Page 11 of Starfall
Ari
T he cramped train car smelling of mildew and week-old milk was not how I pictured the beginning of my adventure to save my sisters.I sniffed the air, wrinkling my nose in distaste.Earth held so many smells, and not all were pleasant.
“It’s not that bad,” Elias chided into my ear, prodding me deeper into the bedlam of shouting passengers, all scrambling to secure their luggage. I scanned the scene, devouring every detail like Lily would a strawberry-filled pastry.
The men wore top hats and threadbare tweed jackets, a freshly shaven face seeming to be the norm. A few dared to sport closely trimmed beards, some sort of perfumed paste used to cement each hair meticulously in place.
The women, much like the men, chose clothing ranging from brown to muted gray, their thick woolen dresses heavy, and, in my opinion, unflattering.
I knew from dreams that this area was highly conservative and showing any ounce of skin was frowned upon.
They prided themselves on keeping with the ‘old and proper ways,’ and from what I gathered, that included the archaic ways of thinking.
I’d seen ten posters thus far on the walk from Elias’s modest cottage to the station, all warning against venturing into the city.
The posters promised young minds were warped by drink, song, and promiscuity.
No wonder Elias had wanted to set off for Persh and leave this gray and beige world behind.
It didn’t take away from the beauty of the trees and the fresh air—so thick and perfumed with the scent of soil and pine. How I stopped to stare whenever a bird so much as flitted by. Elias had grumbled about being late, so I hurried, cursing him for stealing my little moments.
Now, we were stuck in a box. The opposite of what I’d witnessed beyond the modest windows of the train.
I grimaced as I reached for my back, trying to scratch through the thick fabric of my dress.
Because my attire was utterly ruined, Elias had to dig through his mother’s closet, returning with the only dress that might fit me.
It tugged at my generous hips, and my breasts strained against the tightly woven material.
If I breathed too hard, I might pop a button, which would very well lead to a scandal.
Already, the passengers stared down their noses at my silver hair as if it personally offended them.
Sighing, I slid my fingers beneath the high neckline.
I suspected the dress had once been a light gray, but now, it was more of a muddled charcoal, stains and splotches running down its fitted waist and to my swinging skirts.
It made me miss Maldia’s airy dresses.This garment weighed me down and made it all but impossible to move without tripping over my skirts.
Elias’s home of Clarine didn’t seem to like their women able to move.
“Stop scratching. You look nervous.” Elias poked my side when the aisle cleared, his hand ushering us to what had to be our assigned seats—seats that were so close together, you were practically sitting in your companion’s lap.
“I’m not nervous,” I protested, “I’m itchy . Big difference.”
I wondered how he would feel wearing the coarse wool. He seemed mighty comfortable in his thin, cotton button-up, his brown trousers loose around his waist.
“Want to trade?” I eyed him before taking my seat, my skirts fluffing up in a stiff poof as I settled. I raised a brow when he didn’t answer. “I’m quite serious, actually.”
“I’m not sure that’s my color,” Elias said with a tight-lipped smile as he secured his worn leather bag in the overhead bins. When he took his seat, his elbow jutted into my lap, and his heavily muscled arms pressed into my shoulder.
“Eternal above, keep those things to yourself.” I shifted toward the rounded window.
Nothing but green trees and wildflowers greeted me, the small town of Clarine boasting more cows than people.
I wanted to be out there , not trapped. If only Elias hadn’t been so impatient, I might’ve indulged in the wildlife more.
At least he assured me that it was only a two-hour ride to Persh on this death trap fitted with velvet seats and overdressed patrons.
“Can’t help that my arms won’t fit properly.
Some might be impressed,” Elias said with the barest hint of a smile, drawing my attention to his mouth.
He teased me, going so far as to flex his arm while I glowered.
At my reaction, that lone dimple popped up on his right cheek—devilish and all sorts of infuriating.
It did something…peculiar to my insides.
“You and your inane muscles,” I murmured under my breath. I’d knocked him on his back just last night, and his bulging muscles certainly hadn’t helped his case.
“Hey, the bright side is we caught this train. The next one isn’t for another two days.
