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Description
Kyoko panted, leaning down, hands on her knees. She grinned slightly. She had made it. There was no way they could catch her now. She leaned against a tree, looking out at the rails. She was about ten minutes early for the train. The backpack felt about 20 pounds heavier than it did this morning. She had tried to pack only the essentials, but somethings she needed to have, whether they would help her or not. Camera, journal, pens, spare candy, her favorite book... all these things were weighing her down now. She pulled out her water bottle and drank deeply from it. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, relishing the fact that no one was telling her to be more ladylike, or show more respect.
The train station was, as usual, abandoned. Sunlight shone through broken skylights, making patterns on the floor. One wall had collapsed, letting anyone walk in. Most trains still stopped here anyways, to pick up or drop off special passengers or cargo. Every other wednesday, for example, one of the crew needed to be dropped off here so he could go into town. This was one of those wednesdays. Kyoko had planned everything a month in advance.
First, she would pack a backpack with everything she needed, and leave it in the lost and found by the door. The next day, during recess, she would grab the backpack and exit the building, leaving her school backpack behind. She would calmly walk towards the edge of the forest, then "accidentally" kick a ball into the road. This would be her excuse to get past the Guards, since they never left their posts. She would run to get it, then duck down into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. She would crawl past the tree line, then stand up and run. By this time, class would have been called and her absence noted. The Guards would be looking for her, and she would be running as fast as she could. If she was fast enough, she could make it to the city. From there, she skirted the forest-line until she came to the road back to the train station. The Guards wouldn't think to check here, because the trains almost never run. If they hadn't caught her already, she should be safe.
And so far she was. She knew there was still a chance that they would come this way, but she doubted it. Kyoko could even hear the train approaching. She dashed into the station, over the rails, and hid in the forest on the other side. It pulled up in front of her, slowing to a stop. She dashed forward, jumped on to a ladder and climbed to the top. She found a hatch, with a primitive lock on it. She kicked it once, twice, and it broke off. She pulled it open and jumped inside, landing on a pile of hay. She felt the train speeding up.
She leaned back. She was free. Free from that awful orphanage, free from the kids that tormented her daily, free from tasteless soup and free from 8 o'clock bedtimes. She was finally free.
The air, however stale and hay-scented, was better than any she had every breathed. Kyoko could taste the lack of responsibilities, the independence, the sheer exhilaration of not having to ever look back. Today, she started a new life. Maybe she would work at a restaurant. She loved food. She was only 15, so she'd have to pick somewheres shady or informal for a few months, until her birthday. You couldn't legally work until you were 16. Finding a place to sleep would be fairly easy. Most motels didn't ask questions, if you told them that your mom was busy and pointed to some random stranger. She could get a more legit apartment when she turned 16, too. By then she'd have enough money to afford something decent. Kyoko had brought about $250, a life's worth of constant saving, extra chores, taking jobs from strangers on their trips into the city. It wasn't much, but it would go a long way.
The light from the hole in the roof started to darken, and Kyoko looked up nervously. Clouds were obscuring the blue sky, now dark and heavy. She climbed up and pulled the hatch roof down, cutting off the ambient noise around her. The silence suddenly felt constricting, and without the pillar of light, darkness enveloped her.
She saw a little dot of light, and crawled closer. It turned out to be a small hole in the car, through which she could see the trees zooming by outside. Kyoko curled up in the warm hay, hugging her backpack. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and in a few moments, was asleep.

Some time later, Kyoko awoke to the sound of someone muttering in frustration.
"Where the crap did the freaking lock go? Some dumb-ass must've throw a rock or some shit.... Freaking...."
Kyoko scrambled to her feet, sliding and losing her balance in the hay. She banged against the wall and fell, groaning. She heard the stream of profanity from above stop, and the hatch peeked open a bit, letting a sliver of light illuminate the far wall. She swore and dug into the hay, furiously. It stirred up dust, and she stifled a cough, burning her lungs. She choked, holding her throat and trying not to make a noise. Finally, Kyoko couldn't stand it, and let out a croaked sound. She fumbled for her water, watching the hatch cautiously.
"Sounds like a raccoon... damn. How'd that get in there?" Came the voice. Then, a different voice, this time female, came.
"Don't go down there, Parker. That thing would tear your freaking face off. Probably has rabies, too."
"Yeah... let's send the new kid down. Let him get eaten." The first voice came again, maliciously happy about his plan.
"You know you'll feel guilty for weeks, you wimp."
"He put dog shit in my bed! He deserves it."
The hatch banged shut, and the muffled conversation continued, getting fainter as they walked away. Kyoko swore, coughing madly to get the hay out of her lungs. They were sending someone down.. she was so screwed. She could pretend to have gotten lost.. but the backpack. They'd know she was a stowaway. Her only hope was to knock out whoever came down and escape. She sighed. She wasn't good with the whole fighting thing. She hadn't brought any weapons, either... maybe she could trick him into thinking she was weak (not exactly a trick, but she could overdo it...) and then run away while they weren't looking.
She sighed. Her adventure had come to a dead end already. Kyoko could feel the depression sinking in already, fear mixed with the burning hatred of the orphanage. If she had to go back there.... She couldn't bear to think about it.

