I woke with a jolt. Must have fallen asleep again. Just a repeat of this crazy dream, this time it just startled me. Heartbeat hammering away in my ears. Taking short breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. The train rocked gently beneath me, but for a second, it felt like the whole world had dropped out from under my seat. The dream of G-ma clung to me like taffy to my teeth.
My forehead was damp and my body hurt all over. And when I held my hand out, my fingers shook. I need to get it together before I get back to training. A shaking hand is no good for weapons qual tomorrow, and I doubt they'd let me skip.
The man. Who was he? And the words, "Al drock, ne tarra sok."I didn't even know what it meant, or what any of this meant. But I remembered the man's eyes. They were the whitest eyes I had ever seen, with just the lightest bit of silver in the irises. They glowed, and so did the veins in his hands.The kiss. Why did this old man kiss me like I was his child? It felt like he knew me or something.
I shoved out of my seat and stumbled down the aisle, past a couple whispering over travel maps and a kid asleep with a snack wrapper stuck to his cheek. The restroom door creaked open. I locked it behind me and leaned over the tiny sink, turning the faucet on just enough to wet my hands. I looked for a paper towel and saw that the dispenser was empty. Rolling my eyes, that figures. So, I placed my wet hands carefully on the back of my neck and then my face.
It was cool, and I took a deep breath. That's what I needed. Looking up, I stared at myself in the mirror. My focus was drawn to my eyes. They were red from crying, but what was that? Is that silver? I blinked hard a few times then looked in the mirror.
My own reflection stared back. Same oval-shaped face. Same almond-shaped dark brown eyes. Same long black hair. It wasn't until school that I noticed face shapes and eye shapes, or even eyebrows. But being able to describe how someone looked could save lives or help catch bad guys. I thought about how we practiced on each other during lunch, and a smile came to my face. But now something felt… off. Closing my eyes and taking a few more breaths, I was ready to join the other passengers.
Taking my seat again, I looked out the window. It was raining in the distance. We were in Judish, a sprawling metropolis that was really made up of 20 districts, all having their own cultures, flavors, and people. The districts are just cities that got too big and collided into one another. They have their own names, but we in law enforcement call them by district numbers.
I pulled out a book my G-ma had given me as a child, Chronicles of Nara. I loved it as a child. Who wouldn't? Full of dragons and magical beings, and Nara, this hero protecting the world.
I opened the book to the inside cover. A tree spread across the page, its branches filled with names. I found mine on one of the branches, right next to G-ma's. Tears welled in my eyes as I placed my finger by her name. Wiping my tears away with my jacket sleeve, I reached down and turned the page. There at the top, in script, was "Al drock, ne tarra sok." Closing the book, I once again looked at my reflection in the window. This must be where my brain got it from. I studied my eyes as the silver swirled through my iris. "It was just a dream…" I whispered to my reflection.
After sitting there staring out the window for a long time, the chirping-bird chime sounded. I shoved the book back in my bag and gathered my things. It was time to change trains and head back to school. The train came into the station.
People moved quickly to get off the train and onto the platform. I looked at my ticket one last time before exiting the train. I needed to get to Level 4 then get on the C Train to District 7. Looking at my watch, I needed to run.
"Excuse me," I called out to the people on the stairs in front of me. They moved. I had my Marshal jacket on. It may have been what got them to move faster after the old man turned and saw me.
At the top of the stairs, I made a right and went up, just one more floor. Breathing heavily, my heart pounding in my chest, I made it just as the C Train pulled in. The chirping-bird chime sounded as the doors began to open and people offloaded. I was moving as soon as I saw my chance. Darting for the doors, I stepped onto the train and moved to a seat. Looking around, I saw a normal number of passengers for this hour. I let out a sigh. I'll be back at school in about an hour.