Bounce Back

Chapter Four

The train whistled past trees; they blended into silhouettes against the oil-slick sunset. The sky was opalescent and the moon hung in a waning crescent - just too high up and too small to be aesthetically pleasing.

The trees slowly morphed into houses. Acres of low-lying low-living bungalows lay ahead, and beyond those lay the skyscapered horizon. How far was London?

Eliza didn't want to publicly talk to herself; she didn't even know if other people could hear L. Maybe it would be worse if they could. It drew enough attention to her that she was a child travelling alone over miles. But it drew even more when she brought out a wallet and began to count its contents, pouring coins onto her lap.

"Are you going to magic me up some money, then?" Eliza had asked idly, packing a suitcase full of jeans and plaid shirts.

"Who do you think I am?!" L's amusement was increasingly apparent. "Just steal some."

"I'm not going to steal money from my parents (who, you know, I'm apparently not going to see for a while). You're crazy."

"You're the one hearing voices. But just grab, say, £200. They'll never notice it missing."

"I'm not rich, you know. But whatever, I guess I'm trusting whatever metaphysical entities waltz into my life."

Eliza, as it turned out, was not rich. In notes, she could barely find enough money for a train fare- a steep price from her town. In small coins she counted £14 that wouldn't be too noticeable if she took it. There was no way of taking money from a credit or debit card. She decided to take what she had and run; the train was to leave soon anyway.

The sound of her stop's announcement rang through Eliza's ears and woke her from her hours-old memory.

Litter seemed more than acquainted with the station, embraced by its unswept floors as one embraces an old friend. Dirt shyly hung back to the corners and cracks, where it made a happy home. Cigarette smoke swirled and stained the air a tie-dye of lung-straining smells.

Eliza stepped carefully.