Otis yawned, his mouth dry. He wiggled his toes contentedly. He was lying on his back, legs crossed, his eyes closed. He grinned, faintly. In his mind, he was back in his hometown, by the fountain. He was with his old girlfriend, Kaye. Technically, they were still together, but he hadn't seen her since taking the job on this train. He missed her, even though they talked on the phone every day.
He sighed. Sunlight shone through his eyelids, warming his face. The spring air felt like heaven, lightly scented with dirt and pine. It was a moderately warm day, with a cool breeze rustling the newspaper beside him occasionally. After a long winter, the green on the trees was achingly beautiful.
Otis was rudely awoken from his daydreams by a kick in the side. His eyes snapped open, and he scrambled to his feet. The second-in-command, Amber, glared at him through dark sunglasses. Standing up, he could feel the wind, more powerful now. It cut through him like a knife, although it could have been the person standing in front of him. Her green jacket whipped out behind her, flaring in the wind. For a second, neither talked. They just stared at each other, trying to get the other to look away first. Finally Amber spoke, one corner of her mouth curling into a grin.
"You were sleeping. Again."
"I was awake, miss. Just resting."
"There's something in car five. We think it's a raccoon. Get rid of it, and I won't tell Boss about this." It sounded like a fair deal to him, although Otis knew there had to be a catch. He raised an eyebrow, questioningly. She only grinned more, and turned away. He glared at her behind, and couldn't resist sticking his tongue out, however immature he knew it was. She was wearing designer jeans. Brand name. He knew they must have cost her hundreds of dollars, and she was wearing them to work? To work as a maintenance girl on a train that shipped farm animals? He shook his head, and stalked off to car five.

There was no lock on the hatch, and it slid aside with a rusty screech. Light illuminated a pillar of dust, and a mountain of hay below that. He looked down cautiously.
"Hey."
No reply came, raccoon-like or otherwise.
"Anyone down there?" He jumped down, almost losing his balance in the hay. Outside his beam of light, it was scarily dark. He wondered what was out there. Otis assumed a fighting position, turning constantly to find whatever was down there. He glared at the darkness.
"Hey! Raccoon-boy! Come out, so I can lock you in Amber's closet." Hmm. It was a good idea, he thought to himself. Hopefully the little bastard would shred some of her clothes before being found.
He heard a giggle from the shadows. His head whipped around to the source.
"Hello? Are you... a person?" He thought he could see a shape moving, but it could have been a trick of the light. He stepped forward, into the dark. He blinked, his eyes rapidly adjusting, out of the bright daylight. Someone was definitely back there, he was sure.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not like Amber or Boss. Or even Parker. Are you okay?" He tried to make his voice sound calming, but Otis himself was nervous as hell. He took another step forward.

Kyoko hesitated. She knew he would find her eventually, but it was better to get it over with and come out. If she kept hiding, she knew this new person would be more suspicious of her. Although, if he was the type to put dog crap in someone's bed or lock a raccoon in a closet... no, she tried not to think about that. She took a deep breath.
"Hi." Her voice was raspy from the dust, almost sinister. She coughed, clearing her throat. "I'm Ky- Kyo." 'Damn.' Why didn't she use a different name? Stupid, stupid. The stranger looked surprised. He stepped back, into the light again. It illuminated his short, blonde hair, lighting him up like an angel. She grinned a little. He was almost cute. She shook her head, mentally swearing. 'You know nothing about him, you idiot. He could be about to take you prisoner.' He tried to clear his face, and failed. You could tell he was panicking.
"I, um, I'm Otis. Can you come into the light, where I can see you?"
He seemed like a nice enough guy, really. Maybe he'd let her stay. Kyoko tried to crush her inner optimist, telling herself to be careful. She stood up.

