The Train to Nowhere

Chapter 12 - The Apology

Breanna woke slowly, blinking up at the ceiling. She rubbed her eyes while groaning lightly at the prospect of having to get out of bed. After a brief internal battle over whether or not she should just pretend to be sick, she finally rolled out of bed and was surprised to find that her feet landed on top of her slippers rather than the chilly floor. She sat blinking at the floor where her slippers sat unassumingly, as if they hadn't spent the last several months taking nightly excursions without her. Shaking her head, Breanna slipped them on, taking a moment to eye them suspiciously. Finally, she stood and walked out of her room to start her day.

She almost skipped down the stairs, though didn't for fear of her clumsiness making the trip quicker. Once she arrived at the kitchen, where she found her mother making breakfast, Breanna walked up behind her and cleared her throat. Her mother jumped, whirling around practically in midair.

"Sweetie!" her mother exclaimed in surprise, "You're up earlier than usual."

"Yeah, I thought about pretending to be sick, but..." Breanna trailed off with a small and playful smile dancing across her lips. Her mother offered a smile of her own. Breanna took a deep breath before finally saying what she had been meaning to say for the last several days, "Listen, Mom, I need to apologize. I've been really mean to you lately, and you didn't deserve it. I was upset, and I was taking it out on you. I'm really, really sorry Mom," she said, looking her mother straight in the eyes.

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay. I forgive you. I know things have been hard for you ever since Dad got sick, I just want you to know that I'm here. I'll always be here for you," her mother replied on the verge of tears, wrapping her arms around her daughter, "I love you so, so much sweetie."

"I love you too, Mom," Breanna replied, her own eyes becoming moist. After a moment, she wrinkled her nose she started to smell something burning. Apparently, so did her mother.

"Shoot! The hashbrowns!" her mother exclaimed, turning hastily back to the stove to turn over the now blackened remnants of breakfast. Breanna giggled as her mother tried in vain to scrape off the burned parts, only to accidentally tear apart the whole hashbrown. Her mother let out a disappointed sigh as she tossed the charcoaled mess into the garbage.

"Sorry, Mom," Breanna said giggling, her smile showing no remorse whatsoever. Her mother smiled back, shaking her head.

"It's a good thing you got up early; there's just enough time to try that again," her mother said, just barely holding back laughter of her own.

After a successful second attempt at making breakfast, this time together, the mother-daughter pair sat down to the first happy meal in a while. They talked and laughed, and then panicked as they realized that the bus was waiting for Breanna outside, prompting a mad dash for the door. She got to the bus door just as it was closing. The driver begrudgingly let her in. Breanna offered the grumbling old man a tight-lipped smile as she walked past him to find a seat. As they drove, the colors seemed just a bit brighter, as if the sun was especially bright that day.

At school, Breanna was more engaged and energetic, raising her hand and volunteering to help out during class. She did snap at a couple of people, but that was just because they were interrupting her perfectly good day by blocking her locker and ignoring her polite request to move aside. By the end of the day, she was still in good spirits, smiling as she sat across from Miss Tater.

"You seem to be in a good mood today. In fact, you've seemed to be in higher spirits all week. Did something special happen?" Miss Tater inquired.

"Well, I took Rider's advice and slowed down. Last night, it finally paid off; I made it through the challenge. Finally!" Breanna exclaimed happily.

"Yeah? I'm so happy for you. You know, I was really worried about you for a while there. I was beginning to think that it might be best if you stopped trying to make it through. I'm glad I was wrong," Miss Tater said. Breanna gave her a wide smile in response. "Do you know what your next challenge is going to be yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, I didn't actually walk through the door in the last one. I just spent some time with my Dad," Breanna answered. Miss Tater offered a sympathetic smile.

"I'm glad you got to spend some time with your father," Miss Tater offered.

"Well, when this is all over and I get my wish, I'll be able to spend a lot more time with him," Breanna replied.

"Oh, honey, are you sure that it's even going to work? I know it's hard, but you might need to let him-" Miss Tater started.

"NO! No, it's going to work. It has to. I can't live without him. I'm going to save him, and then we'll be a family again," Breanna interrupted.

"It's good to have hope, dear, but it's also important to be realistic. I don't want you to be too disappointed if things don't work out the way you want," Miss Tater explained sympathetically.

"I appreciate your concern, but I know this will work, it has to," Breanna replied, trying to hold back tears. Miss Tater held back her sigh. "I should go, I have homework to do, and I want to help Mom make dinner tonight," Breanna said, heading toward the door.

"But our session isn't... over," Miss Tater called after her, being cut off by the door closing. She let out a sigh, concern for her student practically overflowing.

Breanna shook off the conversation and decided not to let it ruin her otherwise good day, the first truly good day in a while. By the time she made it home, she had a smile on her face again. She bounded up the porch steps and into the house, calling out to her mother.

"Mom, I'm home!"