Chang Seol doesn't know what to say. She's a cockatrice and the rumour has it that she was born out of an egg.
"It must be those vile --" Saya inhales sharply. "Ugh! I told them not to make trouble. They must have hidden it in my bag when I wasn't looking. Damn! Those persistent creatures followed me until the moment I boarded the train."
Why wouldn't they? Chang Seol watches her with a judgmental look in her eyes.
"I didn't know, okay?" Saya rolls her eyes. "All I wanted was to spend the rest of my life in peace but I ended up being chased by giant cockatrices. Because of them, I failed my mission. They could have turned into humans and told me that I have their egg instead of trying to eat me alive. Why are they so angry all the time?"
"Cockatrices who can turn into humans?" Chang Seol widens her eyes. No Shi Won did talk about creatures who can turn into humans if they want. "Did you meet their human forms?"
"A few times." Saya places her hand on the egg. "They don't like staying in their human forms much. In fact, they detest humans a lot. That was the entire feud about. My mission was to help humans and the beasts reach peace but…"
Saya takes a deep breath. "I did succeed technically. But someone had to steal this damn egg and put it in my bag. I even brought it to the train. Now, I have two penalties. At this rate, I will never ever get free of this slavery."
Okay. Chang Seol slowly blinks her eyes. This conversation is turning weird. What slavery is she talking about?
"I wasn't supposed to bring a living being on the train." Saya closes her eyes and bangs the side of the head on the window. "The train would only move forward now. So I can't go back to that world and return this child to the cockatrices."
It sounds too weird. Why does she mean by the world? Chang Seol eyes the egg sceptically. Is that a real egg?
"I found a solution." Saya continues in a low tone, "It seems that the train doesn't want to keep a cockatrice egg on the train. What can an egg do, right? Bertie told me that there was one way. I couldn't go back to the world after completing my mission but there were many shapeshifter families in the other worlds. We decided on a family in U City."
"A shapeshifter family in U City?" Chang Seol can't tell whether this woman is speaking the truth or not.
"The couple had been married for three years." Saya zips the bag. "They are supposed to have a human daughter after seven years. Their shapeshifting legacy should end with that daughter. If I put this egg in that family, I am sure that they will take care of it well."
A layer of sweat glistens on her forehead. Why does it sound like her family? "Are they going to adopt this egg?"
Saya looks at her and laughs. "You are really new."
She has no idea what Saya is talking about but she needs to know more. Chang Seol smiles brightly at Saya. "Please tell me more, Unni."
"They are human shapeshifters." Saya informs her with a tired voice, "On top of it, human shapeshifters are a secretive community. There are certain laws that they follow. Due to those laws, the couple doesn't know about shapeshifters yet. So I can't just go and ask them to adopt a cockatrice's egg."
That's true… Chang Seol pinches her lips together. Her parents didn't know about shapeshifters until she was born.
"Bertie told me to make memories in their heads." Saya wraps her arms around the egg. "Little Egg, don't worry. I will make sure that they treat you like their child for the rest of their lives."
This is scary. Chang Seol looks around and finds two young boys sitting on the next seat, talking about something in a low voice. One man is sitting on the last seat with his eyes closed. When did these people appear?
"Unni, if you don't mind, " Chang Seol asks her hesitantly, "Can you tell me which family is it? Since I am from U City, I may know them."
She wants to be wrong though.
"Really?" Saya raised her brow. "Oh, your surname is Chang too -- but I am sure that you aren't from the time period where this egg is going. I am taking her to the year 200X. The man's name is Chang Il-Sung and his wife's name is Park Yoon-Seo. Which year are you from?"
The train is slowing down. She hears another mechanical announcement.
[Next station is U City, 200X April 20th.]
That's her birthday.
Chang Seol swallows when she hears those words. She stares at the bag.
"I forgot. The train picked you up from 202X." Saya smiles at her. "The train picks up different passengers from different coordinates. Time is also a coordinate. However, I didn't expect to see a fresh one. What did you do to get on this train, Chang Seol and why is the train taking you to the past?"
To the past? Chang Seol pales in horror. She points at the egg. "Unni, this egg might be me."
"What?" Saya lets out an awkward laugh. "That's impossible."
"I am a cockatrice." Chang Seol's voice trembles. "I am Chang Il-Sung's and Park Yoon-Seo's eldest daughter. My birthday is 20th April 200X."
The train comes to a halt.
"Shh!" Saya grabs her shoulders and pulls her head down. "Follow me."
Not knowing whether this is a nightmare or a not, Chang Seol follows the girl obediently. The moment they get off the train, it disappears in the background.
If Saya's story hasn't shocked her enough, U City's train station adds the final blow. The station has an archaic look that she has only seen in pictures. People are dressed in strange clothes and hairstyles that might have been popular on those days. The station master is holding a pager.
Beads of sweat roll on her face. Her parents aren't her birth parents. Is she truly from another world? On top of it, she is walking with a girl who is taking her egg-self to her non-biological parents.