different tickets, she compared the ten sets of instructions on her computer.
Yes. One particular train was dominant in all of them. Just to be sure, she rode her bike to the train stations again and bought tickets to the other southern destinations.
Same train, appearing in thirty-six of the forty routes. At brightlights, Mel took it.
When it reached the most central southern station, Mel remained in her seat. She never had. People never did. You got off where the ticket told you to. If you wanted to travel again, you bought a new ticket and obeyed its instructions.
Two people, lingering after the rest, looked at her strangely. She looked back at them, and the girl looked quickly away, while the boy kept her eyes for another moment.
I... Well... @Meliora12535, can you please tell me why you're not getting off? It was a message from the girl, who was still humming.
The boy looked at the girl. Mel had a feeling that he'd received a similar message. The girl wouldn't look at them. Her eyes were jumping around just like Mom's, just like everyone's. But she hadn't gotten off the train, and she could match Mel's address with her face many minutes after Mel had introduced herself.
"You will both be doctors of some sort, won't you, @Adelaide4253 and @Ivan529?" Mel said.
Ivan looked at her again and nodded.
Yes, Adelaide wrote. So, what do we do from here? They only told me to take train 42145 to the south.
"Same with me," Ivan said.
"They didn't tell me which exact train to take," Mel said quietly.
The girl was humming and twitching. The boy returned Meliora's gaze and also looked at Adelaide, then looked away out of politeness. He certainly had ACD, Mel thought, perhaps even stronger than hers. Not only could he watch something for a long time, but he also talked with few words.
I should perhaps get off, Adelaide wrote in a shared message to Meliora and Ivan. See you later.
"Don't," Meliora said. "We don't get off, any of us. They wanted us to catch a particular train. Stay here."
A minute later, the train took off to the south.
***
Fifteen minutes later, the train entered the intercity semi-darkness. Five minutes after that, Mel watched Adelaide and Ivan sit closer together, both hunched, pale, watching the bare walls outside with wide eyes. So, if they had been to another city at all, they had slept. But why was Mel surprised at all? Everyone slept.
Mel sat on the fluffy red seat across from the two and watched them and the bare walls outside.
Adelaide had even forgotten to hum. Mel wondered how the girl would take it when she remembered and noticed the intermittent interweb connection. Mel herself was glad she'd messaged Mom while the train had stood motionless in the station.
Minutes passed, and the interweb connection was very bad. Mom would be worrying by now.
"How can they!" Mel jumped from her seat, startling the others into jumping from theirs. "They don't have the right to worry her again!" She strolled down the isle between the rows of seats.
The train must have a computer, too, like the door and window at the doctor's office—like anything—and Mel had had enough of others harming her through the machines.
She strode into the next empty wagon, and the next. The wagon where she, Ivan, and Adelaide had traveled had remained semi-lit, but these wagons had a much lower intensity of light. It was too dark, darker than softlights time, darker than Great-Granddad Nicolas' house—darker than anything. But Mel wasn't afraid. Not at all!
Meliora, where are you, what are you doing? A message from Adelaide. The interweb must be working again. Mel stopped and sent a message to Mom.
Meliora, come back. That from Ivan.
Why? she wrote to her two new friends.
Because this is where the light is.
A message with no sender. Mel could not even reply. The train wheels stopped clattering, and she went back because the interweb was working again.
The moment she entered the lit wagon, she was slapped so hard that
Yes. One particular train was dominant in all of them. Just to be sure, she rode her bike to the train stations again and bought tickets to the other southern destinations.
Same train, appearing in thirty-six of the forty routes. At brightlights, Mel took it.
When it reached the most central southern station, Mel remained in her seat. She never had. People never did. You got off where the ticket told you to. If you wanted to travel again, you bought a new ticket and obeyed its instructions.
Two people, lingering after the rest, looked at her strangely. She looked back at them, and the girl looked quickly away, while the boy kept her eyes for another moment.
I... Well... @Meliora12535, can you please tell me why you're not getting off? It was a message from the girl, who was still humming.
The boy looked at the girl. Mel had a feeling that he'd received a similar message. The girl wouldn't look at them. Her eyes were jumping around just like Mom's, just like everyone's. But she hadn't gotten off the train, and she could match Mel's address with her face many minutes after Mel had introduced herself.
"You will both be doctors of some sort, won't you, @Adelaide4253 and @Ivan529?" Mel said.
Ivan looked at her again and nodded.
Yes, Adelaide wrote. So, what do we do from here? They only told me to take train 42145 to the south.
"Same with me," Ivan said.
"They didn't tell me which exact train to take," Mel said quietly.
The girl was humming and twitching. The boy returned Meliora's gaze and also looked at Adelaide, then looked away out of politeness. He certainly had ACD, Mel thought, perhaps even stronger than hers. Not only could he watch something for a long time, but he also talked with few words.
I should perhaps get off, Adelaide wrote in a shared message to Meliora and Ivan. See you later.
"Don't," Meliora said. "We don't get off, any of us. They wanted us to catch a particular train. Stay here."
A minute later, the train took off to the south.
***
Fifteen minutes later, the train entered the intercity semi-darkness. Five minutes after that, Mel watched Adelaide and Ivan sit closer together, both hunched, pale, watching the bare walls outside with wide eyes. So, if they had been to another city at all, they had slept. But why was Mel surprised at all? Everyone slept.
Mel sat on the fluffy red seat across from the two and watched them and the bare walls outside.
Adelaide had even forgotten to hum. Mel wondered how the girl would take it when she remembered and noticed the intermittent interweb connection. Mel herself was glad she'd messaged Mom while the train had stood motionless in the station.
Minutes passed, and the interweb connection was very bad. Mom would be worrying by now.
"How can they!" Mel jumped from her seat, startling the others into jumping from theirs. "They don't have the right to worry her again!" She strolled down the isle between the rows of seats.
The train must have a computer, too, like the door and window at the doctor's office—like anything—and Mel had had enough of others harming her through the machines.
She strode into the next empty wagon, and the next. The wagon where she, Ivan, and Adelaide had traveled had remained semi-lit, but these wagons had a much lower intensity of light. It was too dark, darker than softlights time, darker than Great-Granddad Nicolas' house—darker than anything. But Mel wasn't afraid. Not at all!
Meliora, where are you, what are you doing? A message from Adelaide. The interweb must be working again. Mel stopped and sent a message to Mom.
Meliora, come back. That from Ivan.
Why? she wrote to her two new friends.
Because this is where the light is.
A message with no sender. Mel could not even reply. The train wheels stopped clattering, and she went back because the interweb was working again.
The moment she entered the lit wagon, she was slapped so hard that
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