” Elias adjusted in his seat as he attempted to find a more comfortable position.
He failed, huffing in annoyance before slanting awkwardly, his head close to mine, his body stretched halfway into the aisle. I suppressed a snort.
From the little he told me of our destination, it wasn’t somewhere I’d ever settle.
His irritatingly brief description had me envisioning a gray town of filthy alleys and piss-filled streets.
A city where the ruthless reigned. Lily would’ve thought it all to be thrilling, an adventure like those she saw in dreams. She forever idolized the mortals and their unpredictable lives.
Once, she even confessed that she wouldn’t mind being one of them.
Naturally, I hadn’t told a soul—she would’ve been punished for such thoughts.
But I, too, wondered about the mortals more than I should .
Although, I wouldn’t have chosen Persh to explore first. It sounded far from safe.
Elias’s eyes lit up when he spoke of Darren’s club—an underground institution of debauchery and spilled blood.
The women there were free to imbibe in drink and flesh, and the men gambled and placed bets on fighters.
Whereas he’d grinned when speaking of the fighting club, I worked to keep the grimace off my face.
“Can you at least try not to suffocate me with those,” I warned when he bumped into me again.
My nerves were getting to me; the train car was too small, and the cacophony of voices flooding my ears made my vision tilt.
So many noises, so many people ! Their proximity and the heat they radiated stifled the air, making my chest rise and fall unevenly.
Elias huffed, turning his attention to the remaining passengers climbing aboard and taking their seats.
While he was content to ignore me, a young child missing his front teeth turned around to stare at me from between two seats.
When he stuck out his tongue, his eyes glittering with mischief, I couldn’t help but return the gesture, eliciting a delighted squeal from the child.
All right, see? Not so bad .
My ease didn’t last long.
Minutes later, the train let out a shrill whistle, and I lurched forward as it shot off down the tracks. I dug my fingers into the wooden armrests, the forests beyond the windows moving too quickly for my liking. The green became a single blurring line, and bile rose in my throat.
I hadn’t thought this through. Hadn’t thought anything through, and now I was being shot down some rickety tracks in a metal tin, and?—
A callused hand wrapped around mine, squeezing. I bit into my cheek and abandoned the window, gazing at where Elias grasped me. The solidness of him grounded me, and I didn’t remove my hand. I couldn’t.
Since being thrust into his orbit, I forced myself to wear a strong facade—one that wasn’t entirely truthful.
I’d surprised myself with my own words, the boldness with which I spoke to Elias.
But…it felt freeing in a way, not monitoring each thought, and as the hours passed, that bravado wasn’t so difficult to ma intain.
Until now.
When the train shook violently on the rails, Elias tightened his grip and placed our intertwined hands on his leg.
A jolt of heat shot into my core, and I shivered, even in the humid air.
His grip on my hand was a squeeze to my chest, a knife to my ribs, and a match struck in my center all at the same time.
Yet my fingers didn’t move, and I didn’t shove him off.
Not even when I chanced a peek at him and found him staring at me, his gaze wide and lips parted.
When we locked eyes, he turned away first, clearing his throat awkwardly.
Nevertheless, my hold never faltered, and neither did his.
Sweat trickled down my back, the train car’s nauseating swaying making my stomach churn viciously. How long was this trip again? An hour? I could do that. I’d soared over the world when I Dreamwalked. I literally detached from my body.
So why did I feel as if I were being held underwater and falling at the same time?
“It’s all right, lass.” Puffs of hot air tickled my ear as Elias leaned in to whisper, sending a flurry of shivers racing down my spine. “It takes some getting used to. That’s all.”
He gave my hand another squeeze, and when I leaned back to take him in, he didn’t look away. Elias held my stare, and I wondered if he felt the same buzzing sensation working up my fingers. If he’d felt the jolt of energy when we touched.
He likely didn’t. Elias hadn’t displayed the same interest in me as others did for their partners when I Dreamwalked. I might never have set foot on Earth, but I understood what longing looked like. Desire.
Elias merely forced himself to be nice. It probably killed him on the inside. If anything, he thought me weak, panicking about something as simple as a train ride.