The Traitor

Chapter Four: An Unexpected Stop

BOOM! I was jolted awake by a large explosion that shook the train, as it came to a screaming stop. The train tilted to the right, and Connor and I slid toward the window, then to the left, before finally halting, leaving everyone aboard disoriented and in shock. It sounded like the explosion came from near the back of the train and I glanced behind me to see if there was anything noticeably wrong. As far as I could see, everything looked perfectly normal; all except the confused passengers aboard.

"What's going on?" I asked. Connor was already on his feet, and Sophia sat up on the bench, wide-eyed and horrified from whatever had just happened. The two others I didn't recognize from the ceremony glanced around in wonderment as the question, 'what just happened?' swirled through all of our heads. I stood up next to Connor.

"I think the train broke down," Connor answered, unplugging his earbuds and taking a step to look out the window. I was about to say something when the train Conductor stormed into our train car, yelling at us to get off the train immediately. In a state of panic, we all hurried toward the exit, confused and worried about what was going on. In the chaos, I heard someone say something about the train having been attacked, but I wasn't sure if that was what had really happened. We all crowded out of the small exit and lined up in a single file line, while the Conductor called out our names to make sure we were all accounted for. Then, we were instructed to sit under a small shelter just off the track while the conductor and his crew met and discussed the situation. 

"What do you think happened?" I asked Connor, who was sitting right next to me. Sophia was sitting across from us, looking petrified, and the other two were sitting a couple yards to my right. It was a boy and a girl, and I noticed both of them simultaneously turn and look at me, and I began to feel uneasy under their penetrating stares. I looked away, but I could tell out of the corner of my eyes that they were still staring at me. The girl had long, blonde hair with dark blue eyes and was outrageously gorgeous. The boy, who was just as good-looking, if not more, was a brunette, with a shaggy, dark brown hairdo and eyes that matched his hair color. "And who are they? I don't remember seeing them at the ceremony."

Connor, whose arms were rested on his knees as he leaned against the shelter, shrugged, then nodded his head toward them. I turned to see both of them standing up and walking toward us. 

"Hi," the girl greeted with a smile. Her voice was smooth and dimples shown on her cheeks when she smiled. "I'm Savannah." She sat down on the other side of Connor. "And this is Jasper," she added, gesturing to the cute boy who sat down next me. I felt myself blush and I looked away in embarrassment. 

"Nice to meet you," Jasper said, his voice calm and deep. "What's your name?" 

I was surprised when he turned toward me and I tried not to blush even more when I responded, "Teya." His dark eyes stayed fixed on mine as he smiled, revealing teeth whiter than a fresh layer of snow after a blizzard.

"That's a beautiful name. Is it French?" he asked.

"Yes. My parents used to travel a lot before my brothers and I were born," I explained.

I looked over and noticed Connor looking at the ground and I was about to ask him if he was okay when Jasper asked, "Oh, so you have brothers? How many?" He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

"Two," I responded, forgetting about Connor for the moment. "Their names are Brandon and Nathan. Brandon and I have been really close our whole lives. He's my best friend." The thought of him brought tears to my eyes, but I quickly recovered before anyone noticed. "He's a Wen, though, so I'm never going to see him again." I tried to act casual like it didn't matter, but I wasn't sure if I made it convincing. I wasn't a very good actress.