'Jesus, this is freaky. What am I gonna tell Boss? What if she's secretly an ax murderer? What if she calls the cops? What if it's really a guy and he kidnaps me and sells me to the mob for my organs? Oh god, oh god...' Otis could feel the sweat running down the side of his face. There was a stowaway on board. Hiding in the dark. He was unarmed. He mentally ran through all possible scenarios, slowly getting worse. His fingers twitched, getting ready to pull himself through the hatch in a second. He panted.
"Boo."
"Agh!" Otis twisted around, stumbling and falling into the hay. In front of him stood a short girl, with short black hair and short camo jeans. She was wearing a tank top and a jacket over that, with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She tilted her head to the side questioningly. The girl giggled, almost in relief.
"I guess I don't have to worry about being beat up." Her voice was high, and cheerful. She had the slightest English accent, almost inaudible. She grinned widely and held out a hand to him.
Otis stared at it for a second, then pulled himself up. "Uh, hi... Kyo. I'm Otis."
"Nice to meet you. Now, not to be blunt, but whoever this Amber is, I would appreciate it if you didn't lock me in her closet. It'd be better if I could just stay here a night. I swear I'll leave tomorrow." She looked desperate, behind the smile. She looked in too good condition to be homeless... probably a runaway. Otis sighed. He could just tell Amber he'd gotten rid of the raccoon... she wouldn't have the guts to check. HE turned away, wiping his forehead with one hand.
"Jeez, I dunno. I mean, Boss would kill me if she knew I let a stranger on board. I guess..." His will crumbled. "Okay, but just this night. In the morning we stop in Whitehall. I don't know where you're going, but you can catch a legal train from there. Okay?" He raised his eyebrows at her, secretly hoping she said she needed to get home.
"Ok, great. Just one question... does that make this an illegal train?" Kyo grinned, and hugged him quickly. "Thank you so much. I was afraid you were going to send me to the police or something."
"No... I think I know how you're feeling. Running away from home, right?" There was a slight pause, and her grin fell a little.
"Yeah... you could say that."
"You can stay here, Kyo."
"Thanks, Otis."

Description
Kyoko panted, leaning down, hands on her knees. She grinned slightly. She had made it. There was no way they could catch her now. She leaned against a tree, looking out at the rails. She was about ten minutes early for the train. The backpack felt about 20 pounds heavier than it did this morning. She had tried to pack only the essentials, but somethings she needed to have, whether they would help her or not. Camera, journal, pens, spare candy, her favorite book... all these things were weighing her down now. She pulled out her water bottle and drank deeply from it. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, relishing the fact that no one was telling her to be more ladylike, or show more respect.
The train station was, as usual, abandoned. Sunlight shone through broken skylights, making patterns on the floor. One wall had collapsed, letting anyone walk in. Most trains still stopped here anyways, to pick up or drop off special passengers or cargo. Every other wednesday, for example, one of the crew needed to be dropped off here so he could go into town. This was one of those wednesdays. Kyoko had planned everything a month in advance.
First, she would pack a backpack with everything she needed, and leave it in the lost and found by the door. The next day, during recess, she would grab the backpack and exit the building, leaving her school backpack behind. She would calmly walk towards the edge of the forest, then "accidentally" kick a ball into the road. This would be her excuse to get past the Guards, since they never left their posts. She would run to get it, then duck down into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. She would crawl past the tree line, then stand up and run. By this time, class would have been called and her absence noted. The Guards would be looking for her, and she would be running as fast as she could. If she was fast enough, she could make it to the city. From there, she skirted the forest-line until she came to the road back to the train station. The Guards wouldn't think to check here, because the trains almost never run. If they hadn't caught her already, she should be safe.
And so far she was. She knew there was still a chance that they would come this way, but she doubted it. Kyoko could even hear the train approaching. She dashed into the station, over the rails, and hid in the forest on the other side. It pulled up in front of her, slowing to a stop. She dashed forward, jumped on to a ladder and climbed to the top. She found a hatch, with a primitive lock on it. She kicked it once, twice, and it broke off. She pulled it open and jumped inside, landing on a pile of hay. She felt the train speeding up.
She leaned back. She was free. Free from that awful orphanage, free from the kids that tormented her daily, free from tasteless soup and free from 8 o'clock bedtimes. She was finally free.
The air, however stale and hay-scented, was better than any she had every breathed. Kyoko could taste the lack of responsibilities, the independence, the sheer exhilaration of not having to ever look back. Today, she started a new life. Maybe she would work at a restaurant. She loved food. She was only 15, so she'd have to pick somewheres shady or informal for a few months, until her birthday. You couldn't legally work until you were 16. Finding a place to sleep would be fairly easy. Most motels didn't ask questions, if you told them that your mom was busy and pointed to some random stranger. She could get a more legit apartment when she turned 16, too. By then she'd have enough money to afford something decent. Kyoko had brought about $250, a life's worth of constant saving, extra chores, taking jobs from strangers on their trips into the city. It wasn't much, but it would go a long way.
The light from the hole in the roof started to darken, and Kyoko looked up nervously. Clouds were obscuring the blue sky, now dark and heavy. She climbed up and pulled the hatch roof down, cutting off the ambient noise around her. The silence suddenly felt constricting, and without the pillar of light, darkness enveloped her.
She saw a little dot of light, and crawled closer. It turned out to be a small hole in the car, through which she could see the trees zooming by outside. Kyoko curled up in the warm hay, hugging her backpack. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and in a few moments, was asleep.

