Page 39 of The Christmas Express
‘About leaving the train? Yes.’
‘Do you think you will? Seems like it could be perfect for you.’
‘I don’t know . . .’ How does she know what’s perfect for me? I don’t even know what’s perfect for me. That’s the whole point of this trip, isn’t it? I can’t abandon it now.
‘Alright, I’ve gotta go, but I’ll catch you later, right?’ Alex places her hand on my shoulder as she passes, and I reach my own up to pat it before she goes. Mine is cold as snow, hers is warm as sunshine.
I haven’t seen Bryn’s friends all day. Not since the commotion this morning. Instead, I’ve been moving between my seat and the celestial carriage, watching old movies on my phone, and combing through all the information I can find about switching to the other train.
I don’t know what to do. You know who would know? Bryn. But I can’t really ask her, can I?
Alex is nice to talk to. Her life here in Canada, travelling the country for work, is interesting. I’m interested. In knowing more about her, I mean.
The train will be arriving in Winnipeg soon, and is scheduled to be our longest stop yet. Man, am I looking forward to properly stretching my legs. We’ll be there for around three hours, and, whatever happens, I intend to spend as much time as possible feeling the fresh, cold air on my face.
I lean out of my seat to look up and down the aisle for Alex’s tall frame. Just in case she’d like a walk around Winnipeg too. I don’t know where she’s bunking down at the moment, but I’m guessing, being staff, she has access to a compartment somewhere. But instead of Alex, Luke is heading my way.
When I was with Bryn, I remember her pre-warning me about Luke before I came to the townhouse for the first time. (The way she spoke about them all as if I was bound to meet them the second I walked through the door, I’d assumed they were all flatmates rather than neighbours.) She’d told me he was aloof. Hard to get to know. Kept to himself. I didn’t find him to be like that at all. I found him to be . . . like me. He was kind of quiet, but friendly. Got lost in his imagination. He wasn’t one for outbursts or gossip, but he was unfailingly warm to the people he clearly loved. Especially one person, who would make him glow from the inside out when they were in the same room. Any idiot could see that he and Cali would be like magnets drawn together, always ending up sitting beside each other on the sofa, leaning in while the other was talking, looking to catch each other’s eye when one of them made a joke. It was cute. I wonder what happened?
‘Hello,’ he says, stopping by my seat.
I tilt my head to the side at this unexpected visit. ‘Hello.’
‘Just wondered if you wanted to come and explore Winnipeg with me this evening?’
I glance at my bag by my feet, which is all packed. Just in case. I don’t tell him what I’m thinking of doing.
Luke continues. ‘If it makes any difference, I was going to ask Joss too.’ I think I curled my lip, because amusement flickers on his face from his mouth to his eyes.
‘Are the others not getting off the train?’
‘I expect they are, but when Joss and Joe are like this it’s just better to keep them separated for twenty-four hours until they simmer down. And she’s a bit of a flight risk. See you on the platform in a bit?’
I nod. The train to Churchill doesn’t leave until the morning anyway. ‘Okay. Thanks. Wrap up warm.’
‘You too.’
Twenty minutes later I’m not just wrapped up warm, but wrapped up in almost everything I brought with me to Canada. Having left Ontario earlier that day, we’re now in the providence of Manitoba, in the centre of Canada. I’m a long way from home. I’m a long way from Bryn.
It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, and the city of Winnipeg feels ready. Vast, fairy light-bedazzled decorations welcomed us to the city as the train trundled to a stop in the station. The sky is pitch-black, but the air smells of spruce trees and spices. The snow on the ground is thicker, and while I wait for Luke and Joss, people wearing bulky snow boots and long-eared hats carry shopping bags through the station, their smiles wide, a little Christmas spirit in their demeanours.
Further down the platform Cali exits the train, alone. I wait for Luke and Joss, and while doing so, I see Sara and Joe, separately, also exit the train and head away from the station. What the hell happened to this friendship group?
I shift my bag on my back, heavy with all my belongings. Where’s Alex? Is she getting off the train? I would have liked to have said goodbye, just in case I don’t come back aboard, but she’s nowhere to be seen.
Joss appears at my side, hands in pockets, and stands like an ice sculpture, refusing to look at me. Luke, thankfully, is right behind her, zipping up his jacket.
The three of us start walking to the station exit, and I do a final glance around for Alex but can’t see her anywhere.
‘So I was thinking,’ starts Luke. ‘There’s this thing called the Arctic Glacier Winter Park. It has trails that you can take, either walking or you can rent ice skates, and there are Christmas lights and . . . stuff. Shall we check it out?’
‘Okay,’ says Joss, instantly. Little Miss Lack of Enthusiasm agreed to that pretty quickly. Maybe she’s an avid ice skater these days.
We walk in silence for a bit, following the way most people are going, which makes me think we’re heading to quite the place to be.
Joss seems distracted this evening, at least from her annoyance towards me being there, so I dare to ask the two of them, ‘So, when did you guys fall out?’
Luke starts to stutter an answer, but Joss cuts in. ‘A long time ago.’
