When Sin Jeong-Hyuk comes out of the sharehouse, there is no sign of her.
He frowns. "Did she already leave?"
Where could that Chicken go?
It doesn't matter where she goes. Doesn't matter at all.
Since she's nowhere in his sight, she must have taken a taxi.
Alright, he will check the station just to be sure that she gets on the right train.
Sin Jeong-Hyuk gets into his car and drives toward the railway station.
He won't talk to her or go close to her.
It's just that crime rates are high and she's a little girl.
"I am not worried." He assures himself as he accelerates the car toward the station. "I would do this even for a stranger."
He knows well that he won't go this far for a stranger.
***
Chang Seol yawns. "When is the train coming?"
It's been a day since she turned for the first time. So far, she's normal… except for the fact that her senses are stronger and her strength has increased.
Furthermore, her sight is still strange. Seeing weird colours around people is annoying.
When will the train come? Chang Seol checks the time on her wristwatch. Is going back home a good idea? She doesn't know what will happen, but she needs to talk to her family.
"Requesting all passengers to reach platform thirteen!" A cold mechanical announcement alarms her. "The train is arriving at the platform."
Nobody reacts to the announcement except for Chang Seol. The booming sound of the locomotive heralds the arrival of an old and decrepit train. Chang Seol creases her forehead while keeping her eyes fixed on the train. The windows are curtained.
Do they still run these? Chang Seol scrutinizes the vintage train in awe. "Maybe it's a special day today."
She glances at her wristwatch again. It's supposed to be the last train. Just then, the train door opens and the trainmaster comes out.
Wondering whether this train goes to U City, Chang Seol goes to the trainmaster, an old man dressed in a black uniform. His ghastly yellow skin is full of wrinkles. The black beady eyes make her shudder.
"Sir, does this train go to U City?" Chang Seol asks him politely. Why is he staring at her like this? Is she an alien? Then again, she's nothing less than an alien. She shows her ticket to him. "I need to go to U City."
"The next stop is U City," The trainmaster replies in a monotonous tone. "Do you want to ride this kind of train?"
Chang Seol doesn't realize that the platform is nearly empty. Only she and the trainmaster are there. She takes a breath of relief. "As long as it takes me home, it doesn't matter what kind of train it is."
The old trainmaster smiles at her. "Happy Journey."
She thanks him with a soft voice and boards the train. Inside the coach, she realizes that the coach is empty. Maybe it's because this is the last train. Chang Seol sits near the window and tries to pull the curtain away.
The train starts moving slowly.
"Don't do that." An irritated voice interrupts her. "The lights make me dizzy."
Chang Seol looks at the girl sitting opposite her.
Dressed in a black robe, the dark-haired girl seems to be around her age. Her thin and long neck along her long pale face with a pointy nose makes her look like a crane.
There's a small black bag on the adjacent seat.
When did this girl come? How come she didn't notice this crane-girl? Chang Seol fixes the curtain on the window as she smiles apologetically at the girl. "Sorry."
"You seem new." The girl's dark hooded eyes twinkle curiously. "I am Saya."
Saya? Chang Seol blinks her eyes. "Chang Seol."
"You sound like you are still carrying your first name." Saya sighs. "Seol is a nice name."
Chang Seol furrows her brows. "First name?"
"The name that your parents gave you," Saya replies lazily. "Where are you headed to?"
"U City." Chang Seol wonders if Saya has changed her name. "Where are you going?"
"The same." Saya stretches her arms, arching her back. "I got myself a burden when I was careless."
Strange... Chang Seol stares at Saya. There's no colour bubble around her.
"Actually, what happened was," Saya picks up her bag carefully and lays it on her lap before she opens it slowly and she exhales, "someone put this in my bag when I wasn't looking."
Chang Seol opens her mouth wide when she sees the item -- it's a black egg that is bigger than an ostrich egg. "Which bird is it?"
"It's a cockatrice's egg." Saya leans back in her seat, gazing quietly on the egg. "I should have guessed why the cockatrices were chasing me. They wanted their egg back."
"..."