Chapter 3

Train Ride

  Haley scoffed at the nostalgia when she actually turned Zak into cactus-clock combo and her dad turned her mom into a mushroom-woman. They all had a family picture afterward.

    

 

   High school was hard enough though, but going to a prestigious, gifted school? Alone? That was just too much for any teenager. Garsworth was at the tip of the South island of New Zealand. It’s a huge place, but you can’t find it on the map. You can’t find the cliff either. But the cliff was wide and sturdy, overlooking a beach and the Tasman Sea, or so her parents said. And if you use a really good telescope, you can see the edge of the North island of New Zealand. However, for now, Haley was coming up to the stretch of water that bridges North and South New Zealand. The train was perfectly fine going over the water without rails, Haley was just scared that she might drown herself in her own tears. She could make nothing out of the window, but she knew she was coming up to it. Where Garsworth was located. On a cliff. With a lighthouse. Yay.

   She was alone in the compartment with the unopened photo album, sandwiched between her chest and her legs, with her arms wrapped around them. Staring out the window, she thought about all the times she had shared with her friends, and how she was convinced into going to Garsworth. She was on another verge of tears when the door opened. In stepped a guy (about fifteen, maybe sixteen) with the deepest silver eyes (Yes, silver eyes. Not gray, silver) you can just get lost in.

            “Hey, is it alright if I sit here? The other compartment was, well, kind of bad and we all had to leave it.”

            “Sure it’s fine,” Haley replied, staring into his eyes and wiping the corners of her’s. Wow, she thought, he’s really cute. I think he had an Australian accent. But, why is there some kind of fuzzy thought coming in? Like I can read his mind, but nothing’s coming out. That’s weird; I thought I could only read animal’s thoughts. Except, I think I hear some random thought about some person’s hair smelling good and…rats? What the hell? And maybe some worry? I don’t know what it is.

            “Thanks. Umm, is it alright if I brought in my owl?”

   Haley snapped back to reality. “Sure. I love animals,” That would explain the rats and hair. I think. She put down her legs and put her photo album away, then straightened up.

            “Yay,” Yay? I thought only I would say ‘yay’ at my age.  He went out and brought in a midnight black owl with piercing, golden eyes. “I just got, uh, it, today. The lady who sold it to me didn’t exactly tell me if it’s a guy or a girl,” The owl flew off the guy’s arm and onto Haley’s lap. Haley winced considering she was wearing shorts. The owl stared into her eyes as if searching for a friend. Haley looked up and saw that he was worried.

            “Cute owl,” Haley said making the owl get onto her arm, and rubbed her legs. Miner blood spill, but nothing to get queasy over. Two hours in the train, and I already am hurt. I’m not even there yet.

            "Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

            “Peachy,” Haley replied, stroking the owl’s feathers. "My name’s Haley.”

            “I’m Tristan. Sorry about my owl, you sure you okay?”

            "Yeah, I’m fine.”

            “I think my owl likes you.”

            My name’s Saren, I’m a girl you dolt. That git’s been out in the sun for too long.

   Haley gasped. "That’s mean Saren,” she whispered.

            "What?” Tristan questioned.

            “Your owl’s name is Saren,” she told him quickly.

            “Um, okay,” Tristan’s face looked somewhat puzzled, and hysterically funny. It looked like he was concentrating on something hard. Then he finally caught up. "Oh, you can talk to animals,” Duh birdbrain. Hunh, a pun. "That’s awesome. I wish I did so I knew half the things she wants. She kept biting my ears and my hair ever since I got her.”

            What? I like his hair. It smells really good. Go ahead, take a whiff. At this, Haley couldn’t help but giggle.

            "What?”

            "Nothing. So, why’d you have to leave?”

            "Oh,” Tristan smiled. "Well, see, the thing is that one of the guys dropped a stink bomb. You know, the kind you get in a normy store…” hehe, normy. “… and it stank up the whole compartment so we had to leave.”

            "Haha. I understand. My little brother has tons of those. You have an Australian accent, but you don’t talk like them,” Haley noted.

            "You sound New Zealand-ish, but you don’t either.” Tristan rebutted, with a smile. “I am, but was born American. I moved to Australia ten years ago, but I never really caught on the words as much. And I figured that you wouldn’t understand me if I used them.”

   After that, they sat in silence. Haley has been taking secret glances at Tristan every now and then. She scrutinized him about curious things. It was a good thing that animals couldn’t read her mind; otherwise, she would be even more embarrassed.

   He looked like he climbed a lot (plus one), a somewhat round face, yet with somewhat more distinctive features, (plus one). Very nice lips (plus two), slightly curly, short, brown hair, styled uniquely so that it somehow leans back a little (plus…one and-a-half?).  He was tall (minus ½) tan, (yay, some color, plus two) looked like a surfer, (plus two) maybe a football player, (if yes, plus six!). She thought she could see some muscles underneath his clothes and calves (plus two if it’s true.) So, all-in-all, 17. If he wasn’t tall, Haley would’ve given him a better score. She didn’t know what kind of scale she was using, but it was still pretty good.

            Just then, a lady with a cart full of snacks came down the corridor ringing a bell.

            “Anything dearies?” she asked sweetly.

            “Sweet. Anything, Haley?”

            “Yeah, chocolate anything or raspberry anything,” Haley replied cheerfully. “Oh, and something to drink. I think Saren might be thirsty.”