Some time later, Kyoko awoke to the sound of someone muttering in frustration.
"Where the crap did the freaking lock go? Some dumb-ass must've throw a rock or some shit.... Freaking...."
Kyoko scrambled to her feet, sliding and losing her balance in the hay. She banged against the wall and fell, groaning. She heard the stream of profanity from above stop, and the hatch peeked open a bit, letting a sliver of light illuminate the far wall. She swore and dug into the hay, furiously. It stirred up dust, and she stifled a cough, burning her lungs. She choked, holding her throat and trying not to make a noise. Finally, Kyoko couldn't stand it, and let out a croaked sound. She fumbled for her water, watching the hatch cautiously.
"Sounds like a raccoon... damn. How'd that get in there?" Came the voice. Then, a different voice, this time female, came.
"Don't go down there, Parker. That thing would tear your freaking face off. Probably has rabies, too."
"Yeah... let's send the new kid down. Let him get eaten." The first voice came again, maliciously happy about his plan.
"You know you'll feel guilty for weeks, you wimp."
"He put dog shit in my bed! He deserves it."
The hatch banged shut, and the muffled conversation continued, getting fainter as they walked away. Kyoko swore, coughing madly to get the hay out of her lungs. They were sending someone down.. she was so screwed. She could pretend to have gotten lost.. but the backpack. They'd know she was a stowaway. Her only hope was to knock out whoever came down and escape. She sighed. She wasn't good with the whole fighting thing. She hadn't brought any weapons, either... maybe she could trick him into thinking she was weak (not exactly a trick, but she could overdo it...) and then run away while they weren't looking.
She sighed. Her adventure had come to a dead end already. Kyoko could feel the depression sinking in already, fear mixed with the burning hatred of the orphanage. If she had to go back there.... She couldn't bear to think about it.

Otis yawned, his mouth dry. He wiggled his toes contentedly. He was lying on his back, legs crossed, his eyes closed. He grinned, faintly. In his mind, he was back in his hometown, by the fountain. He was with his old girlfriend, Kaye. Technically, they were still together, but he hadn't seen her since taking the job on this train. He missed her, even though they talked on the phone every day.
He sighed. Sunlight shone through his eyelids, warming his face. The spring air felt like heaven, lightly scented with dirt and pine. It was a moderately warm day, with a cool breeze rustling the newspaper beside him occasionally. After a long winter, the green on the trees was achingly beautiful.
Otis was rudely awoken from his daydreams by a kick in the side. His eyes snapped open, and he scrambled to his feet. The second-in-command, Amber, glared at him through dark sunglasses. Standing up, he could feel the wind, more powerful now. It cut through him like a knife, although it could have been the person standing in front of him. Her green jacket whipped out behind her, flaring in the wind. For a second, neither talked. They just stared at each other, trying to get the other to look away first. Finally Amber spoke, one corner of her mouth curling into a grin.
"You were sleeping. Again."
"I was awake, miss. Just resting."
"There's something in car five. We think it's a raccoon. Get rid of it, and I won't tell Boss about this." It sounded like a fair deal to him, although Otis knew there had to be a catch. He raised an eyebrow, questioningly. She only grinned more, and turned away. He glared at her behind, and couldn't resist sticking his tongue out, however immature he knew it was. She was wearing designer jeans. Brand name. He knew they must have cost her hundreds of dollars, and she was wearing them to work? To work as a maintenance girl on a train that shipped farm animals? He shook his head, and stalked off to car five.

