Clandestine: Immortal Hearts

Chapter 1: Out With the Old, in With the New

HARLOW

I sigh boredly to myself as I sit in the train booth, staring out the frost covered window as the train flies by on the train tracks and passes multiple suburban houses, the grass outside covered in frost and the sky a blue-grey color. As of today, I'll be heading to a new home. I never quite expected to be moving out at eighteen, but unexpected circumstances changed everything, erased the future I thought I had planned and created such an uncertain one. I sigh once more and lean my elbow on the ledge by the window, pressing my palm into the side of my face.

Originally, I had planned to stay with my father until I had finished university. I always loved and looked up to my father. My mom died in a car crash when I was seven. Me and my father were heartbroken when we lost her, but he tried his hardest to be strong for the both of us. It saddened me that he felt he needed to hide his tears for late-night evenings behind closed doors and sad smiles that never reached his blue-green eyes, but I understood that he was trying to be strong for me.

Even now, he's doing his best to protect me, sending me away from home so that I can be safe. I promised to myself to be strong, despite not knowing what my future may hold. I never wanted to move so far away from my father and leave him all by himself, never wanted to leave my home, my friends, and all that I've ever known behind. It's a scary thought, to leave behind all you once knew, but I need to be brave. Besides...

"Jonathan! Let go of me!" I snapped angrily, my brown eyes blazing with fury as he held my wrist.

"Come on, Harlow!" Jonathan laughed drunkenly, his blue eyes out of focus and his blond hair tousled as he yanked on my wrist, his fingers closing around tight enough to bruise.

"I said, let go of me!" I shouted as flames and wind burst from around me, embers flying through the air as both Jonathan's eyes and my eyes widened in surprised.

I didn't have much of a choice.

"Miss Trusilla?" A blonde woman calls out to me as she slides open my cabin door, making me glance over to her. "Your stop is nearing."

"Thank you," I smile politely back at her and she nods, her brown eyes warm, before she closes the door, heading to check on other cabins.

I suppose they wouldn't want to fail to inform the commander's daughter about her stop, would they? I sigh and turn to the left, picking up my brown suitcase and throwing my black duffel bag over my shoulder before I stand up as the train begins to slow. I leave my cabin and make my way to the exit, my tall brown knee-high boots with laces that run up the sides clicking along the floor as I walk. I quickly shove my hand into the front pocket of my white jeans to ensure that I stuffed my ID and travel card in there before I leave the train.

As soon as I step outside, I'm greeted with a world of unfamiliarity. I'm in a train station that's multiple hours away from my old house and I can see many brown, red, and grey brick buildings in the distance as smoke stacks produce smoke from a factory not too far away, the smoke trailing up into the sky. I make my way from the train platform and walk down the cobblestone streets, looking around me in awe at all of the boutiques and small corner stores, a street vendor promoting baked goods near the beginning of the street.

I wrap my dark grey coat tighter around myself as the wind blows, somewhat regretting wearing a brown ruffled tube-top instead of long-sleeves. I pull an envelope out of the back pocket of my jeans and look at the return address on the letter before I breathe out, glancing quickly up at the streets in front of me. I shove the letter back in my pocket before I start walking, determined to find where I'm going to be staying and get out of the cold weather that's been brought on from fall transitioning to winter.