Hadley wouldn't say he was a religious man. He never had believed in the seemingly fabricated stories he was told by those around him. But whatever this situation he had ended up in was, could only be the result of some celestial being's little game. How he ended up on some magical train run by some frankly eerie staff was beyond him but despite the unusual circumstances, he would like to think he had adjusted fairly quickly. So, he couldn't blame the kid for his hesitancy to accept whatever this was. He saw how Pending's hands had trembled throughout introductions despite his constant attempts at hiding so, and how his voice slightly wavered as his sentences came to an end.

  The first time Hadley had seen him through the broadcasted screen he had requested of the primary cabin, he was taken back by the giant Polaroid sitting on the other's face, the photo shifting between different faces rapidly, seemingly dependent on the wearer's emotion. It would take some getting used to, he thought, not looking at Pending's face but several depending on his mood. But the man couldn't say much himself, with the black inky tendrils and hands sprouting out from his form in a monstrous fashion, he wasn't doing much better.

  Hadley sighed, sifting his hand through the mess of hair tangled in his head as he sat up on his bead, leaning back on the other. He lolled his head to the side and glanced upwards to the bright red clock hung precariously, clashing against the bright blue wallpaper adorned with colourful trains painting his walls. He groaned in irritancy before standing up from his position, legs slightly numb.

  The worn out grey carpet was barely visible, covered with a kids train track swirling around, gracing the room. Piles of small metallic cars, from regular to race, were thrown across the gaps to help tracks not covered paired with plastic trains randomly spotted in between. Hadley slowly made his way across the room, careful not the step on the plastic death traps.

  Finally, he reached the door, white paint chipped, leaving hints of sharp wood poking through, with a few pencil marks beside several heights scrawled onto the frame beside it.

  'Primary cabin', Hadley muttered under his breath, unconsciously preparing himself for the onslaught of senses he'd feel opening the door. His hand grasped loosely onto the round cool metal of the handle, twisted with a click and pulled the door back to the wall with a thunk. Immediately, the man was Yankee forward into the vortex of light, wind rushing past, whistling in his ears.

  Suddenly, he was pushed out the other side as he heard the door slam behind him, surrounding light dimming considerably. Hadley bent forward at the waist, head down towards the floor as his hair brushed lightly past his face, against his neck. One hand was held tightly against his tightened mouth as the other was placed on his waist. His stomach flipped as the sickening sensation rose up to the back of his mouth and his hand tightened in response.

  Hadley heard a slight chuckle from in front of him muffled slightly. Taking a moment to get back to himself, Hadley looked up in disbelief at the lack of compassion with his eyebrows raised, scrunched tightly in annoyance. He saw Drew draped lazily across one of the train seats, her hand in a ball held up to cover the small smile painting her lips.

  'Glad to see you find my suffering funny', Hadley drawled lazily, fully standing up, hand still at his waist. He slowly walked forward, slumping into the seat beside her, elbow fully resting on the back of the seat.

  She smirked, the corner of her wine red lips raised in amusement, 'you should've seen your face', she remarked, head tilting to the side. She glanced at him with the same look in her eyes before leaning back to look down at the cigar spinning between her lithe fingers. Hadley looked to the side at the cracked window concealed with vines wrapped around the frames.

  'So,' Drew began, filling the silence that was slowly entering the cabin, 'what's your favourite drink?'. The question sounded awkward and forced but anything would have been better than the feeling of his throat tightening at the slowly growing uncomfortable atmosphere. In the corner of his eye, he could see the other woman tapping nervously at her thigh, giving Hadley some comfort that his discomfort was reciprocated.

  'Well, I'd have to say bourbon,' Hadley drawled, shifting his gaze back over to the blonde woman, 'but I don't mind me some caprisun every now and then'.

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  At this, the corner of Drew's lips raised slightly in mirth. 'I've got to agree with you on that one, the caprisun I mean', her eyes were brought back to the spinning cigar held in her hand, painted nails following the grooves, 'I'm more of a tequila kinda girl myself'

  'Really?, Hadley asked, slight disbelief lacing his words, 'Would've pegged you as more of a red wine type'. Drew turned her head and smiled at him, eyebrow raised with a questioning gaze 'You think?'

  The two went back and forth for a while, time passing as their conversation grew more and more enjoyable.

  'We both know you're wrong', Drew started, before the doors behind the other flew open, a gust of wind speeding through with an onslaught of light. Hadley squinted at the sight, before his eyes adjusted to gradually dimming light.

