Hope wasn't the only one who gasped when, 35 minutes later, the train emerged, not in France, but in a world which seemed to come out of a fairy tale, and her eyes widened when she saw the planets in the sky. One had rings, like Saturn, but the other was huge, both dominating the deep blue sky, shining almost as brightly as the moon on Earth. But it was clear this was not Earth, and Hope mentally apologised to Eldon for all the names she'd called him during their jouney from London to ... well, Pandora!
"Bloody hell," Mia whispered, and Hope echoed her sentiment as the train made its way through the valley towards a shining city in the distance. It, like the two planets in the sky, shone brightly, like a beacon of hopes and dreams, and Hope felt her heart lift, her eyes filling with tears of wonder.
"This is home," Eldon said, letting the amazing city do the talking for him. "And that's the capital - Isonor."
As the train drew closer, the city grew larger, until it filled the sky, and by the time the train pulled into the spacious station, Hope's doubts had finally melted away - especially after seeing the sky when the train had first emerged from the tunnel. Pandora was real, and it was gloriously, almost frighteningly so.
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The station itself was breathtakingly gorgeous, and as Eldon led them through the grand concourse, Hope took in all the sights, smells and sounds. It looked very much like Earth at first glance, but as the group made their way past the inhabitants, there were many subtle differences to clue the Earth women in that this was not Earth. The humans, for example, looked very much like people on Earth, but there were subtle differences, such as the faint golden skin, and the cat-like eyes, coming in a wide variety of colours, as did the hair, making some of the Pandoran humans look as if they'd just stepped out of a rainbow factory gone mad. Their manner of dress also varied - some Pandorans wore styles that wouldn't be amiss on Earth, while others wore elaborately styled clothing that wouldn't have looked out of place in a fairy tale. And there were others who wore almost next to nothing, causing some of the older women to mutter. Hope was no prude, but even she admitted that some of the clothes - or lack thereof! - were a bit on the risque side.
Eldon glanced over his shoulder as he led the group out to the street, where even more wonders awaited them. "Don't judge," he advised. "You're as alien to them as they are to you - don't start off on the wrong foot. They've as much right to what they wear - or don't wear - as the next person."
His rebuking tone quelled the mutters, but as the women got into the pearl-white bus which waited for them, Hope got the feeling that things had already started off on the wrong foot. She herself wasn't bothered too much, but she sensed the older women were not going to adjust to life here quite as easily. Aoife, one of the oldest women, looked like she wanted to tear strips off some of the more scantily-clad men and women, and since she was a devout Catholic, her morals were going to be outrageously upset. "Hey, let's not make waves," she advised the Irishwoman. "We're probably on thin enough ice as it is - I for one don't want to see us kicked out before we've had time to get settled into the place."
Aoife huffed and folded her arms. "I don't have to like it," she said crossly. "Have you seen what some of those huss--"
"Stop," Eldon ordered, his good mood gone as he glared at the Irishwoman. For the first time, Hope saw that his pupils were now slitted like a cat's, and she wondered when he'd shed his disguise. That was soon cancelled out by worry as the Pandoran man continued his upbraiding. "You're all here on my good word," he told them, his stern words and glare encompassing them all. "If any of the council see a reason to have the lot of you kicked off, they'll seize it. I told you this is not set in stone - I have yet to introduce you to them, and right now, I don't feel like painting any of you in a good light, given the atrocious behaviour I'm seeing."
"Hey," Mia protested. "Don't lump us all--" It was her turn to be cut off as Eldon directed his glare at her.
"All of you are on notice," he said, any traces of the easygoing manner he'd first shown them gone. This was the real Eldon, and Hope suddenly realised she didn't like him one bit. But she held her tongue as he continued. "I don't want to hear anything further concerning my people," he said. "Nothing good, nothing bad. And for that matter, since we're on the subject, from now on, none of you are to speak unless spoken to, not even to each other. Do I make myself clear?"
There was a general grumbling assent, and Eldon nodded, satisfied. "Good," he said, but as he turned back towards the front of the bus, Hope had the feeling his ears were pricked like a cat's, and that even the softest whisper would reach him. The other women seemed to sense it; not even daring to mouth words to one another, in case he heard the movement of their lips, they subsided into a sullen silence that pusled with resentment. Hope didn't blame them one bit; she felt the same way, and once again, she wished she'd never been rescued. Drowning, she thought sullenly, would be preferable to this horrible feeling of helplessness.
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