The Assasin

Part 3

I stepped up to the teller and laid down two twenty dollar bills.

"Two one-way tickets please." I said.

"Destination?" The woman asked.

"Wherever, I don't care, but maybe somewhere warm." I said, my tone as light and jocular as possible. The woman smiled and jutted her chin to Baelfire, and smirked.

"You two getting away together?" She asked, and I allowed a bit of color to come to my cheeks.

"Oh, um, yeah, we are." I leaned in and whispered, "my father doesn't approve of him." She nodded.

"Well, let's see what tickets we have... When do you want to leave?"

"Right away would be wonderful, thank you."

"Okay, one second... Ah, here we go: two tickets in a first class car to Ely, Minnesota leaving in five minutes."

"That sounds perfect, thank you so much!" I said. The woman smiled sweetly and nodded. She punched a few buttons on her computer and then handed me two tickets and a ten dollar bill. I took the tickets, but left the ten in her hand. She glanced down at it, confused.

"Keep it, you deserve it." She smiled wider, and pulled her hand back.

"Good luck, you two, enjoy the ride."

"Thank you, have a good day!" I held up my hand in a half wave as I stepped back towards Baelfire.

"Train eleven from Seattle to Ely, Minnesota is leaving in five minutes. Train eleven from..." a voice over the speakers said.

 Baelfire and I hurried over to train eleven and stepped aboard. A man directed us to our train car all the way at the front of the train. I thanked him and we stepped inside, locking the door behind us.

As I set my bag down, another announcement came over the speakers.

"Attention, all passengers, the train will be departing in one minute. Please be seated before our departure for safety purposes." I looked around our car and couldn't help but smile. After every night having to sleep in cheap motels, and that old abandoned house, the train car was amazing. There was a separate area for the bathroom, and a few normal train seats sat to the side of the door. It was lit with a few yellow lights which cast a warm glow over the wooden interior.

The only problem was: there was only one bed.

We stood there, the two of us, staring at the bed until the train suddenly lurched into motion. We swayed with the train for a bit, standing in an awkward silence.

Then I tossed my bag onto one of the chairs and headed for the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I took a look at my reflection in the mirror. I don't look too different from the last time I checked, but my hair looked worse. I glanced down at the counter top and noticed a small brush laying there. It wasn't the best, but it would do for the time being.

I raked it through my knotted hair until the light brown shine came back. I hadn't properly brushed my hair in weeks, just ran my hand through it and hoped for the best. Seeing my hair completely brushed was odd and I almost didn't recognize myself.

As I looked at my reflection I also noticed my hair was greasy. I sighed and checked the sink for any shampoo or conditioner. There wasn't a shower, but there were two small bottles labeled shampoo and conditioner. They had probably been left by a previous tenant.

I used them to wash my hair, and then used the hand towel to dry it. Stepping out of the bathroom, I found Baelfire staring out the window. I stepped further out and glanced out as well. Buildings flicked by, slowly getting fewer and fewer as we reached the edge of the city.

I rubbed the towel over my hair again and then hung it back up in the bathroom.

"Whatcha looking at?" I asked, making Baelfire turn around. He paused for a second and then shrugged.

"I've never been outside the guild very often, so I've never seen this part of the city. It's amazing!" He said, turning back to the window.

"I guess it is... I've seen it many times, so the wow factor has dulled for me." I said, flopping down in one of the train seats.

I checked my watch and found that it was an hour past noon. Time went by so quickly, I could've sworn it was morning half an hour ago. I thought.

Reaching over, I pulled the string on the blinds that covered the window to my left. We had reached the outskirts of the city, and the big business buildings turned into small houses. As I stared out my own window, I noticed a few people out and about. None of them were suspicious at first, but as the train passed a break in the houses, I saw something.

It was only a glimpse, but I could've sworn that there had been someone standing there. They had been in all black, and were staring directly at the train as it went by. It's just a coincidence. It's nothing, I'm just being paranoid. I tried convincing myself, but I knew something was up.

I gently laid a hand on the hilt of one of my katanas. There was a small divot in the handle where my thumb rested.

"So," Baelfire turned around and looked at me. "I'm guessing you want the bed?" I shook my head.

"Nah you have it. I'm not really tired anyway."

"Well, I'm not either, it's the middle of the day. I'm talking tonight. You should take it, you need good rest to help your shoulder heal."

"My shoulder is fine. I don't need the bed." I argued, rolling my shoulder. Baelfire sighed, and sat on the bed.

"So, Minnesota... Have you ever been there?" He asked, I started to shake my head, but then stopped.

"I have been there before... Way long ago." I said abruptly, turning back to the window. That's too far back. Too personal to share. I thought.

"Okay... Well, I've been there, it was so long ago I can barely remember. No, sorry, that's an exaggeration. I can remember, but I prefer not to think about it..." He trailed off. Then he shrugged and kicked his shoes off, stretching out on the bed.

"I'm going  to explore the rest of the train." I said, standing up.  Baelfire stood up quickly.

"Why don't I come with you?" He asked, and I sighed.

I'd like to have some alone time, thank you. I've had enough human interaction for one day. "

"Oh... Okay... I'll, uh, just stay here then.  I'll, um, see you later, I guess." He said. I sighed and set my katanas on the table.

I exited the compartment as quickly as I could, and shut the door behind me. Leaning up against it, I took a deep breath.

"I hate people..." I whispered. Then I headed off to explore the rest of the train.