Printed on the crinkled ticket in mahogany, type-written letters were three words: Aubrey La Fournier.
The girl ogled at the ticket, her bony hands stretching the paper so far that it might as well have ripped. She didn't look cut out for it, didn't she? Such a fancy name for a commonplace, grubby urchin. The new Aubrey, I suppose we'll call her, reached down and smoothed out her torn frock in an attempt to make herself look presentable. Humming in satisfaction, she snootily held her head high as she marched barefooted further into the train station.
The old building really didn't look like the grand train station that it really was inside. Originally Aubrey had decided to escape from the horror that was considered by others as an 'orphanage'. Hell, she was deemed even unworthy of a name before she had escaped. The old building appeared as a refuge to Aubrey as she had walked through the empty streets languidly. She even peered into the windows to check, and all she saw were plain, bare concrete rooms that would have at least sheltered her decently for the night. So how had it completely changed before her eyes when she pried open the door?
The sight inside was staggering. Aubrey stumbled back, her eyes wide as she gawked around her. She was so stunned at the sight in front of her that she didn't notice a mysterious gust of wind gently nudge her forwards and a hidden force shut the door behind her with a small click. She blinked hard, trying to decipher whether what she was looking at was a figment of her imagination or not. Extravagant, lavish decorations encompassed the huge hall in bundles of velvet and gold leaf sculptures of angels, and aquamarine marble floors. But the most intriguing part of the station in the ornate archways, on either side of the majestic fountain resting in the middle of the station were vivid, wildly different trains speeding on either side. They appeared to move faster than light, but stopped equally as quick as soon as a passenger hurried towards it. So far, Aubrey had spotted a square train swathed in exotic fabric and jewelry, an oddly shaped train with a range of household objects scattered around the top, and a particularly large train entirely made out of crystal that sparkled underneath the blinding lights that shone from up above. And in this train station, were all sorts of people lumbering around. They were all oddly dressed. Some in togas and some in large top hats that obscured their faces, and many glided into each train with ease while others wandered around in confusion, or just simply doing their own thing-but it was deathly silent as none of them spoke a word. One thing that Aubrey could see on every person though, no matter how different they were, was a ticket in their hands, or in their breast pocket or peeking out of their sock on the rare occasion. That was when she saw some guards hurrying towards her, yelling for her to show her ticket. She squeaked and ducked her head, weaving through the crowds, no one even sparing a glance (it seems that they couldn't even see her at all) back at her. She tugged her frock up so as to not trip over it, panting as she nimbly sprinted away. As she darted away, she bumped harshly into a girl dressed in gaudy clothing. The girl couldn't seem to see Aubrey or hear her apology, but she glared sharply into the space behind her as she whipped her head around and tottered off. A ticket fluttered out of her pocket and fell to the ground. Aubrey, shrugged casually, snatched the ticket and then made a run for it.
And that brings us back to Aubrey's current situation, standing in the middle of the great train station with nothing but her ticket clutched in her grimy hands. The name of the girl who Aubrey was impersonating glittered brightly on the ticket, shimmering underneath the light. She peered at it in awe, holding it up close. She brushed her fingers over it. As soon as Aubrey's skin brushed over the smooth paper, she felt the light pulsate around her, as her vision blurred for a second. The crowd of people surrounding her dissipated into thin air when her vision cleared. There wasn't a single person in sight. The train station felt still, as Aubrey looked around her. She stumbled towards one of the archways to poke her head out to look for a train. All of a sudden, a train rumbled in a distance as it bolted towards her, the blazing lights paralyzing her for a short second, then stopped dead in front of her as it lurched slightly from the sudden movement. Aubrey had just enough time to yank her head back sharply, screaming in shock as she checked anxiously that her head was still attached to her neck. Panting with her hand resting on her chest to try and calm down her pounding heart, she looked up at the train which looked... quite normal? She peered at it curiously. Was this her train? What was it for anyway? The doors shuddered as they drew open, but unlike the other trains, She felt someone was in there already. The doors shut abruptly as the train picked up its pace and she had to scramble to hold onto a pole, a squeal escaping her lips. The lights flickered, then shut off before Aubrey had time to see who the person was. She squirmed in her seat, growing uncomfortable as her warm, clammy hands scrunched up the ticket in pain.
Two gleaming eyes flashed in the darkness that consumed the carriage.
"Look who's been stealing," a low raspy voice chuckled.
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