Blood and Bone

Chapter 4: Athena

The train station was quiet and had an eerie feel to it.

I had been here three times in my life but even now I still had a sense of unfamiliarity. The long hallways were dark and had uniformed passengers scattered throughout.

"Miss? Would you mind-" A voice stopped me from moving any further. I turned and a small kind smile formed on my face as I looked down at a woman and a child who could not have been older than three.

"I'm looking for train 143. They said it hasn't come through yet but I can't seem to find where it would arrive at." The woman nervously rambled on, gripping her toddler's hand tightly as she ran a tired hand through her dirty blonde hair.

The number seemed familiar and I looked down at my ticket.

143. The train I was supposed to get on.

"It should be here in a few minutes miss. I'm sure it's not late." She sighed and let a relieved smile play on her lips as she picked up her son. She looked at him and grinned largely, her white teeth showing clearly.

"Did you hear that, Rory? You'll get to see daddy in just a few minutes." At the mention of hearing about his father, the little boy squirmed and jumped around in his mother's arm. He wore a large grin on his face as he giggled.

Before his mother could say anything else, a loud rumbling was made around us, then air started to blow, bouncing off the walls and crashing into our skin.

After a few moments of windy bliss, a dark black train came rolling loudly in, stopping just a few feet away from me. A ding went off and the doors slid open, revealing a couple people. I couldn't help but look to the mother and her child as they stared at the doors, watching carefully. Finally, a smile appeared on their faces and she let go of her son.

"DADDY!!" His scream filled the echoed space but no one cared. The little boy ran up to his uniformed father and wrapped his arms around his neck.

I looked away from the small family reunion and bent down to pick up my bag. I took one last glance at the huddled family and turned walking onto the train and letting the doors shut behind me. The train instantly started moving, causing me to hold onto a sliver bar close to me. I didn't have to try hard to find a seat, the train vacant except a gentleman sitting in the very back.

I laid my bag beside and sat in the cushioned chairs.

I had only been on a train once and that was when I was 10. I don't remember much of the ride but I do remember how much I hated it because of how sick I got. Since I didn't ride in large transportation, I wasn't used to the fast movement of the train so I got motion sick. Ever since then I refused to go on anything else, but sadly I had to take the train to get to wherever I was going.

Where was I even going?

The train jerked forward faster then I was expecting, making me grab onto the nearest armrest. I couldn't help but close my eyes and take a deep breath in.

Hopefully, this will all be over soon.

I opened my eyes again and laid my hands gently in my lap, letting my body relax in the chair. I couldn't help but look around the small enclosed space.

The walls were covered in windows, down to the tops of the chairs then stopping to make room for metal pallets on the walls. There were 15 rows of seats, I was sitting closest to the doors.

The faster I could get off this thing the better.

Once the train came to a steady speed, I scored closer to the cold metal wall, leaning my head against it. I couldn't help the sudden tiredness that enveloped me, so I closed my heavy lids.

Just for a moment.

I told myself before drifting off into a much-needed sleep.

***

" Miss?" Something tapped lightly on my shoulder, causing me to open my eyes. It took me a second to gain full focus but once I did I looked confusingly at the man in front of me.

I sat up straighter, pushing dark brown locks behind my ears.

"Are Athena Hadley?" I nodded my head.

"Yes?" It came out more as a question, but the man didn't say anything about it. He simply smiled and gave me an outstretched hand. I stood up and shook it.

"I'm Darrel Ward, your chauffeur for the day." My eyebrows scrunched as he reached down and grabbed my bags for me, picking them up with both hands. He began to walk forward, but then stopped after he noticed that I wasn't following.

I don't even know this guy.

"Orientation is waiting, Miss Hadley, and you mustn't be late." His voice was urgent, seemingly worried that if I missed this so-called orientation something would happen. I personally didn't want to find out so I decided to follow the man off the train and to a little black motor vehicle parked off to the side.

I couldn't help my lingering eyes on the sleek black metal. There weren't many motor vehicles back in Venetia. No one had the money for them. The only time I had seen them was for shipments that were brought into town.

"If you will," Darrel opened the small door for me and I gave him a small smile. I climbed in and waited for him. Once he was in he started the vehicle and we started moving.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, Mr. Ward?" I leaned forward in the back seat, trying to project my voice over the loud rumbling of the engine. He heard me and gave a soft chuckle.

"It's Darrel Miss, and ask me all the questions you want." I smiled at his answer, nodding my head.

"Where are we going?"

"To Atraria." He tapped on the steering wheel, taking a turn.

Atraria wasn't far from Venetia, but it was a big state. I knew that the training grounds were near the Ebesu River and that was about six hours away from the border of Venetia. I wouldn't doubt if we were going further then that.

"Where is the training camp?" I had my suspicions, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Near the Ebesu river, about three hours from the Border into Sestrenes Miss." I sucked in a breath. We were so close to the country we were fighting. I was going so far from home and there was a chance I wouldn't make it back.

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned back, my free hand rubbing small circles on my birthmark that was placed on my shoulder. Eli said that he was able to tell when I was stressed about something when I rubbed the small crown like mark. He would fuss at me for rubbing it raw.

"Are you alright Miss Hadley?"

"Yes." I lied.