CH 23: The Train

The next morning, Alastor opened his eyes to the sun peeking in through the window. His mind took a moment to fully process where he was or what time it was. When he looked to his side and saw Esme laying down next to him, it all came crashing back to him. The last night they spent together, and the fact that he will lose her in a few hours. He gently held her closer to him, not wanting to let go of her, he whispered to her in a gentle and soft voice, "Wake up, mon amour."

Esme's eyes slowly fluttered open and she let out a few tired whimpers. "W-What?" She mumbles, nuzzling her face back into his arm. Alastor gently ran his hand through her messy hair as she stayed close to him. He used his other hand to cover her with the blanket, so she would not catch a draft. He planted several soft and gentle kisses along her face to wake her, whispering softly and lovingly, "You have to leave soon, princesse. You said your train leaves at noon, time is running out."

Esme sits up slowly, rubbing her eyes and looking at the time, "I suppose so..." She says, looking down with saddened eyes.

"Now, now, what did we say about that face?" He said, sitting up. His heart sank seeing her saddened eyes. He gently caressed her cheek, running his thumb across her face to wipe away a few stray tears. He whispered sweetly and soothingly to her, "It's alright. I won't let go, not until I have to, even then..." He reaches for her hand, "You have a piece of me with you." Esme smiles and leans in, pulling him into a kiss before getting up and getting dressed for the day.

He smiles as he feels her kiss, but his smile disappears once she turns her back to him to leave to get dressed. He wasn't going to let her see him flaunter, to see his smile fade. Keep it up. He tells himself. He stands up from the bed and goes to his closet to get dressed for the day. He puts on a red button up, black trousers, and grabs his black jacket. He begins to walk to his bathroom to freshen up for the day.

"Will you write to me?" Esme's voice cuts through the silence as she brushes her hair in the mirror. He freezes as he's walking past her, turning around and smiling as he takes her hand and kisses it.

"Of course, I will. I won't forget you, I promise." He lets go of her hand and walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He rests his hands on the bathroom sink, leaning forward and letting out a deep sigh. Turning to the mirror, he fixes his hair and wipes his glasses with a handkerchief, placing them back on his face. He brushes his teeth and finishes his routine. When he finishes, he walks outside the bathroom to see Esme in a dark green button up dress and black Mary Jane heels. She is wrapping her hair into a half up ponytail, letting the rest of her curls hang free. The air in Alastor's lungs ceases to exist. Why must she look so beautiful on this particular day? He clears his throat, "Are you ready to leave, Cher? We can go whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready, yes, but my heart is not." She frowns.

He takes her hands, "I know, but we have to. We can't delay the inevitable, no matter how badly we both want to." He leads her out the room, Esme turning around and looking at his bedroom for the last time. She sighs and follows him down the stairs. Alastor picks up her luggage from the bottom of the stairs. "Would you like to take some food for the train ride?" He offers. Esme nods and walks to the kitchen where she takes an apple and some of the cookies she had made for him days before. She sighs sadly, remembering how excited she was to make them for him. She follows him to the car. He gently leads her to her door holding her hand the entire time. He opens the door, guides her in, and puts the luggage in the back seat. When he gets into the driver's seat, he holds her hand once more as he pulls out of the parking space, "You're sure you're ready?"

Esme nods softly, not being able to answer him. She knows if she spoke she'd just start crying. She can feel that dreadful choking sensation in her throat. She didn't want to go, but she knew she had to. Her father wanted it, so she had no choice ... right? She was going to miss life here. The music she would hear on the street, the way the docks looked, her memories with Margo, the way Mimzy would always playfully tease her, and most of all ... him. Alastor keeps holding on to her hand as he drives, not letting go for a second. He could see how badly she wanted to stay holding on to her life here, but she couldn't. She couldn't stay, whether she wanted to or not, which just killed him more than he'd like to admit. "You'll be okay." He says softly.

Esme smiles sadly at his words as they approach the train station. Alastor parks the car along the side of the road and drops her hand as he exits and walks to her side. She's reluctant to get out of the car. All their memories flood her mind. She's had the time of her life in this town, both in horrific and magical aspects. He opens her door and holds out his hand for her, "Come." He says soothingly. The two walk towards the loading station, Esme getting lost in her thoughts.

Where am I -

Where am I going?

Is it somewhere that I want to go?

And when I get there,

Is that where happy is?

She takes a peak over at Alastor from her peripheral vision, seeing him looking up at the different signs looking for the right train.

Or is it somewhere I already know?

He begins to lead her to her platform, dragging her like a small child who doesn't want to go to school.

Sometimes I feel,

Like I cry without a noise,

Sometimes I feel,

Like somebody chose my choice.

The two wait on the platform, watching the train pull in. People begin to line up around them, preparing to say their goodbyes to their loved ones.

