The train lurched into motion. Primrose put her head in her hands. She couldn’t believe she’d attacked Allary like that. Allary represented everything the other nobles of her city were that she didn’t want to be. She represented the mistakes she herself had made early on. Allary was beautiful, pompous, powerful, and oblivious. She hadn't needed to work for anything, her family had paved her way, her ability smoothing it even further. Primrose looked around at the faces seated at the table, to the faces of her friends. She had shamed herself in front of them attacking this girl. She felt her embarrassment warm her face, they were all trying not to look her way. “Allary, I apologize. I shouldn’t have spoken out of line like that, so direct, so public. It’s not your fault, it’s your tutors and all those around you that failed. I should have talked to you privately. I’m sorry.” Primrose looked at the floor in shame.
Allary studied her for a short time. Looks of anger , confusion, and sorrow crossed the girls face. “Primrose, I can’t say that we’ll ever be friends. Or that I will ever appreciate what you said, but if it is true and these mindless boys around me all the time are my fault, my abilities fault. Then you are right about one thing. I am far behind. I’ll thank you for one thing though. With this knowledge, you helped me begin my lessons early. I think this may be a lesson that I may not have learned for some time otherwise.” She spoke the last part slowly in a very cold emotionless voice, obviously not happy admitting that she needed help finding the problem. “You must be very observant to notice something that many others over the years have failed to see. Are you okay? You don't look so well.”
Primrose didn’t answer the girl, looking at the ground had been a bad idea. She looked out the window, outside of the trap she now found herself in. The scenery out the various windows of the train had become a distraction, one that she couldn’t look away from. The train left the mountain cave and the view was spectacular; she could see for miles, all the way to the docks far below. They were up much higher than Primrose had realized. The train suddenly twisted and they were riding the side of a wall as the tracks looped around the outside of the mountain, the seat pulled her tightly into place, some other magitek at work. She looked out the window and her eyes grew as her stomach lurched. She was staring straight down at the ground far below, she did not like the view. Oh, she thought. The vertigo hit her hard, her world began to swirl. She felt like she was swimming in her head, drowning slowly in a spiraling circle. “Bag,” she whispered. “Bag!” she said again with more insistence. A bag was thrust in her hand, the feel of it’s texture was lifesaving to her.
“Hey that’s mine!” a distant voice said. Prim tried to focus within. The train lurched and twisted again. The pressure was on her chest now. She found herself mercifully pointed at the sky, the motion pushed her back into her seat as she stared across the booth at Gideon. She focused on his hair, his eyebrows, his lips. She stared at anything stationary that she could, anything solid, something to focus and bring a center back to her head.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“You okay Prim?” he asked. The moron she was staring at said.
"Shut up," she said venomously. Doesn’t he know you don’t ask a person feeling sick if they feel okay? They don’t want to focus on the fact they feel sick. They don’t want to remember how they are feeling, she thought. "Don't you understand?" she whispered in tears. She started to open her mouth to tell him off properly, but that was when she felt another lurch sideways. This time they were passing through another cave, but the floor of the box car had become the ceiling. This surge in vertigo was all she could handle and her stomach flipped for the last time. She lifted the bag and let loose. “Uh oh,” she said quietly as she watched he sickness. While she had a bag, up was down, and her aim was not true. She caught a good amount in the bag, but not nearly enough. She helplessly watched as it floated away.
The train came out of the pass and righted itself. That was when the vomit rain began. Luckily for Prim, she wasn’t the only contributor to the storm. This is bad, she thought. I just puked all over my new friends. They are never going to want to talk to me again after this. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. Then the bag in her hand shifted and she looked down at a very unhappy Lucinda. “Lucy? I'm so sorry girl. Why would you have me barf all over Lucy?” she said, barely able to speak. The noxious smells of the train car threatened to cause her to dry heave.
“I didn’t, she did,” Riley said as he pointed to Allary. “Give her to me,” he said and snatched the back pack from her hands. Prim felt so bad, she was ashamed. “It’s okay little girl, I’ll get you all cleaned up.” Riley cooed at Lucinda. The little ferret barked and hissed at him, apparently unsure if she was upset or wanted his attention. The she looked at Prim and gave her a bark and hiss as well. The little ferret was upset, and rightfully so.
Allary quietly apologized to Primrose. “Sorry. It was the first thing I saw that would work. I’ve traveled these trains many times and have seen this happen more than my share. Some advice as a favor to you, and I think we can call us even. There is an herb you can get in the shops that will prevent the train sickness,” Allary said. “A proper lady doesn’t puke everywhere. It’s a bad look.”
"Proper lady?" she asked. Does she know who I am? Has she heard of me as well? She thinks me yelling at her was giving her advice? Primrose looked to Allary and asked ,”So you had issues on your first train trip too then?”
“Of course not. I just told you a proper lady doesn’t puke.” Allary said, her haughty nature returning, but Primrose got the feeling that this time it was all an act. “Well it looks like we are approaching the station and the thrill ride is at its end.” Maybe she isn’t all bad. Maybe it’s all bluster and show?
Primrose looked out the window and beyond. The city in this area was immaculate, the houses of the nobles stood out like the majestic works of architecture they were. Beyond those houses was the seat of Rime, Parliament; the Palace in the Clouds. Her inner envy surfaced, the sin of her forefathers was a vice she could never escape. She shook it off and looked to the other side and saw the Academy of the Awakened. It sat in the foreground as the start of the breathtaking scenery, with the enormous mountain and the snow peaks that glistened far above serving as a backdrop to it all. From this distance it was hard to make out, but at its base looked to be some sort of coliseum or arena.