracks. I watched as people carried their luggage, hastily making their way off the train, and realized that this was the second stop. I decided it would be wise to go to the bathroom and got up. On my way back I saw that the train was almost empty. It then hit me that by the next stop I would be in a city I'd never been to. I felt a surge of excitement in my stomach. Which made me feel both anxious and delighted. I wish I had run away sooner.

I had been asleep for a while now. I didn't know for how long but judging by the darkness outside the window, I would say probably a couple of hours. Unlike the first and second stops, it seemed that the last stop would be much farther. I wasn't complaining though. I wanted to be as far away from my devilish aunt as possible. I didn't want her to find me no matter how far she looked. It's what she deserves, for all those years of tormenting me. After a while of staring out the window at nothing but darkness, I fell asleep again.

I was being tapped lightly on the shoulder. Causing my terrifying dream to fade to the back of my mind. It was the same as always. The one about being locked in the dark. That sense of helplessness and anxiety, but this time in my dreams.

"Excuse me, boy, the train has stopped." It was a woman's voice.

I slowly opened my eyes, stretching my legs slightly. Until I finally realized what she said. I jumped from the seat, packing my book into my carry-on with one hand while straightening my hair with the other.

"Tha-thank you very much." I blurted out embarrassed. All while making my way to the exit.

"No problem boy." Her voice was kind.

I was standing on the platform in front of the train, now thinking of my next move. It was already a new day. I couldn't believe I had run away yesterday. My aunt must be going crazy. I giggled, thinking about the look on her face when she came home to the door being unlocked and me being nowhere in sight.

The train station I was currently standing in, was completely different from the one I had departed from yesterday. It was modern and had way more people. I clenched my carry-on on my side and made my way to the exit, following the people in front of me.