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Rin finally looks up for the first time and I see just how skinny he is. He looks like Cier with her bony shoulders and knees;baggy clothes hanging around him like rags. He wears a maroon quarter sleeved shirt and ripped black pants stained with dirt. Our huffs and puffs fill the deafening silence. I decide to break it.
"Um, where are we, and uh," I stutter as I try to form a question, "Why are we here?"
"Don't pay much mind to that now, we gave to get you changed and ready for the train within the hour. Go go." Her airy voice follows us as Joe leads us out of the room and into another one just down another one of the whitewashed walls. He opens the door and gestures for us to go in.
Once Rin gets himself through the door, still weak and panting slightly, two more people come in. Their name tags stand out in red and black on their chests. Karla and Francesca is what they read. Francesca takes my arm and Karla takes Ciers. Joe leads Rin away and Cier leaps put of Kayla's arms and runs after him, but Francesca catches her arm and says,
"You'll see him in just a few minutes." She assures her. I bite my lip and stay silent, sensing the deep bond between Ceir and Rin. She looks worriedly at the doorway he disappeared down but let's herself be led down to her own room.
The door clicks shut as Francesca pulls me into a soft gray and red cube like space with a black table that sits on the left wall. A red tee and black leggings sit on the table. They're accompanied with a white jacket and brown combat boots. She gestures to the clothes and a changing room in the back. I scoop them up and head over to the doorway. Inside appears to be a very grand bathroom. I slick off my clothes and shower. After ten or so minutes I come back out and get dressed. The combat boots click against the tile, but they're muffled against the carpet.
"Please follow me." She says. I jog a little to catch up as she exits the room. I follow her back to the main room and see Cier sitting there with a largely nervous expression on her face. She wears the same outfit that I do, and her silver-white hair falls in a long braid behind her. Her bangs fall gracefully as well, and the french braid pins the hair back from her pale face. She breathes calmly but her shoulders seem tense. Its clear that she loosens up a bit when she sees me but she still stays apprehensive.
Francesca gestures for me to sit down on a dark stool and picks up a brush from a table next to it. She gets behind me and starts smoothly pulling the knots out of my hair. I got most of the larger ones out in the shower but there's still plenty to get through. The rhythmic pulling and lifting of the brush soothes my nerves and I close my eyes. She continues to stroke the knots out of my hair and blows it dry. By the end, it lies flat and soft, tickling my upper back and shoulder blades. The auburn color of my hair is unlike most, with natural brown and dirty blond highlights. A couple minutes later we come out of the room and see Rin sitting at a table in the corner.
"Rin!" Cier jumps and runs towards him. She folds her arms around him as he stands up. Tears fall softly down her face and she breathes a soft, shuddering sigh. He wears clothes similar to ours but his shirt is white and he wears black pants with a red jacket and hiker boots.
"Hi..." Tears fall from his eyes too. I smile and wave my hand at Rin.
"Oh hey, umm..." I mentally smack myself. Rin has never really met me.
"I'm Kenta. Sorry, I've never really had the chance to introduce myself. Oh, and don't worry, Cier has told me a bit about you but really all I know is your name." He nods in understanding. I blush.

A man with a stubbly beard and a shiny bald head steps into the room.
"I am Lu Cravits, you can just call me Mr. Cravits." He motions us forward,
" The train is almost here, so I will escort you down the elevator and to the train. Once you're there the conductor will explain everything over the intercom. Please follow me." He's already about ten steps ahead and we have to jog to catch up. 'There was an elevator this whole time!?!' I think to myself he turns a corner. There it is, a shiny glass lift just waiting for someone to use it and think happily to themselves that they didn't have to climb up a hundred flights of stairs. Ugh. I step in last and the doors close silently. Pressure pushes down on my shoulders as we speedily descend to the ground floor. I hear a low rumbling as the train comes into view. The main parts of the train are black with red and white lines around the windows. Clearly those are the company's colors. The trees sway in the wind and my hair billows around me.
"Off you go!" Says Mr. Cravits cheerfully when the train pulls to a stop in front of us. Glancing at Cier and Rin's faces I step on after a moment of hesitation. A lady in a black jumpsuit guides us towards the nearest compartment. Sitting down she says,
"We'll be there in about three and a half hours, make yourselves at home." I smile and nod her off. We don't talk much, just sort of sit quietly. I doze off after a few minutes and welcome the dark calm of sleep.

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