Lost Together

Chapter 10

The train stopped at the train station with a high and uncomfortable squealing sound.
People were getting out and in the train. And among everyone— Jack, Alma, Myron and their new friends Nim and Kim.

Kim and Nim hopped out first, running as far away as possible, so that the train guards couldn't catch them.

„Oh, well. Apparently, they don't want to come with us." said Jack, still hoping they would change their mind about coming along with him and his siblings.
„No! They're just trying to hide, so that they won't get caught!" Myron replied and then ran after the two boys. „Come on!"

So they took off into the same direction, Nim and Kim disappeared into.

//

"Excuse me!!" Kim shouted, pushing people out of his way and dragging Nim with him.
"Hey! Be more careful!" some people shouted back.

They ran around a corner and hid behind wooden boxes.
"What about our new friends?" asked Nim. "What if they don't find us here?"
"I'm sure they'll find us and if they don't, I don't really care. We don't necessarily need them." said Kim.
"What?! Yes, we do need them! We will help them and they'll help us!" then Nim saw them and jumped up. "We're here! We're here!"
But Kim pulled him back down and snapped: "Stop! We could get seen by train guards! Maybe they even told on us already!"
"But I don't think they did!" Nim replied.
"What did I tell you?" Kim asked him with a serious look on his face.
"To not trust anybody...." Nim answered and lowered his head.
"Exactly. We won't trust anybody, until I made sure they're trustworthy." Kim said. "Now, we'll wait."

Myron, Alma and Jack came running over to them.
"We found you!" Myron said and smiled at them.
Nim smiled back, but Kim wasn't so happy to see them.
„Yes, you did..." he said, annoyed. „And hopefully you didn't lead any train guards to us..."
„No, you're fine!" Myron assured them.
Kim nodded and slowly got up on his feet, together with Nim.
Then they quickly went out of the train station, trying not to be seen.

//

The five kids went through the streets of Derbyshire.
They all were never here before, so it was a good thing for them to stick and stay together.

Alma was hiding her wing-like arm in her jacket sleeve, Myron was talking to Nim and Jack and Kim walked next to them, not saying a single word.

Then suddenly, Kim elbowed Jack and grinned.
Jack quickly gave him an irritated look and slightly stepped away from Kim.

„Why are you always looking so upset?" Kim asked and raised his eyebrows.
„I could ask you the same thing." Jack replied, coldly and didn't look at Kim.
Kim laughed. „Yeah."

Then they turned silent and Jack hoped it would stay like that.
But after some seconds, Kim spoke up again and Jack sighed annoyed.
„So, where are you three going?" he asked and grinned at the black haired boy, which made Jack wanting this conversation to be over even more.
„A place." Jack answered.
„Oooh! A place!" Kim laughed, but it only seemed to annoy Jack more and more. „No, seriously. What place?"
„I'm not telling you." Jack said and started to walk faster, distancing himself from Kim.
„What? Now you're just walking away? Hey, that's rude!" Kim yelled after him, but Myron gave him some kind of hand sign, which meant something like: Just leave him there.

After a while of walking, Myron told Kim and Nim, where he and his siblings were going. That they were trying to get to a loop.
He wasn't really good in explaining it, since Jack seemed to know more about it, but he tried his best.
„What's a loop?" Nim asked confused.
„Jack said, it's a place where we might be safe. And this loop is somewhere here in Derbyshire." Myron tried to explain.
„Wow! You don't even know where exactly that place is? Great!" Kim said in an sarcastic tone.
„A train guard told us about it. He didn't have that much time, so he couldn't tell us everything." Myron mumbled and felt a little hurt by Kim's reaction.
„A train guard?! There's no way we're going to follow you to some place, a train guard told you about!" Kim said angrily. „We once did that and their advice only led us to an orphanage!"
„But this train guard was different! He knew about something. Something special..." Myron tried to convince him.

Nim was just desperately looking at both boys, hoping he wouldn't have to leave his new friends.

„Oh! Because he was special!" Kim said mockingly. „Seriously? And that's why we should trust that train guar—"

„Could you quit talking for one bloody minute?" Jack interrupted Kim and for a couple of seconds, there was silence.

„Thank you." Jack spoke up again and then continued. „There's a market right over there. Maybe we could ask people where that so-called loop is."
The four nodded at Jack and they all went over to the market, where another big crowd of people was ahead of them.

//

Even though there were a lot of people, it wasn't as stressful as it was at the train station.

Everyone seemed happy, as they looked at things and bought them.
Nobody seemed stressed or upset.

There were all sorts of things—food, clothes, jewellery, more food. Even animals!

„Some say this market has weird or extraordinary people selling things. For example, this woman with her bears!" said Kim. „I mean—who sells bears, right?"

The five kids spotted three little bears, chained to a wooden post.
Especially Myron couldn't get his eyes off of them.

„Wait. How do you know about that? I thought you were never here before." said Jack and narrowed his eyes at Kim.
„Well, yes. I was never here before. I just read that on a sign at the entrance of the market." Kim replied, casually.
„Strange." Jack said.
„As if they want to warn us about people, who don't actually belong here." Myron added and suddenly, Jack's eyes widened.
„I know who to ask about the way to the loop now." Jack said and quickly went over to the woman and her bears.

Alma followed him too and Myron wanted to do the same, but then Nim grabbed his arm.
„Kim said, that we have to go now. He doesn't trust you, you know." he said, his voice having a sad tone. „But I do! So I got this for you!"
Nim opened his hand and revealed a little flower.
„For me?" Myron asked. Nim nodded and gave the flower to him.

Then Myron hugged him and a smile on Nim's face lit up.

„Are you coming, Nim?" Kim said and groaned.
„Yes! I'm coming!" he replied and let go of Myron, running over to Kim. Then they disappeared in the crowd.

Myron looked at the flower and smiled.

I hope we see each other again.

Then he went over to his siblings.

//

„Have you heard of a place called loop?" Jack asked the woman. „We were told, that it is here in Derbyshire."
The woman giggled. „Well..."

Suddenly, Myron began to feel dizzy.
„Hey, do you two feel tired too?..." he said, his eyes slowly closing. Then he fell to the ground, letting go of his flower and letting it fall into a puddle of water.
„Myron?!" Alma and Jack screamed at the same time.

„You will soon find the loop, do not worry." the woman said, with a weirdly mysterious smile on her face.

Then Alma fell over too, causing Jack to scream again.
„Alma?! Myron?! Why are they—what is happening?!" Jack was panicking now.
He wanted to do something, but didn't know what.

„Do not worry." the woman said again, calmly.
„I-I'm scared! What—why is this happening?! Is this a dream?! Myron! Alma! I don't want to lose you two, you're my sibli—" Jack got interrupted.

He got something sandy, dusty in his eyes and immediately shut his eyes tightly.
And he also got the dust in his mouth. It tasted like nothing. But with every breath he took, he got more tired.
Eventually, he felt himself fall down. But instead of hitting the hard ground, it felt like falling into a soft bed.
Jack fell asleep.