X-Kid (Sequel to "Little Boy Named Train")

You Weren't Supposed To See

Train pulled into the small parking lot of "The Facility" and stepped out of the car, slipping the keys into his pocket. He stepped inside the small building and took in his surroundings. "Minority" was playing in the speakers and no one was browsing the store except for a man in the back corner. Rows and rows of records lined the walls and were placed in bins across the floor, neatly organized. A check-out counter was to the right of Train and a woman with black hair and pink streaks leaned on the desk. Train approached her with a smile. Her eyed shifted up to his and she flashed him a quick grin.

"What can I do for you, sir?" she asked, standing up straight.

"I'm here for an application." Her eyes lit up.

"I'll get it right away." She turned away from him and opened a drawer in a filing cabinet. "You live around here?" she asked, flipping through the files in the drawer.

"Yea, but I don't have my own place..." Train frowned a bit. The woman turned back around and handed him a paper application.

"Live with your parents?" She asked.

"No...foster home..." He looked down.

"Oh..." She looked down as well, then gently slid a clipboard with a paper on it towards him. A pen rested on it. "I'm gonna need you to sign this, so the boss knows you got an application." she said in an attempt to lighten the mood. Train nodded.

"So, where do you live?" he asked. She giggled.

"Eh, bout a half an hour south in Pueblo." She pointed her thumb to show direction. Train nodded. She glanced down at the sheet.

"You're name's Train?" she asked.

"Yea..."

"No last name?"

"I don't know one."

"Huh. Did you have some kind of injury as a kid? I've never met someone with no last name. And certainly not a first name like Train." Train's face shrivled up a bit and she backed up a bit, realizind she had stepped into unwelcome territory.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry for being so intrusive, sir..." Train put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay miss...?"

"Gallagher. Emily Gallagher."

"Right. Don't worry about it. And, seriously, call me Train." She smiled.

"Okay." The song on the speakers changed to "Holiday". Both Train and Emily smiled. "Geez, the radio sure likes Green Day today."

"I don't mind it." Emily giggled.

"Neither do I. So, you're a Green Day fan, eh?" Train nodded. "You know they're coming to Colorado Springs?"

"Yea! I plan on going to that show with a friend. We're saving up money for tickets and transportation." She smiled.

"You've got this all planned out, don't you?" He nodded.

"Yea and, maybe if I'm lucky, I can afford to get the two of us backstage passes." Emily giggled.

"Good luck with that. Oh and bring the application back whenever you want, okay?"

"I will. Thank you, Emily! It was nice talking to you!" He waved.

"You too! Later!" She waved back. He walked out the door and back to his car and he was greeted with an all-too familiar face.

"Train! What a coincidence running into you here!" his doctor said to him, walking over and embracing him in a hug.

"D-doc? What are you doing here?" Shit...

"Oh I was just strolling around town and I saw you here, so I came to say hello!" The doctor looked at the application in Train's hand. Double shit. "What's that in your hand?" he asked.

"Oh nothing. Well, it's getting late." Train faked a yawn. "I better head back to the foster home and get to bed. Good night, Doc!" He ducked under him and went into his car, starting it up and pulling out as quickly but casually as possible.

Oh fuck, he's onto me...I think I've got him beat, though. If I know one thing, it's that I have a better chance of staying up later than him. I have a better chance of working without being seen.

He sighed, satisfied with his confirmation, but the lingering doubt in his mind could only hope to God he was right.