"Her only trip"

[December 14th, 2021]

She flapped her hands around like a bird in excitement as her father put her luggage inside the car. They were all to meet at the train station. Except, Giselle was tagging along with Aurora; Pros of being next door.

The girls sat down in the car and her father started to drive, also starting his long lecture.

"Don't forget to stay with the crew. Use mother-nature when needed. Nature provides us with so many unimaginable things. Don't starve out there. Though it's a popular campsite with dozens and dozens of places to get food from, but since it's an adventure, try to find food yourself. It's not a trip anymore if there's no effort." Her father bombarded the 'values' of mother-nature onto them. "I wish I could accompany you guys and teach you all how valuable nature can be. But the deadline is near. Sad author, sad author."

"Are you trying to make a Gen-Z joke?" Giselle asked, questioning his last words.

"Sad author, sad author is supposed to be Gen-Z?" He asked cluelessly.

"Not necessarily but it doesn't sound right coming from an old man." Giselle was brutally honest, like always.

"Ouch. I'm not that old. I was born in 1972!"

"Yeah.. A millennial."

Aurora wished she could come up with these words when she was alone with her father's lectures. But she couldn't be brutally honest like Giselle.

They reached the train station in about 30 minutes. All the others were already there, waiting for the big 'recreational' trip they were doing to have.

Their train was still 15 minutes due, so they were seated at the waiting area as Aurora's father bought a bunch of snacks for the road before leaving the station.

"He may be a boomer, but he sure loves us." Giselle really, was brutally honest.

"Right." Aurora agreed while munching on the 'snack for the road'.

No one could dare to stop her. They would rather join in with her as they waited for the train.

Suddenly, Emilia arrived from the station entrance.

"Hello~" She hummed peacefully.

"E-Emilia?!" Sean was shocked to see her pop up everywhere they went.

"I-I called her…" Ethan admitted to his grave sins.

Everyone looked at Ethan for a solid minute before looking elsewhere thinking they might've started dating.

"Guess it's only me and you, Lucy." Giselle wrapped her arm around Lucy's back up to her shoulder, patting her to comfort her.

"What do you mean?" Aurora chuckled.

"We're the only single ones here. Sadly." Giselle mentioned.

Emilia chuckled before shoving Sean aside to be the one to stand next to Ethan.

"When did this happen?" Sean asked in disbelief.

"Doesn't matter. It happened." Lucy murmured.

Guess that dinner led them to a new relationship. Not that they disliked it, except Sean.

He didn't necessarily dislike it. He just thought that his chaotic sister was too overwhelming for his good bro Ethan. Guess he had forgotten that the chaotic ones usually end up with the normal ones.

That made 6 people, and their camping adventure. If Aurora's father was here, he would've turned it into a novel. Adventurous… Novel…

The train arrived in a few minutes. They all jumped into the train and went to their little unit; The one that Ms. Ann had booked for them.

No. 13, evil number!

They entered the unit inside the train. It had two parallel chairs and two chairs separately beside each side of the door. Guess even the train engineers wanted to brand Giselle and Lucy as single.

They weren't going to let Giselle and Lucy off either. They made them sit separately, in agony.

While two of the couples sat on each parallel side.

"I suddenly remembered that one essay we wrote…" Giselle wanted to break the awkwardness between her and Lucy.

"Like?" Emilia asked in curiosity.

"Essay about a train journey." Giselle explained as she chuckled.

Oh yeah, even for the writer; Aurora's father, if he would ever write about this trip, it would've been like an essay. We saw vendors, we played card games etc etc. How boring!

"Let's play a card game!" Giselle suggested.

Oh how the train seats were going to be romantic while they stared outside at the fields and talked about life; NO! CARD GAMES!

"Giselle, play card games with Lucy." Emilia wasn't going to choose card games over a romantic 'window staring' session.

"I'm in, I'm in!" Ethan exclaimed in excitement.

Too bad she didn't know, her boyfriend was simple.

"Aces, Straights and Flushes it is then!" Lucy, the game decided, announced. "Which means, there should be 6 players. All of us."

Of course they had to drag everyone in the game. Since kids, no gambling, hence the winner would get applause.

The game started, ended with a cheating brand onto Lucy's face, and Giselle won. Of course, all smarty pants seem to have better luck as well.

Now that the card game was over, the romantic two couples were staring out the window again. So, Giselle wanted to come up with something again.

A card game wasn't enough as it didn't catch everyone's attention and they played it half-heartedly causing Giselle to win.

She thought hard about it and came up with the best idea of her life. Lucy helped tame that idea. They both.... Fell asleep.

Good 'ol train sleep for good 'ol single people.

Aurora looked out the window, staring at the fields that passed their way. Not because it was romantic but because it was literally her last trip. Her only trip, for her memories that is.

The train she was seated in, smelled so nice and casual. It almost made her sad that she will never get to ride a train again after this trip.

The fields, the forests, the trees and even the road snacks… She was never going to witness them ever again. It was her first and last trip.

The huge fields were covered with snow. The trees were leafless, yet effortlessly beautiful. Though the world was monochromic at this time of the year, it was still worth looking at. Snow almost looked as if it falls from Heaven.

The little crystal accumulated on the train tracks were continuously being plowed with another train-like vehicle in front of it.

Snow wasn't all that bad.

She wondered how the lake would look like. According to Ms. Ann, the lake's water wouldn't be frozen. It would've been fun to walk over frozen water but maybe her little lifetime wasn't going to allow her all those luxuries.

She wasn't sad. She was just contemplating more than usual. And Sean didn't stop her from doing so as she found peace within her thoughts.

The trip was going to be awesome. She was utterly happy about it. But for now, Aurora needed to catch some sleep. It was going to take them super long before they reach the site.

They had taken off in the afternoon. They might reach till 5 in the next morning.

Though she closed her eyes, like everyone else, it seemed like her thoughts wouldn't let her fall asleep so easily.

She leaned towards the window to provide herself support to fall asleep faster. But that didn't work and her shoulders started to hurt.

She leaned towards Sean's shoulder instead. That was better.

His height matched perfectly to accommodate her sleeping support.

She slowly closed her eyes, watching everyone else also falling asleep.

Within the next few minutes, She herself fell asleep entering the world of dreams.

Though the world of dreams didn't want to give this girl company. Wow, pitch black dreams!

She snuggled while smiling as she continued to sleep.

"May this trip not be the last one." She prayed in her sub-conscious thoughts. "May this last forever. May this world decide to keep me a little longer."

Even her thoughts ran out of words. They didn't know what to pray for.

But it was okay. All of it wasn't that bad.

She was still not sure how to feel about her terminal illness. She was just going to die one day like everybody else.

So it wasn't all that bad, right?

She continued her thoughts' spree to create a visualization in the place of that pitch black dream her brain wanted her to see.

Wait. Pitch black dream.

She found herself wake up suddenly. Everyone around her was still asleep. She suddenly felt colder than usual. Luckily, Giselle had already suspected that and had brought blankets. She even put them outside in case someone might feel cold.

She stretched her arm to the upper cupboard and took out the blanket, wrapping herself within.

She was like a sushi roll as she sat back to her seat to sleep.

'Pitch black dream, huh?' She thought to herself as she dwelled deep inside her mind.

What could a pitch black dream mean?... Other than death?

She shook her head vigourously.

'No. I bet I'm overthinking. People spend nights without dreams all the time!'

Or so she hoped.

[December 14th, 2020]

She couldn't recall any memory of the day.