

She had just been having a disheartening dream: a dream she had had many times in the last year. Normally, she would wake feeling embarrassed, but this time Alex's embarrassment was laced with annoyance. It was the most relaxing part of her day, and many times she'd find herself drifting off to sleep, but only on rare occasions like today would she accidentally drift off completely. She would gaze out the window and let her thoughts wander while the train traveled. When her professors asked questions, Alex was one of many people to raise her hand with the answer.Īnother perk of the train ride was the downtime Alex got to herself. For the first time, she was able to learn about art and history and other languages in an environment where everyone wanted to be there. This short journey was nothing compared to the things Alex had handled in the past.Īlex loved being a part of the honors program. It was a questionable trip for a young girl to make by herself, and her mother had had reservations at first, but she knew Alex could handle it. Since she was too young to drive and her mother worked the majority of the day at a children's hospital, every Thursday after school Alex would ride her bike to the train station and travel the short distance into the next town for her classes. In fact, she was so advanced she was part of an honors program that allowed her to take an additional class at the community college in the next town. Luckily for her, she was one of only a few people on the five o'clock train back into town, so her secret was safe.Īlex was an exceptionally bright student and always had been. She was a very smart and serious young woman and never wanted to give the wrong impression. A long sigh came out of the thirteen-year-old girl and she neatly fixed a strand of strawberry-blonde hair that had escaped her headband.Īlex hated dozing off in public places. She looked at the empty seats around her while she remembered where she was.

The subtle jerks of the train rocked Alex Bailey awake.
