Lost in Technicolor

The Train Ride

It was morning. She should have been at school, but was laying in bed instead. Erik had just tried to visit her, but her mother had told him that she was too ill and she truly was. Her head felt as if it were splitting in two as loud voices shouted from one ear clean through to there other. It was miserable. She couldn't even open her eyes. And then suddenly it all stopped as if someone had just turned the switch off.

"Jade," she heard Drake's voice and then opening her eyes realized that his hand was on her arm. She shied away, but as soon as his hand left her arm the blaring noise resumed. She almost shouted it was so horrible. "I see," Drake nodded and then he held up a cloth to her face, covering her nose and mouth.

Sleep, he thought to himself earnestly and once she had, he motioned to Amon who was standing behind him to come forward and help him put her in the bag they had prepared and then into the suitcase.

Rushing through the train station with that suitcase, praying no one stopped them as they boarded the train, nearly killed Drake's nerves, but once they were seated and Amon had taken Jade out of the suit case and sat her next to him on the bench in their little closed off booth Drake felt like he could begin to breathe again.

"This is all happening too fast," Drake put a hand to his head as the old train creeped into it's chugging motion.

"Ah, well now if you don't mind," Amon said completely ignoring Drake and taking a silver flask out of his pocket.

"I very much do!" Drake snatched it away from his uncle, "I need you when the train is stopped to get her to Damien's, you see."

"It's an eight hour train ride, Drake," Amon whined like a child, reaching out for the metal flask, "what else is there to do?"

"We are surrounded by bookshelves filled with books, trinkets, and games," Drake sighed, "take your pick."

"Books," Amon scoffed at the notion of reading. Drake studied the dark circles beneath his droopy eyes and the paleness of his skin. He looked older than Dane who was twelve years his senior.

"Are you trying to drink yourself to death?" He asked in a serious tone. His uncle had been drinking since before Drake could remember him. It wasn't as if he were worried, but rather that he was bored and was trying to start a conversation or so he told himself anyways.

Amon simply laughed, "I," he paused to take a deep breath, "it's just my means of escaping, right?"

"Fair enough, I suppose," Drake muttered, glancing at Jade, who was still sleeping away. He leaned back and stared at the cracking paint on the ceiling. Tilting his head, he wondered why little cherub babies were always painted on ceilings and why they always seemed to be naked. He smiled to himself wondering what Erik would do once he realized that Jade was gone. "And," he began, "how long will she sleep for because as you've said this is an eight hour train ride."

"Long enough," Amon glared at him a green tint coming over his face.

"Withdrawals already, dear uncle?" Drake raised an eyebrow, mockingly.

Amon flashed his emerald eyes at Drake and smiled, "You are so much like your father."

And with that the conversation ended and neither spoke to the other until those long eight hours had passed and they had to exit the train.

"Remember," Amon muttered through a thin smile, "she's still too drugged to stand. You carry her. Damien will get a thrill out of that trust me. I want to see the look on his face."