Nowhere with You- Fillie

West Virginia

Millie was jolted awake by the sound of the train whistle which vibrated the train car. The sound of the train roaring against the tracks now filling her ears like an unpleasant alarm.
She picked her head off of the floor of the train car, opening and closing her eyes a few times as she familiarized herself with her surroundings, taking in her current reality.
She had really done it, and she was proud of herself. She was finally free.
Millie lifted herself from the rusted floor of the train car, removing the blanket and brushing off the excess dirt from her jean shorts as she stood from the wood paneled flooring.
Her balance was thrown off a little, feeling the train move with a curve. She walked carefully toward the opening, taking slow, methodical steps so she wouldn't trip. Millie finally was able to prop her hand onto the metal frame of the opening, and leaned her head out to take in what was outside.
The view quite literally took her breath away.
She almost felt like crying in that instant, because what was before her was so incredibly beautiful. There were no words to describe it.
The view was mountainous, with trees covering each mountain all of the way to the bottom, where the mountains divided. A thick layer of mist rose from the deep, vast division of the mountain, turning yellow and gold with the rising sun.
It was truly magnificent, and it made Millie feel so small. She smiled, allowing her eyes to drink in the view of what was before her. It wasn't like she had seen this kind of beauty before in Georgia, hell, she'd never even been out of Georgia before.
Any feeling of regret in that moment had melted away.
Millie had never felt more free before in her entire life.
The train roared through the mountains, its whistle blasted in the vast emptiness of the forests which covered them.
And for the first time in a long time, Millie was finally happy.

The train continued for a few more miles until it finally came to a screeching stop, the sound unpleasant enough that Millie had to cover her ears The train had stopped at a train yard close to a small town, which was just a few miles down a gravel road. Millie packed her small blanket up into her backpack and stepped in front of the small opening of the train car. She threw her bag down onto the ground, hopped out of the train car, walking briskly away from the train yard in order to not be seen by the workers.
She got far enough away from the train yard to slow her walking and take in the bright sunlight and blue sky. She stood motionless, closing her eyes for a moment, taking in the fact that she was finally away from her house, from her family, and from her shit town.
She inhaled and exhaled different air for the first time in her life, a sensation of freedom only growing within her.
She continued along the gravel road, which was surrounded by large pine trees which towered over her head and into the bright blue sky. Her gaze shifted across the landscape and landed on a small town just a few miles down the gravel road. Beads of sweat began to form across her forehead, but she continued with determination to the town ahead of her.

Finn woke up in a stationary train car, barely capable of opening his eyes because of the bright sun above him. He had no idea what time it was, or even where he was for that matter, but it didn't really matter to him. He was finally experiencing the change of pace he always sought after.
He finally was awake enough to stand up and hop out of the train car, with the few belongings he had and of course his acoustic guitar. He walked wearily to make sure he wasn't seen and ended up on a wide gravel road, and in that moment, he felt his belly rumble.
"I'm starving" he mumbled to himself, when he looked up and saw a town a few miles out from the train yard. He walked briskly, trying to distract himself from his hunger.

Millie sauntered toward the edge of the town, her grin never disappearing from her face. She saw small line of shops and local restaurants, similar to the ones in her hometown. She stepped onto the sidewalk from the gravel road and walked slowly through the tiny train town, peering through each window and spying different people. She caught the smell of something delicious, following her nose to a local diner at the corner of one of the streets.
She opened the door to the diner, the bell on the front door dinging at her entry. The restaurant was small, quaint, with two waitresses walking up and down the aisle and a few local people sitting at the bar and tables.
"Is it just you, sweetie?" Asked the waitress. Millie could tell she was older, but her dark skin made her seem ageless.
"Yeah just me." Millie responded kindly.
"Alright right this way." The waitress led her to a booth next to the window, setting a menu at the edge of the table. Millie's stomach began to growl furiously. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she sat down.
"Can I start you off with anything?" Asked the waitress, placing a cup of water in front of her.
"Yeah, may I get a coffee?" Millie asked.
"Sure thing, sweetie." The waitress said, and walked off.
No one had ever called her sweetie before.

