The Final Countdown
Matilda was the first to wake up. Her cheek, pressed against a cold, smooth surface, made a sucking sound as she looked up, her eyes bulging. She looked around, taking in the scenery with a mixture of confusion and fear. Glancing down at her outfit, she noticed that she was no longer wearing the yellow dress she had put on this morning, but a frumpy navy blue uniform and thick-soled boots. A smartwatch clung to her left wrist, and there was no way to loosen it or get rid of it. Where was she? The clickety-clack of wheels and the blur of trees rolling past the window next to her were her most immediate clues: she was on board a train. A train she had absolutely no recollection of getting on. The tentacles of panic climbed up her calves before squeezing her throat. The word ‘mom…’ faded from her lips. Her mother was nowhere to be seen, and only kids her own age populated the nearby seats, inert, their heads sometimes slumped against the headrest, sometimes flattened against the tray tables in their laps. They all wore the same uniform, as well as the same watch on their left wrist. Heart thumping, she stood up on shaky legs and took a few steps across the car, trying to spot familiar faces. However, she recognized none of the four girls and five boys.
