The Wrong Address | COMPLETED

03. Journey To Strenderville

Ashlin

Sat on a bench by the train tracks, envelope and ticket in hand....I started to ponder. I recalled my relationship with my parents and compared them with Zion's personal experiences with his. I knew a mere letter would not be enough to grasp even a snippet of his life and the challenges he faced. Yet I still used what he wrote for my comparison.

My whole life I'd been the daughter showered with gifts and extravagant vacations etc. Though my parents weren't the lovey dovey type...they did show concern in my daily activities and tried to be involved in my growth. Even when they got separated, they still did the co-parenting thing well. Of Course I've had some arguments here and there with my dad, yet we always seemed to sort our differences. In fact the only person I really lacked attention from was my brother, which I actually didn't mind.

Zion on the other hand seemed to have had it all for a good amount of time, only for it all to shatter without a real explanation. I doubt his mom sat down with him and explained why she had to leave. She just left him and his dad and then his dad must have fallen ill or something and he had to go live with his aunt. Which may have helped him a bit but then she died...leaving him in utter dispair. I rubbed my forehead as I thought deeper and deeper into the matter, I was sure onlookers would think I was hung over or something. Yet I could care less, my mind was busy coming up with analysis and answers.

Until, I felt a shadow looming over me. Which caused me to look up and find an unfamiliar girl looking down at me. She had an awkward smile on her face, as if she was forcing a friendly demeanor but she'd rather be locked away somewhere else.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked, trying my best to sound sweet, however I failed and sounded tired...really tired.

"Um...yeah, may I sit by you until my train arrives?" She asked, tucking a strand of her pink hair behind her ears.

"Oh, go ahead" I replied with a small smile, happy she wasn't trying to strike up a conversation because in honesty I was burnt out.

The girl sat down gracefully and crossed her legs. She then took her earphones out and started typing away on her phone, instantly falling into her own world. Which lead me to turn away from her and observe my surroundings. Everything and everyone around me was calm but for some reason I felt impatience, like I just couldn't sit down and wait anymore. I had someone to save after all.

where the heck was that stupid train?

I thought, it was 10 minutes past the time it was supposed to arrive and I was growing paranoid. Unable to bear my thoughts any longer, I got up and marched over to the service desk. There was a blonde lady sat around a monitor and she seemed really bored and tired, as if she'd been there for days. Funny how I could relate to the latter as I felt I'd been sitting for days, she perked up at my arrival and shot me a smile so fake it was sickening.

"Good morning, I'm Debby Richards...how may I be of service to you today?" She greeted, introduced and asked.

"Good morning Debby, I'm Ashlin King and I just wanted to know when the train to Strenderville will be arriving..." I spoke, impressed with how my voice came out.

"Oh, I see, well it was scheduled to arrived eleven minutes ago but (she paused) ...wait I was just updated on the train, it just arrived." She informed me, smiling between each word.

I thanked her for the update and turned to see the train coming to a halt near the bench I was at with the pink haired girl.

She was no longer seated there which made me realise 'her train' was also 'my train'. For some weird reason I found that comforting, maybe she could direct me to the address that the letter was mailed from. After all, from what I was observing she was possibly from Strenderville...so she'd be a great help on my journey.

.............................

After the long and rather uneventful train ride I arrived at my destination. Well not exactly, I was in the busy uptown area and according to my new acquaintance Shar (the girl with the pink hair), I needed to get to the downtown area. To some place called Cidshore, apparently it was a nice neighbourhood. Which was ironic considering why I was going.

Following Shar's directions, I hailed a cab once I got out of Strenderville's small train station. After getting into the cab safely, I greeted the driver and gave him the address on the blue envelope. Everything was going smoothly and I was dropped off at Cidshore's entrance within a mere 15 minutes. I payed the cap driver his $10 and tipped him, before thanking him and biding him farewell. He seemed a bit surprised by the farewell, which made me realize Strenderville citizens may be a bit less friendly compared to my town.

Taking in a deep breath I began my journey down the lane, focused on getting to house #30. The sun was beginning to set, causing the walk to feel a bit aesthetic. As I walked by the different houses, I began to feel a bit more cognizant of my appearance. For one I was in silk shorts and a matching silk top. Which was due to my rush to get to a stranger, I barely knew anything about. I mean This could all be a set-up for crying out loud, yet I refused to believe that.

So I continued walking despite the curious glances from the children in random front yards, until I finally made it to house #30. The house was a good enough size, compared to some I had passed. Yet it was one that would look so small next to mine.

The front yard was beautiful, with little daisies and sunflowers by the windows of the house and a stone path leading up to the front porch. The house was painted mint green which was surprisingly blending well with the flowers and the house served as a reminder to never judge a book by it's cover. For who would've thought such a pretty house held a broken soul?

I hadn't realized I was staring until I heard a loud crash around the back.

As if on their own accord, my feet dragged me pass the open gate and into the backyard. I had to pass a few obstacle courses along my way but after I got pass the old fridge and the empty dog house... I made it. Only for my stress levels to rise as I made eye contact with a boy that stood around 6'4'' , with gorgeous hazel eyes and luscious black curls for hair. Although he was looking at me in utter confusion, all I could see was his hand.

His hand that was bleeding, causing blood to fall unto the freshly cut green grass on which he stood...

What in the world was going on?

I'm back!
I hope this was a good chapter.
I know it may be a bit short, I'm sorry I took this long to update.
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See you in the next bit :)