I had my messenger bag next to me on the bench, with Vic propped up so that he could look out the large picture windows. The sword eyed the passing scenery, when he wasn't busy shooting me dirty looks for clamping my hand over his mouth earlier.
The car we were in wasn't all that crowded. A few other kids were sprawled over the benches in the front, while two adults - a man and a woman - were at a table behind them. Everyone was engrossed in their phones or the laptops they'd opened up the second the train had left the station. I eyed the other passengers, but no one seemed to be paying me or my friends any attention. In fact, none of the other folks in the car even glanced in our direction. Normally, I would have thought that was a good thing, but something about the complete lack of attention struck me as being strange. Or perhaps that was just my paranoia showing through again.
To my surprise, the girl I'd seen inside the station was also in our car, although she made sure to sit in the back, five rows away from anyone else. She had her back to the window, and her legs stretched out on the bench in front of her. She noticed me looking at her again, scowled, and pointedly turned her head and stared out the window.
"Who's that?" Oliver asked, leaning across the aisle so he could talk to me. "She doesn't seem like she's a member of the Gwen Frost fan club."
I shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care."
Alexei touched his arm, and Oliver leaned back to see what he wanted.
We rode in silence for about thirty minutes. The trip was pleasant enough. The train rocked from side to side in a soothing way, although every once in a while, the gears would grind together, making the car shudder and the windows rattle as the engine struggled up the mountain. According to Ajax, it was a ninety-minute ride up to Snowline Ridge, and the others soon took off their jackets, wadded them up to use as pillows, got comfortable, and drifted off to sleep.
The day had barely started, and I was already tired, but try as I might, I couldn't go to sleep, not without worrying that I might have another nightmare. So I stared out at the passing scenery instead.
In some ways, the Rockies were a lot like the Appalachian Mountains back home. Lots of trees, lots of stone outcroppings, lots of rocky ridges. But everything here seemed bigger, more jagged and rugged, the mountain peaks so tall and sharp that they resembled needles you might prick your finger on if only you could reach out and touch the tops of them. There was more snow here too, a couple of inches on the ground, and fresh flakes swirled all around and through the dense, towering pines like bits of hard, white confetti. But it wasn't just the snow and scenery that were different. I felt . . . a wildness in the landscape that I didn't back at the North Carolina academy. Or perhaps it was because Mythos was home and this wasn't -
A hand touched my shoulder.
My head snapped to the side, even as my fingers fumbled across the seat, straining to reach Vic's hilt - but it was only Coach Ajax looming over me. I let out a breath.
"I'm going to the snack car to get some coffee," Ajax said. "Want anything?"
I shook my head. "Thanks, but I'm good."
"Well, I'm starving," Daphne piped up.
"Me too," Carson said.
The two of them got up and followed Ajax. The coach walked to the front of the car, swaying from side to side with the motion of the train. He reached the door and hit the button so he could step forward into the next car; then he, Daphne, and Carson disappeared from sight. Oliver and Alexei slept on, their heads close together as they leaned on each other. The two guys made a cute couple. They'd met over winter break and had been totally into each other, although they hadn't officially started dating until a few weeks ago.
The minutes ticked by, and I started to wonder what was taking Ajax, Daphne, and Carson so long. I leaned over into the aisle. Through the glass in the doors at the front, I could see folks standing in the middle of the aisle in the next car up. That must be the line for the snack car. Looked like my friends weren't the only ones who'd wanted some breakfast. I sighed, leaned back, and stared out the windows again.
Another five minutes passed. Then, one of the girls in the front of the car got up and headed toward the back. At first, I wondered why, until I remembered that was where the bathrooms were. Still, I tensed up as the other girl approached me. Something about her seemed a little . . . off.
She glanced down and realized I was staring at her. The girl hesitated, then gave me a small smile. I nodded at her. But instead of nodding back, her eyes slid past me and fixed on Vic. For a moment, something sparked in her gaze. I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it almost seemed like . . . satisfaction.
Her smile widened, and she stared at Vic a second longer before she noticed I was watching her watch my sword. Her features twisted into a grimace, and her gaze snapped straight ahead, as though I'd caught her doing something she shouldn't. Yeah, it was weird that she'd noticed Vic. Then again, it was weird for me to have a sword on a train, even this train that catered to Mythos students. And I still couldn't put my finger on what was bugging me about her so much, other than her curious interest in Vic.
It was only when she took a step past me that I realized she had one of her hands down by her side, instead of putting both of them on top of the brass rails for balance as she made her way to the back. I frowned, wondering why she would walk like that when the train was shuddering so much right now. The car rocked again, and the girl lurched to her right - letting me see the glint of silver underneath her long, black coat.
The girl froze for a moment, realizing that I'd noticed something. Then, she gave a small shrug, as though it were no big deal. She took another step forward, then another. I turned my head, following her movements.
She'd almost gone all the way past me when she abruptly whirled back in my direction. The girl whipped out a sword from underneath her coat, raised it high, and brought it down - aiming for my head.
Instinct took over, and I immediately ducked down and to my right.
Clang!
The girl's sword hit the top of the brass rail in front of me instead of driving deep into my skull. I scrambled to my feet, bumping my knees against the back of the bench in front of me.
But the girl was quick - Amazon quick. She stepped back, twirled the sword around in her hands, and raised it again for another strike. Since there was no way I could reach out, grab Vic, and use him to block her blow, I put my hands on the brass railing behind me, hefted myself up off the ground, and kicked out with my feet, catching her in the stomach.
The Reaper girl let out a loud oof! as the air hissed out of her lungs, but she didn't go down. I braced myself on the seats, pushed up, and kicked her again. This time, she staggered to the side - and landed right on top of Oliver and Alexei.