Chapter 2 (not finished.....)

The Eshers Public Transport System (EPT for short) was by far the most unreliable means of getting around in the city. The buses were often seen slinking around town like blue and white Chinese dragons but you could wait for 20 minutes and watch 5 buses go by on the opposite side of the road before even one would come to you. 1

Katerina felt the same way as she awaited the number 35 in a dirty bus shelter. In the time that she had deciphered the heading or a soggy newspaper and read half the article, there had been 4 buses on the other side and one on hers. Of course, it had been the wrong bus, but that was only to be expected. With a sigh Katerina let herself slip into one of her frequent flashbacks. This one, was a sensitive one: The day her mother left...2

It's too early for me to be up. The sun isn't up at 4:30 AM. No one should be up, but I hear footsteps downstairs. Something roles over the tile in the entryway. And then it hits me. A suitcase. 3

I pull the blankets off my bed and jump up faster than I ever have. Not caring if anyone wakes up, I throw the door open and run downstairs. My mother is standing by the door, huge black suitcase beside her. She's leaving.4

I search her face for emotion, but her face is just pale and hard. She looks like she wants to speak but the words are crawling back down her throat. 5

"Mom," I start. She bursts into tears, coming over to hug me. 6

"I'm sorry, Honey. I'm so, so sorry," she sobs holding my stiff body to hers. 7

Nothing is making sense. My mother is sad. She is leaving. It's 4:30 in the morning. Why is she crying? Is she going on a trip? Why is that a bad thing?8

Millions of questions flood my 12 year old mind, but I stay silent.9

She pulls away from me, her sniffles under control and places her hand on the handle of the suitcase. She forces her mouth into one last smile and steps out the door. 10

I don't hear the door close, or her footsteps on the stone path. I don't hear the taxi door open, or the sound of the engine fading away. All I hear are the thoughts in my head, drowning out each other as they echo and repeat.11

Sometime later, Tao's alarm goes off in his room. I am still at the front door, confused and crying silent tears. Heavy feet come down the stairs, but stop halfway.12

"RiRi... what are you doing?" Tao asks. I don't answer. There is nothing to say. Numbly I turn around and brush past my brother on the stairs. I return to my room, curl up on my bed, and fall asleep. 13

It took Katerina a moment to realize she was crying. Usually the flashbacks were silly things, like a sleepover she'd had with Tally 6 months ago, or a soccer practice that had been particularly funny. But this one hit a sore spot - Kat's most painful memory relived. Of course she had come to except the fact that although her mother's promotion may have been a fact, the reason for her leaving had been inspired by something else. Perhaps it was the reason why that sunny day in April had been the first day her father took to his office and practically never left. There were many things that had never been explained. One thing was for sure, her mother would forever be somewhere halfway across the world.14

The familiar sound of an approaching bus engine filled Kat's ears and dragged her out of her mourning. She brushed away a stray tear and stepped out of the glass shelter. She was greeted by the number 35 East Bound, and felt awfully relieved when she stepped inside the long seat-lined vehicle. As the doors shut behind her, Katerina shut her mind off from all family drama and let her breathing fall into rhythm with the constant stop and go of the bus.