Little Ghouls | Glee

28 | The Unexpected Route

28 | The Unexpected Route

Union Station, Illinois

✩───✩───✩

"Chicago to Memphis. Chicago to New Orleans. Now boarding!" The speakers squeaked with another announcement, marking the fourth since Lilith and Ophelia's train arrived at Union Station in the city of Chicago, Illinois. 

The train station required everyone to transfer when they reached Chicago. It wasn't too much of a surprise considering the west used unique connections to keep the lines free for farming and all that stuff Ophelia read on a plaque in the dining car during the last hour of their trip.

"Look." Ophelia tapped the plane schedules. "We can grab one in the morning and be in San Fran by tomorrow evening. I'll even pay for the hotel and plane."

"No plane. No cards." Lilith looked between the train options flashing on the screen and her highlighted and well scribbled booklet. "Too risky."

Ophelia stuffed her hands in her pockets and looked away. She stepped back and watched Lilith take her time, deciding where to go for a brief moment before pulling out her cellphone. She turned and used her jacket to hide it, flipping the airplane mode around and watching the messages roll in on her home screen.

"We should try to shake them. We have no idea who might be following." Lilith said, looking down at the map she grabbed from the kiosk. "There's a bus station not far from here. We should take that to the next train station that goes to San Francisco."

"Or we could take this train?" Ophelia shoved her phone in her pocket, switching it off completely once she had seen the unending amount of messages from her family and friends. "It says it's the most recommended to California. The scenic route. We could see some cool sights, but this time I'm booking one of those rooms with a bed because I am not sleeping sitting up again."

"We can't take one easy route." Lilith faced Ophelia and scoffed. "Are you trying to get us caught?"

"No." Ophelia stabbed the map between them. "But I don't like the idea of taking a smelly packed bus when we could make this easy and enjoyable."

"This was never going to be easy or enjoyable." Lilith bent down and scooped up Wallace, walking away from Ophelia. "We're taking a bus."

"Lilly, come on. You'll never make it as far as you want taking different—"

"We're taking a bus!"

Ophelia pressed her lips together and shuffled her backpack up over her shoulder. She dragged her feet after Lilith and looked around the busy train station. Lilith really was just like her sisters. Even if she'd never admit it, and them the same, their stubbornness and sharp need to be listened to was a never ending connection.

She continued walking a few steps behind Lilith and Wallace. Not that she didn't want to walk with them, but Ophelia could take a moment to breathe. The last time they spent this long together was when they were kids, and Lilith was trying to kill her every moment she was given the chance.

"Hey!" Ophelia jogged a few steps forward, so she was directly over Lilith's shoulder. "Did you ever finish that writing assignment I gave you?"

"Yes." Lilith focused forward, though her spine tingled. "I've been working on quite a few different options in my journal."

"Different options?" Ophelia laughed. "You've been busy."

Ophelia tilted her head slightly when Lilith stopped walking. She raised her brow when the blonde smiled at her, gently fixing the black mask protecting the scars around her eyes. The smile was oddly genuine, but shined with entrapment from a mile away. She's seen that same smile from Luca, who she was sure Lilith learned it from. The same smile Luca used on different silly boys. The ones she wanted to buy her drinks or help with her homework.