Regicide [ORIGINAL SERIES]

9. Train Arc

The Inscrutable Train Ride.

October 17th, 1856.

In the dread of the night, nightmarish dreams wake Amy, her panting stammered and her vision disoriented. Amy was caught in a relentless storm inside her head. Nana's existence had been wiped away so completely, leaving Amy as the sole keeper of her memory. She saw Nana everywhere: in the unexpected knocks at the door that made her heart jump, in the corners of her vision where she imagined those unsettling eyes watching her. It was all too much.

One night, under the cold, accusing glow of the moon, Amy found herself wide awake. She moved through her cramped bedroom, each step heavy with a growing sense of dread. Facing the mirror, she saw a stranger staring back at her, someone she couldn't recognize anymore.

Carrying the weight of her incredible secret was tearing her apart. She couldn't share it, yet living with it felt impossible. The old wooden clock by her bed, so starkly simple compared to the complex gadgets of the future which she was never meant to witness, seemed to mock her with its ticking.

Driven to the edge, her fingers clawed at her scalp as if trying to tear away the thoughts that tormented her. She forced herself to walk into the living room, each step a fight against the darkness that threatened to swallow her whole.

As the first hints of dawn began to pierce the night sky, Amy faced the looming day with a heavy heart. The reality of her solitude weighed on her-no family to lean on, no one to confide in but herself. She braced herself for another grueling day at the academy, a place that felt more like a prison than a haven of learning.

"Five years left," she whispered to herself, a mantra to keep the despair at bay. Five more years until she turned 24, until she could walk out of the academy doors with a degree that felt more like a sentence than an achievement. Each day was a step closer to freedom, yet the journey stretched out before her, seemingly endless, a path shrouded in the shadows of her own isolated struggle.

As Amy approached the imposing gates of the academy, a sudden tap on her shoulder made her heart jump, a vivid flashback of Nana's 'gentle' touch surging through her. She spun around, half expecting a ghost from her past, only to find Caroline standing there. Caroline... her friend. Yes, friend-a term that felt foreign on her tongue, a concept almost as elusive as the memories she was forced to carry alone. The sight of Caroline, alive and tangible, was a jolt back to reality, a reminder that not all connections had been severed by her journey through time.

"Amyy!! Haven't seen you in a few days," -Caroline greeted her with a soft wave, her demeanor radiant with a happiness that seemed almost alien to Amy. Despite being a year her senior, Caroline exuded a light-heartedness that felt both comforting and starkly contrasting to Amy's own shadowed existence.

"Caroline..." -Amy tried to muster a semblance of energy in her voice, but it came out as a weary whisper.

"Are you alright? You have dark circles under your eyes..." -Caroline's brow creased with concern. She had always known Amy to be reserved, often keeping to herself, but this was different. There was an added layer of weariness, a deeper shadow cast over her usual detachment.

"I'm.. fine. Just hadn't had enough sleep lately," -Amy lied, her fingers brushing her eyes, hoping to somehow wipe away the evidence of her nightly torment.

"Well, looking sick isn't the way to start your day at the academy, come on!" -Caroline said, her voice filled with a mix of concern and cheer. She reached out, taking Amy's hand in hers. The warmth of Caroline's touch against Amy's cold fingers sparked a realization in Amy. Without Nana's existence, she had grown closer to Caroline, a friendship blossoming in the space where Nana's possessive shadow didn't loom. It dawned on her that maybe, just maybe, Nana's presence had been a barrier, a cage that kept Amy isolated, away from potential bonds with others like Caroline.

This isolation, Amy realized, might have been orchestrated to ensure that when the time came for Nana to take over her body and soul, there would be no resistance, no ties strong enough to make Amy fight back. The painful acknowledgment that she had bought in this deception, viewing her bond with Nana as genuine friendship, twisted the knife deeper. Amy had been so thoroughly convinced by Nana's manipulations that she had willingly secluded herself, not realizing the true intent behind those actions.

As Amy followed Caroline into their class, Senior 1, she was acutely aware of the shift in her social landscape. This class, filled with students aged nineteen to twenty, had always been a part of her academic routine, but today, as she sat beside Caroline, the proximity felt both new and significant. In a reality untouched by Nana's influence, Amy found herself gravitating towards Caroline, a contrast to her usual distant self who would rarely seek out such closeness.

"Alright students, the day has just started, so I hope you are all ready and excited for today's lesson." -The teacher began the day with a hopeful tone, ruler in hand, setting the stage for a lesson that promised to meld the complexities of coordinate geometry with the nuanced art of spell magic. However, Amy's mind was miles away, ensnared by the echoes of her time-traveling ordeal and the bitter confrontation with Nana, the demon disguised as a friend.

As the lesson progressed, Amy's detachment did not go unnoticed. The teacher's patience snapped, calling out Amy's inattention in front of the entire class, his words sharp and his gaze accusing. The room's attention pivoted to Amy, a spotlight of scrutiny that felt both unwarranted and invasive.

Inwardly, Amy rebelled against the teacher's reprimand. "*You don't get it.. you don't get it.. who do you think you are..*" her thoughts raced, a silent retort to a misunderstanding world. Her response was a silent, hollow stare, a gaze so unnerving it unsettled the teacher, shifting the balance of power in the room.

Confronted with Amy's piercing look, the teacher, now visibly uncomfortable, made a quick decision. "You're dismissed," he declared, pointing towards the door, eager to break the tense standoff.

Amy didn't hesitate. She rose from her seat and exited the classroom, her departure leaving a wake of concern in Caroline's eyes.

As Amy exited the classroom, a sense of rebellion whispered through her thoughts. "..fuck it," she muttered, a silent declaration of her need for an escape from the day's confines. The academy's gates, usually a symbol of scholarly pursuit, felt more like barriers to her freedom. With each heavy step, she moved further away, driven by the desire to free herself from the grasp of lingering nightmares and the oppressive atmosphere of the academy.

Her destination was the train station, a place of transition and, for Amy, a bridge back to a semblance of peace. The sight of the Steam Locomotive waiting at the station was a poignant reminder of her journey through time. It stood there, a relic of the past, so different from the sleek, futuristic trains of the 2100s that she had witnessed in her travels. Yet, in its antiquity, there was a comforting familiarity.

She stepped aboard the train, finding it nearly empty. The sparse population of passengers mirrored her feelings of isolation. Settling into her seat, Amy welcomed the quiet, a rare commodity in her tumultuous life. The fatigue that had been gnawing at the edges of her consciousness now took center stage, overwhelming her senses.

As the train began its journey, the rhythmic lull of its movement and the distant sounds of the world passing by outside the window coaxed Amy into a reluctant sleep. It was a respite she hadn't planned but desperately needed. In the embrace of sleep, Amy found a temporary escape, not just from the physical confines of the academy, but from the relentless turmoil that haunted her waking moments.

CHAPTER 9 END.

Author's note!!!!
Hey heyy, so I'm sure you guys have noticed that I've been gone for quite some time and haven't touched regicide in months, and to that I would like to apologize. I had the future chapters ready, but had no idea on how to deliver the plot, writer block, I assume? But anyways, it's been a while and I think my writing has improved quite a lot, I might revamp some of the older chapters. Let me know if you have any suggestions.