I have to run away,

I have to sit and stay,

I want to live a life,

Where I'm allowed to say,

That I'm proud that I spent ...

My days

As the train slowly pulls in, Esme reminisces on her memories of Manhattan, growing up with her father. She can hear his voice in her mind, "You're going to do this for this family!", "You're my daughter, you do what I say!" all the planned dates with those wretched men, all the times she's been used as a pawn. The times she tried to rebel, only to be met with his backhand. She rubs her cheek at the stinging memory.

I can feel something growing,

It is small but it's shifting the ground,

When I was younger I could hear it,

But it's back,

It's my sound,

Sometimes I feel,

Like I lost my only voice,

But then I realize only I can choose my choice

Alastor gives her hand a small squeeze and looks down at her, "It's time. Go, be safe." He raises her chin to look at him and kisses her softly, "I'll write to you as soon as I get home, I promise." She sniffles and wraps her arms around his neck, hanging on to him for dear life, "I love you." She whispers.

"I love you too, dear." He says, giving her a small squeeze, trying to hold on to his strength for her.

"Thank you for everything." She whispers.

He smiles and nods, "It was my pleasure."

"Ma'am, are you boarding this train?" The conductor asks. Esme's head snaps towards him and looks back at Alastor, "Goodbye then." She smiles as she nods her head to him and boards the train. She gets on the train car and hands a gentleman her luggage to put in the overhead compartment. She slumps down into a seat, closest by the window, still seeing him in her line of sight. Her head hits the cushion of the seat and her breathing becomes labored, almost hyperventilating.

I have to run away,

I have to sit and stay,

I wanna live a life,

Where I'm allowed to say,

That I'm proud of the way that I spent,

My days

The train begins to move, tears slowly form in her eyes. Soon the people start to look like ants. She can see Alastor walking back to his car.

These days,

All we ever really get are days to dream,

And days to lose,

I just need to choose my,

Time ~

As she begins to cry, she hears Margo's voice in her head, "Promise me that for once you will go after what you want for your life." Esme clenches her fists and leans over, crying silently. If Margo was there, she would tell her to stay in the city where she felt the most alive, the most loved and cherished. Esme could feel her whole future slipping from her fingertips, and she knew her sister would be so sad for her.

I have to run away!

I have to sit and stay!

I'm gonna live a life where I proud to say -

"Miss, can I see your ticket please?" Esme snaps out of her thoughts, looking up at the train conductor.

"What?"

"Your ticket." He holds out his hand and his puncher.

"No." She says instantly.

"Excuse me?"

"N - No! I need to get off this train ... immediately." Esme stands up and begins to push through people to get to the aisle.

"Miss, we're already moving. You can't unboard the train!" The conductor screams.

That I followed my joy,

I followed my heart

Esme frantically runs across the train car. She reaches the emergency break and yanks it, sending people in the train flying. She stumbles back, falling over with a soft thud. She quickly stands up, grabbing her luggage and tossing it out of the train car. She'll retrieve it later.

I lived this one wild life,

I ripped it apart

She jumps out of the slowed train car, landing on the dirt with a small grunt. She looks up and sees Alastor's car driving away from the station. I can't believe I'm doing this. She unbuckles her Mary Janes and starts sprinting towards him - they're only going to slow her down. "WAIT!" She yells, he doesn't hear her. She keeps running, not caring what she could step on, her heels smacking her arms as she runs. She pushed people out of her way, slowly catching up to him.

I pushed through the corners,

With no apologies,

And finally I can say,

"STOP!" She screams as she jumps in front of his car. He slams on the breaks at the last second. Esme squeezes her eyes shut expecting an impact, but he is able to stop the car barely by an inch of touching her.

I know the way ~

"ARE YOU MAD?!" He screams from inside the car, his hands tightly gripping the wheel. He's panting and his eyes are burning with fear and anger. His smile finally gone, looking confused, terrified, bewildered, and furious at her for nearly killing herself. But his heart is pounding. Why is she in front of him and not on that train? She smiles, sighs, and drops her heels on the ground. He steps out of the driver's side of the door, slamming it shut and throws his arms up in shock and frustration, landing at his sides. She walks over to him slowly.

I'll say that I loved the way that I spent ~

"Yes." She answers bluntly, pulling him down into a passionate and loving kiss.

My days ~ 

~ Author's Note ~

THIS WAS BY FAR MY FAVORITE CHAPTER TO WRITE! I have had this idea with this song for a full MONTH and was just waiting for it to come up in the story. I hope you all love it as much as I do. My friends helped me listen to this song and brainstorm, so it flowed more like a movie scene. AHHH I love this song sm. It's so perfect for her. I would love to hear feedback on this chapter! <3 

🖤Words: 2131🖤

~ Artemis 🦌💗