The station, like the rest of the city, was quiet, and as Aoife and Hope entered the grand concourse, the younger of the two felt more hopeless with every step that took her away from her new home and back towards her old home. No matter Aoife's promises, Hope knew no force on earth would stop her father when he found out she was still alive. And since Aoife was a great believer in family ties, Hope knew she'd try and find James the moment the two women returned to Earth - if they did. For Eldon had never told them what train they'd come in on, and as they looked at the departure board, which displayed trains and destinations in an unfamiliar language. Hope felt a very small amount of confidence come back.
Aoife, on the other hand, wasn't feeling the same way, and her face was grim as she studied the board. Then she pointed to a line of text with a blue and white planet next to it. "Earth," she said confidently. "That will be the train to get us home again." She grabbed Hope's wrist and towed her onwards, and the younger woman let herself be lead, hoping someone would stop them before they got on the train that would take them back.
But the ticket barriers were open at this time of night, and the one Pandoran who saw them sleepily waved them through, yawning widely. Hope felt sorry for him, having to pull a nightshift, but before long, she was feeling sorry for herself when Aoife confidently led them to the platform where, as Hope had feared, the train to Earth was waiting. She wanted to pull free, to scream for aid, but there was no one else on the platform, and she knew, even if someone did see them, that Aoife would have her shot dead in seconds.
The train was as empty as the station had been, and Hope felt new tears slide down her cheeks as Aoife got them seated well away from the doors. The train looked similar to the one that had brought them all to Pandora days ago, and Hope's heart sank as she recognised it - this was the same train, or a similar model, and Hope wanted to be sick again. All her hopes for freedom were being dashed one by one, and she clenched her fists as the doors shut. Before long, the train was moving, and Hope stared blindly out the window as the night-dark countryside passed them by. She could take no pleasure in the jewel-spangled, jet black sky, and as they climbed out of the valley and towards the tunnel, she cursed Aoife as bitterly and passionately as she knew how.
"Stow it," the Irishwoman told her sternly. "I won't have you snifflin' and feelin' sorry for yourself. This is for your own good, and if you were my daughter, I would have boxed your ears for bein' so sulky. I'm doing this to save you and your baby from hell, and if you don't stop your blubberin', I'll put you over my knee and give you a good spanking."
"Don't tell me what to do," Hope snapped. "You've got no right to tell me how to feel; I'm almost an adult, and I have every right to be sad!"
Aoife looked like she was ready to turn Hope over her knee right then and there, but soon the train entered the tunnel, and the Irishwoman shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said curtly, as the lights flashed past. "I'll be making sure your husband is a man who'll teach you to sit up straight and be grateful for the good life I'm leading you to. Or I can look up your father and let him deal with you. Either way, you'll be cured of your sulks soon enough, even if it means you won't be able to sit down for a week. Now shut up!"
Hope rolled her eyes, but resisted the urge to give the older woman the finger, instead turning her gaze to the window. She couldn't recall the moment when they'd made their transfer to the train that had delivered them to Pandora, but she did recall how everything had blurred around them for a moment, before time and space had settled again. She tensed, wondering if her argument with Aoife had caused her to miss that moment, and her dread grew as the train sped on. Resigned to her fate, she continued cursing the woman who had once been her friend, praying for the powers that be to visit on the Irishwoman the same fresh hell she was inflicting on the younger woman.
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