"I have to go away now, West."

A tall girl stood in the center of a small room, hands resting passively on her hips. She was pretty, with dark red braids and a pale face. She had light green eyes, like the color of the skin on a pear. A spattering of freckles crossed her small nose, and her lips were turned up at the corners.

"I love you, little girl," the older one continued, her eyes welling with tears that sparkled like diamonds. "I've left something for you in the-"

West bolted upright, the sound of the train wresting her from her reverie. Jade and Alana were beside her, Alana sprawled out across the seats. Both were asleep, Alana with her head in Jade's lap, Jade sitting up and leaning against the upholstered seats. It was dark outside, but a faint pink blush crept over the horizon and cast long shadows across the sky. It must have been very early in the morning.

Jade yawned and rubbed her eyes, which were a dark gold when blurred with sleep. Her curly hair was a nest of wild tangles, flat in the back and spiraling several inches above her head. She was nestled in a huge blanket, a Mexican tasseled one in shades of green.

"What time is it?" She mumbled, covering her mouth.

West checked her grandfather's pocket watch, which she liked to wear as an accessory. "It's four sixteen. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"PARTY!" Alana screeched with her eyes still closed, pumping her fists in the air. West giggled and shoved her. Alana landed on the floor of the train carriage, still laughing.

"We've got about three hours left until we get to the Savoy Station," Jade said, looking out the window and watching as the sun slowly rose into the sky. She hadn't seen her house in a long time, since the previous September. Her little brother Gideon was there, and her French cousin Caterina was going to be visiting for the summer, back from Healer School in Paris. "You guys are going to love my house."

"Isn't it a cabin in the woods?" Alana asked, digging through her bag and finally producing a cold sandwich.  "Ew, sausage- I should have bought pepper and cheese."

"It's a cabin, but it's beautiful and huge. It's three stories and loads of windows, and it's on the side of a mountain. We have a one-minutes walk down to the lake, and these huge trees, and all of this gorgeous sunshine." Jade broke a piece of cheese and tomato sandwich off and handed it to Alana.

"You're an angel," Alana cheered with her mouth full, spraying West with crumbs. West wiped her face and took a bite of her own eggplant Parmesan sandwich.

"My cousin Caterina is visiting, and she's from France. She's about nineteen, and she's as French as can be. She's very pretty, and a little intimidating, but she's actually really sweet. She's training to be a healer."

"Sounds cool," West smiled, brushing a lock of red hair out of her eyes. The sun had just crested the hills, and the light was thin and light yellow and melted over the fields of wildflowers like butter. The train windows were open just a crack, and the smell of lavender and pine trees and cool mountain air filled the compartment.

Jade tipped her face towards the sun, breathing deeply and taking in all of the nuances of her home.

"It's beautiful here," Alana sighed, sipping something from her travel mug.

"Is that tea?" Jade asked. Hers was full of orange-lemon tea that she'd brought back from England.

"Nope!" Alana was almost too gleeful. "It's coffee!"

West dropped her head onto her palm. "We're all done for."

"Is it just regular coffee?" Jade prayed that the answer would be 'decaf'.

"Well, I found this place with an espresso machine, and I filled it up! It's only a twenty ounce mug."

Jade made some calculations on the back of her napkin. "Alana, that's six hundred milligrams of caffeine. You're going to explode!"

"YUP!" Alana grinned, then knocked back her travel mug. Jade shook her head and sighed. It was going to be a long three hours.