Finn finally arrived at the towns entry, his eyes particularly peeled for somewhere to eat. He turned the corner of the sidewalk and saw a small diner, the smell catching his nose. Not his favorite, but he was willing to eat anything to satiate his hunger. He opened the door only to be greeted by one of the two waitresses in the diner.
"Just you?" She asked.
"Yeah." He responded quickly.
"Right this way." She said kindly, leading him to a booth next to the window. He sat down, but the menu wasn't the first thing that caught his eye.
He saw a girl, about his age, with short chestnut colored hair and amber colored eyes. She twiddled a fork between her fingers as she read something on her phone which was plugged into the wall next to her. She was pretty, if he was being honest.
The thing which stood out to Finn the most was the fact that she was alone, just like him, and it looked like she wasn't a local of the town. He could tell something about her was just, lonely.
"Can I get anything started for ya?" Asked the waitress, different from the one who gave him the table.
"Yeah I'll have the pancake meal and a coffee." He said. His eyes left the girl for a moment to hand the waitress the menu, but he didn't want to stop exploring her features just yet. He wanted to figure her out still.

Millie looked at the maps, trying to figure out the best route for her to go. She felt like someone was watching her, a pair of eyes burning into her, and then she noticed him.
He was lanky, his hair a mess of curls atop his head, intense brown eyes staring directly at her. Sharp cheekbones were the most noticeable aspect of his face, however. She thought they made him look handsome. She let her eyes meet his, but he quickly glanced the other way.
'I see how it is.' She said, focusing her eyes back onto the map.
"An order of waffles, eggs, and sausage for you sweetie. Can I get you some more coffee? Juice?" She asked. She was so kind, Millie thought.
"Yeah, I'll take some orange juice. Thank you." Millie said, with a bite of food already in her mouth.
Her food tasted absolutely heavenly.
A buttery and syrupy mix of waffle with the salty taste of egg and sausage just made her crave more.
She hadn't realized how quickly she ate because of how delicious the food was, though she couldn't tell if it was just because she was hungry.
The boy across from her got his food about 10 minutes after she did, and by the looks of it, he was just as hungry as she was.
Maybe he was just like her? Lonely and looking for an escape from life. She watched him curiously for a moment and continued her meal.

Millie finished before he did, her belly full now. She was satisfied with her meal, smiling as she paid at the register for her meal.
"Take care of yourself, sweetie." Said the waitress, who now reflected Millie's smile back at her.
She was never greeted with such kindness, especially from her own mother.
The mysterious boy didn't follow too far behind her, however. She had waited for him on purpose, just to ease her curiosity about him.
"Hey!" He said, his voice surprisingly deep. She stopped and turned to see him running toward her, a guitar case in hand plus a backpack on his shoulder. He definitely was traveling like her.
"You're not from around here, are you? Cause neither am I." He said, one eye squinting to avoid the suns brightness.
"What's it to you?" Millie asked, nodding her head toward him.
"Cause you're traveling, just like me." He said.
"And also, you forgot this," he said, pulling out her phone from his pocket. Her eyes widened. She hadn't realized she forgot her phone at the booth.
"Holy shit. Thank you, um." Millie paused, taking the phone from his outstretched hand.
"Finn." He said.
"Thanks Finn." Millie said, smiling slightly.
Finn. What an interesting name. Not one she had ever heard of before.
"You're welcome, uh," He paused expectantly with a kind smile.
"Millie." She said. He nodded and closed his eyes.
"So, uh, where are you headed?" He asked.
"Nowhere, anywhere. It doesn't really matter." Millie said quickly. She hadn't really thought about where she was going, she was just focused on leaving.
"Well, do you wanna travel buddy? Cause I've got no clue where I'm headed either." He proposed.
Millie considered this for a moment.
It would be nice to not be alone. There was something about him that was so similar to her. He was just as lost and confused as she was. It seemed like both of them just needed to find their way.
"Sure. I could use a buddy." Millie said, her smile growing timidly.
The both walked toward the train yard, an awkward silence growing between them, but it didn't matter.
At least they weren't alone.
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Whew.
Sorry for the long long long break, but I had to finish up school and was just not that inspired to write 😅😅😅
N e ways... here's their first meeting and now they're traveling together!!!! We'll see what's in store for them in their travels! 🥳