There was no lock on the hatch, and it slid aside with a rusty screech. Light illuminated a pillar of dust, and a mountain of hay below that. He looked down cautiously.
"Hey."
No reply came, raccoon-like or otherwise.
"Anyone down there?" He jumped down, almost losing his balance in the hay. Outside his beam of light, it was scarily dark. He wondered what was out there. Otis assumed a fighting position, turning constantly to find whatever was down there. He glared at the darkness.
"Hey! Raccoon-boy! Come out, so I can lock you in Amber's closet." Hmm. It was a good idea, he thought to himself. Hopefully the little bastard would shred some of her clothes before being found.
He heard a giggle from the shadows. His head whipped around to the source.
"Hello? Are you... a person?" He thought he could see a shape moving, but it could have been a trick of the light. He stepped forward, into the dark. He blinked, his eyes rapidly adjusting, out of the bright daylight. Someone was definitely back there, he was sure.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not like Amber or Boss. Or even Parker. Are you okay?" He tried to make his voice sound calming, but Otis himself was nervous as hell. He took another step forward.

Kyoko hesitated. She knew he would find her eventually, but it was better to get it over with and come out. If she kept hiding, she knew this new person would be more suspicious of her. Although, if he was the type to put dog crap in someone's bed or lock a raccoon in a closet... no, she tried not to think about that. She took a deep breath.
"Hi." Her voice was raspy from the dust, almost sinister. She coughed, clearing her throat. "I'm Ky- Kyo." 'Damn.' Why didn't she use a different name? Stupid, stupid. The stranger looked surprised. He stepped back, into the light again. It illuminated his short, blonde hair, lighting him up like an angel. She grinned a little. He was almost cute. She shook her head, mentally swearing. 'You know nothing about him, you idiot. He could be about to take you prisoner.' He tried to clear his face, and failed. You could tell he was panicking.
"I, um, I'm Otis. Can you come into the light, where I can see you?"
He seemed like a nice enough guy, really. Maybe he'd let her stay. Kyoko tried to crush her inner optimist, telling herself to be careful. She stood up.

'Jesus, this is freaky. What am I gonna tell Boss? What if she's secretly an ax murderer? What if she calls the cops? What if it's really a guy and he kidnaps me and sells me to the mob for my organs? Oh god, oh god...' Otis could feel the sweat running down the side of his face. There was a stowaway on board. Hiding in the dark. He was unarmed. He mentally ran through all possible scenarios, slowly getting worse. His fingers twitched, getting ready to pull himself through the hatch in a second. He panted.
"Boo."
"Agh!" Otis twisted around, stumbling and falling into the hay. In front of him stood a short girl, with short black hair and short camo jeans. She was wearing a tank top and a jacket over that, with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She tilted her head to the side questioningly. The girl giggled, almost in relief.
"I guess I don't have to worry about being beat up." Her voice was high, and cheerful. She had the slightest English accent, almost inaudible. She grinned widely and held out a hand to him.
Otis stared at it for a second, then pulled himself up. "Uh, hi... Kyo. I'm Otis."
"Nice to meet you. Now, not to be blunt, but whoever this Amber is, I would appreciate it if you didn't lock me in her closet. It'd be better if I could just stay here a night. I swear I'll leave tomorrow." She looked desperate, behind the smile. She looked in too good condition to be homeless... probably a runaway. Otis sighed. He could just tell Amber he'd gotten rid of the raccoon... she wouldn't have the guts to check. HE turned away, wiping his forehead with one hand.
"Jeez, I dunno. I mean, Boss would kill me if she knew I let a stranger on board. I guess..." His will crumbled. "Okay, but just this night. In the morning we stop in Whitehall. I don't know where you're going, but you can catch a legal train from there. Okay?" He raised his eyebrows at her, secretly hoping she said she needed to get home.
"Ok, great. Just one question... does that make this an illegal train?" Kyo grinned, and hugged him quickly. "Thank you so much. I was afraid you were going to send me to the police or something."
"No... I think I know how you're feeling. Running away from home, right?" There was a slight pause, and her grin fell a little.
"Yeah... you could say that."
"You can stay here, Kyo."
"Thanks, Otis."