  A shimmering black Mary Jane stepped into Hadley's view with a soft tap, followed by another. With a flourish of umber hair, Fey stepped into view, a smile creased at the corners of her crunched eyes. At the girl's smile, Hadley softened is gaze and smiled weakly back as he assumed Drew had done the same.

  Not even a second later, the door once again flew open in a flurry, followed by a blinding sight and worn out trainers stumbling out the side. As his eyes adjusted, Hadley took in the sight of Pending, the newest addition to the train, eyes following his form. The man stood frozen in the room, seemingly taking a second to recollect himself from the travel. Pending looked the same as he did when Hadley had first seen him, only instead of the usual tree polaroid covering his face, an image of a woman, looking exhausted took place as a new polaroid, before shifting to a different man who seemed to be shocked as Pending looked up.

  At Pending's side, Fey looked towards the other man, gesturing towards him and Drew sat before them, leaving Hadley to shift uncomfortably in his seat. 'You've already met Drew,' she began, as Drew waved beside him, with a familiar playful smirk dancing across her lips as she leaned back into the carriage chair, leaves pressing gently into her back, 'and this is Hadley', Fey continued, waving towards him.

  Hadley lazily raised his hand to give a Pending a lazy wave as he muttered a last minute 'Hey' as a greeting. 'And this is Pending, the newest passenger', Fey ended in an overly joyous manner as she pointed at the other man with her thumb. Hadley quickly gave him a once over, before nodding at Fey's introduction and pulling his eyes back to her, waiting for anything else, feeling Pending's eyes sharply held onto him.

  Fey cleared her throat again at the slowly growing silence which had seemed to fill the room in the short amount of time. 'Have any of you seen Blair again since, you know?'. Hadley did know. He couldn't forget the piercing glares the woman had left on every one of them after being dragged into the cabin. He could still remember how her eyes dragged across the unfamiliar structure with her hands clenched hard, nails digging into her pale skin as her gaze shook with panic and fear.

  Hadley shut his eyes and shook his head in denial, facing the scuffed train floor beneath Fey.

  'None of us have seen her since she's arrived.', Drew explained, her sight stuck following the twirl of the pipe on her knuckles as she leaned forward, elbow on her knee, 'The poor kid's still in shock. Won't let any of us speak to her either.', she ended, as a puff of smoke slowly swam out her mouth, twirling past her bright lips.

  As she finished, the same gust of wind burst the hinges of the door behind Pending wide open as both Pending and Fey stumbled at the sudden movement. Hadley clenched onto the side of his seat as the tendrils of hands did the same, grasping at any solid surface from the shock. Pending swiftly stumbled back away from the door, followed by the other girl as a shiny leather shoe appeared at the foot of the doorway.

  Suddenly, Collyn jumped into view through the doorway, in Fey's direction. Bouncing on the ends of her feet, Collyn brought her arms behind her back, leaning forward slightly with a pep in her step.

  In a cheerful voice, Collyn exclaimed, 'We will now be approaching our first destination.'

  At this, the usually poised woman beside him let out a noise of confusion, fingers curling around the pipe as she leaned forward with disbelief painting her features. 'First destination?' Drew exclaimed breathlessly, 'What do you mean first destination? Where even is this first destination?'

  Collyn paused for a second before opening her mouth to open before she was interrupted by a sharp cough from behind her. The Conductor stood upright, hand fiddling with the end of his hat perched in his head. Hadley thought to himself not to be surprised by the strange man's behavior.

  'Well', he began, gaze slowly raking the residents of the cabin he had just stepped into, 'The first stop is in honour of our latest addition: Pending', he exclaimed with a wide smile covering his face. At the lack of response and enthusiasm, Hadley could see the man's smile waver slightly before he picked himself up again. In the corner of Hadley's eye, Pending seemed to look like a weird mixture of both mortified yet curious at the declaration.

  'Now Collyn will do the honours of telling us who's lucky tickets will get off at this stop', he exclaimed again, both hands pointing excitedly to the girl beside who seemed to be the only other one jumping with joy at the whole idea. Hadley glanced around to the others, only to see similar perplexed expressions worn by the others.

  'Drum roll please.' Collyn sang, with only the pathetic taps from The Conductor fulfilling her wish. The girl seemed to be unphased by the lack of reaction and continued with her action, pulling out two small tickets from the brown bag hung around her shoulder, seated on her hip.

  'And the winners are', Collyn began, beaming as she read the names on the tickets, 'Hadley and Pending'