@louiselockwood
The entire train had been shaken up after the recording that had pierced through the entertainment, etching Alexis Hawthorne’s name on everyone’s mind for the rest of the evening. Even Frankie felt a bit on edge after the ominous conversation and he hadn’t even known the missing girl. But there was someone on the train that night, be it Alexis or someone else, who was uncomfortably close to the mystery looming over his hometown. The volume in the room was now elevated, people frantically moving about and exchanging discourse, theories. His own apprehension made him anxious to find some breathing room; and after a while of threading through the crowd, he found himself at the back of the train beside the balcony. Outside the window, passing trees shook with the wind, he late November weather sending a warning to whoever dared to venture outside. But it was just a breath of fresh air. He’d return to the chaos in a minute or two.
There wasn’t an abundance of space on the railed balcony, but it was enough. Frankie shut the doors behind him as he stepped outside, joining the only other escapee. Oh, God. He wasn’t sure if she had seen him, but as quickly as he had slipped outside, Frankie moved to return to the busy dining cart unseen. He gave the handle a jiggle, but it wouldn’t give. Somehow, it had locked from the inside. “Great.” Gritting his teeth, he pulled his out his cell, checking the screen. No service. “Of all the times to get stuck out here.” And it was with her.