Jin awoke as the day broke over Aniville. She struggled against the rising sun, her eyes opening slowly, the light stabbing into them like…well, Jin supposed, like a knife. What else was there to stab something with? A stick of asparagus? A syringe, thought Jin. You could stab people with syringes, right?
'Hi there!'
Jin couldn't remember hearing the footsteps, but when she looked up, a cat stood there. A blue and white cat, with a grin stretching from ear to ear.
'Mind if I sit down?'
Jin hadn't even answered when the cat simply sat down in the empty seat before her. The entire carriage was empty. Aniville was the last stop. Almost everyone else on the train had gotten off at Midgard, which was two stops before, and the remainder – aside from Jin and evidently, this strange cat – had left at Limon, the stop before Aniville. Despite all she had heard about Aniville – how gorgeous the scenery was, how nice the villagers were, how impressive the shopping district was – she was, apparently, the only person who wanted to go and live there.
'Sorry,' said the cat, bringing her out of her thoughts, 'I never got your name!'
'Oh! Jin. My name's Jin,' she said, smiling shyly.
'Jin…' said the cat. 'What a nice name! I'm Rover.'
Isn't that more of a dog's name? thought Jin. Then again, she couldn't really talk. For years she had had to correct people when they snickered and assumed that her mother had been an alcoholic.
'So, Jin, what brings you to Aniville?' asked Rover. 'At least, I guess that's where you're going. You haven't missed your stop, have you?'
'No, no. I'm actually moving there.' Jin gripped the handle of her suitcase a little tighter.
'Moving!' Rover said, impressed. 'All by yourself? No parents?'
'I'm older than a lot of people think.'
'In your mind?'
'No,' Jin said, getting agitated, 'for real.'
'How old are you, then?'
'That would be telling.'
'Alright, alright! I believe you. So you're definitely not running away?'
'I'm definitely not running away.'
'Well, that's all well and good. Although if you were, I don't know why you'd want to run away to Aniville.'
'What's wrong with Aniville?'
Rover blinked. 'Oh, it's just that, well, they're very set in their ways. Of course they'll welcome you, but…'
The sound of the driver's voice boomed through the carriage as Rover's voice trailed away.
'Last stop, Aniville! Now stopping at Aniville!'
'Oh!' Rover exclaimed. 'Here we are! Aniville!'
The train drew to a slow stop and Jin stood up. Rover picked up her suitcase and handed it to her.
'I hope you have a great time in Aniville, Jin.'
'Thanks, Rover.' She was about to add you, too, but thought better of it. Walking over to the still-closed train doors, waiting for them to open, pangs of excitement rose up in Jin. This was it! Her new life! It was a beautiful sunny day, and there a sense of happiness in the air, a sense that anything could happen…
The doors didn't open.
Jin turned to Rover, confused, but still smiling. 'Does it usually take this long for the doors to open?'
But Rover was looking out of the window, a look of concern on his face. 'What's happening?'
As though in answer, the driver's voice resonated through the carriage once again.
'My…my apologies, ladies and gentlemen, it seems as though…I – there's been a bit of an accident.' He blurted the last few words out, as though saying them quickly would soften the impact.
'An accident?' whispered Jin. 'Oh my goodness, no one's hurt, are they?'
'I hope not. Let me see…' Rover walked smartly over to the opposite end of the train and glanced out of the window. His eyes widened.
'No. Oh, no…'
'What is it, Rover?' asked Jin curiously, going to look out of the window.
'Jin, don't look!' said Rover desperately, trying to push Jin away. She wormed her way out of his grip and stared out of the window.
On the platform was an open satchel, with books and paper and apples scattered everywhere. The porter, a monkey, stood there horrified, with tears in his eyes and his paws over his mouth. A ripped jacket flapped around on the platform, torn from the back of the animal who had worn it.
Splattered across the tracks, and across the side of the train, was slick red blood.