            “Okay,” he went out and came back in five minutes later. “Here’s some water and cranberry juice, chocolate raspberries-”

            “Eee, yay.”

            “-lingonberry jam, and honey-toasted toast. Also ham sandwich and chocolate toffees for me.”

            “Great, how much do I owe you?” Haley asked going through her bag.

            “It’s alright, I got it,” Tristan said taking a bite of his sandwich. It was a huge bite.

            “No, I’d like to pay for it.”

            “I said it’s fine.”

            “And I said I like to pay for it.”

            “And I said it’s all right.”

            “Why won’t you let me pay for it? Or at least my share?”

            “Because that wouldn’t be very gentlemen-like.” The sandwich seemed to have disappeared.

            Haley sat there with a confused look on her face.  Whoa, he eats really fast. “……What?”

            “I said it wouldn’t be very gentlemen-like of me to not pay for your share. All you got was chocolate-covered raspberries,” he said while he popped some into his mouth.

            “But I’ll also be having some of the other stuff, won’t I?”

            “Yeah, but I’m sharing it with you. That’s totally different.”

            “How?”

            “…I can’t exactly think of it right now, but I know it is different.”

   Haley continued to stare at him.

            “Stop looking at me like that.”

            “No.”

            “Why not?”

            “I can’t exactly think of the reason right now, but I don’t want to,” Haley grinned. Tristan smiled too. “You really won’t let me pay, will you?”

            “No.”

            “And I can’t do anything about it, can’t I?”

            “No.”

            “Well then, thank you. Will you please pass the jam please? You know, if you want to share.”

            “Haha, ’course I’ll share. Do you have a knife?”

   Haley gave him the look again. “Yeah, I always carry a knife on hand whenever I travel somewhere, and end up alone with a complete stranger, in an empty compartment, in a noisy train.”

            “Okay, okay. You don’t have to go through all of that just to say ‘no’.”

            “No, I’m serious, I actually carry a knife for that.”

            “You serious?” Tristan’s eyes widened.

   Haley giggled at the face Tristan made. “No! I was kidding! I don’t actually have one so I can do that.”

            “So not funny,” Tristan said while conjuring a butter knife, two cups, and a bowl. He looked crestfallen.

            “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

            “Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. My feelings aren’t hurt,” Tristan’s eyes were down. Haley crossed the compartment, and sat cross-legged facing him.

            “Oh really? Then why are you looking down?” she tilted her head to get a better view. “Are you feeling okay? You look kind of red,” Haley asked, worried.

            “I’m fine,” Tristan looked up and smiled at Haley. “No need to worry about me.”

   Haley felt an anvil fall on her lungs. His eyes and his smile were a deathly combination. The silver pools of his irises were piercing right through hers and into her brain. She felt like she couldn’t move a single cell in her body. All she wanted to do was sit right there, two inches from his face, and didn’t want to disturb that very moment, when all of his attention was being focused on her. But like all good things, this unbelievable spell was cut abruptly short. By who?

            “All right, if you say so,” Haley nibbled on the lingonberry toast Tristan just gave her.

            “Where do you come from?” Tristan laughed, jamming another piece of toast.

            “Wellington, this is good jam.” She explained, snapping back to reality again. “Where do you come from?” Haley questioned through a full mouth. She poured the drinks, and took a gulp while Saren sipped noiselessly.

            “Brisbane, I love lingonberries. We have our own garden. You don’t have much of an accent do you?”

            “That’s because I was born in the States as well and left when I was six, and came here. I’ve loved the landscape and all that, but my mom still has to go on business trips, so I might go back and forth sometimes. And maybe I should come by and steal some berries along the way?” she said playfully.

            “That’d be cool, if Australia bridged New Zealand and the States.”

            “I’ll go the long way then.”                                                  

            “Well, then, I hope to see you soon,” Tristan said, turning around and sitting cross-legged as well.

            “Wait, Brisbane. It’s right near the water, isn’t it?”

            “Yeah. I surf a lot, and scuba dive…” heck yes, “…and I found a clearing perfect for football…” double heck yes, “…where I play with my friends. And in the back, there’s these small cliffs that I climb on.” Hell yes!

            “That’s awesome! You scuba dive too? I love the feel of the water. And all the marine animals. It’s so beautiful down there. I spend practically everyday underwater.”

            “I do as well. I love animals, water, and sports. But I don’t spend a great deal, just in and out whenever I feel like I need to.”

            “I love animals too.”

            “That’s really cool!” But the happiness in his face fell when he looked out the window. “Look, there’s Garsworth.”

   And he was right. There was a silhouette, large and tall, emerging from the horizon. Looming, and ominous in all it’s prestigious glory, a castle on a cliff.

            “We’re close, is this your first year?” Haley asked as she retreated into a fetal position, looking away.

            “Yeah,” Haley turned her head towards him. “New school, and tons of different people everywhere,” Tristan replied quietly, staring off into space, as if talking to himself.

            “Well, at least you got Saren.”

            “Yeah, but I can’t talk to her. And she never stops biting me,” Tristan said, stroking a finger on Saren’s wing, while rubbing his ear.

            Yes, you can. You just can’t hear me talk back.

            “Well then, at least you got me,” Haley inputted, a little embarrassed, looking away.

            “Yeah, I do,” Tristan replied with a smile, looking her full in the eyes.

            Whoosh.