Beside her the stranger was looking at the pocket watch again. She saw him shake his head, a bemused smile blossoming across his face.

"Right on time," he marveled, more to the air than to her. "I don't know how they manage it."

Claire stared slack jawed at him for several seconds. Who was he and what was he doing here?

Her attention was drawn back towards the train by a high pitched screeching sound and hissing grumble of steam. Startled, Claire quickly realized it was the sound of the brakes being applied.

The train was stopping.

"Still going to follow?"

Claire glanced towards the stranger, his tone patronizing. She had questions, so many questions, but she had no idea where to start, or how to voice them aloud without sounding incredibly foolish.

Right on time you say? Do you board your magical train here often? Is this the train to Hogwarts or should I wait for the next one? The very notion was utterly insane. Despite the evidence sliding to a stop right before her eyes, Claire still struggled with accepting any of this as her reality.

He smirked and tipped his hat to her.

"I didn't think so," he said quietly. "All smoke and no fire. Go home, forget this night ever happened."

Without another word, or a single glance back in her direction, the man in the top hat turned away, the sweeping swirl of his long coat kicking up flurries of snow.

He bound easily up the gilded stairway which lead into the train car that had come to rest in front of them. He reached for the door to slide it open and paused, the fingers of his free hand curled around the handle.

For a moment, and she couldn't explain why, Claire thought he might look back, that he might encourage her to come along. Then he jerked the door open and ducked into the warm glow of the train's interior. Claire was bewildered by the feeling of disappointment that settled over her.

Just go home, Claire. She thought bleakly and glanced over her shoulder.

Darkness pressed at her back, stretching on for what felt like an eternity, or at least to the mouth of the alley. That was where she belonged, not here in this alley, and certainly not wherever it was this man was going.

If he was going anywhere at all. Claire still wasn't wholly convinced that she hadn't fallen asleep in the theatre. If the wind blowing in through the gaps in her parka was any indication, however, she was pretty confident that she was awake.

The soft chug-a-chug-a-chug sound had started again and Claire realized the train was leaving. The giant wheels had begun to rotate and the soft rattle of chains against metal began in earnest as the cars began to slide forward one by one.

Claire started to step forward only to stopped just as abruptly, her mind whirling. What in the world are you thinking? You can't get on that train! The question sprang to the forefront of her mind and she had no explanation, nothing that would warrant the sudden, inexplicable desire to board that train before it was too late. The only thing she could think of was why not? Why couldn't she? His comment lingered like a bad taste in the back of her throat. All smoke and no fire.

Who did he think he was?

Claire knew there was nothing rational about what was happening. She knew there was nothing that could be parsed out to support following a stranger onto a train, a train that she may or may not simply be imagining.

Yet, the compulsion was there, pushing her to take that leap.

What was the worst that could happen? Wasn't she tired of letting fear hold her back?

In that instant, Claire decided that for once in her life, she was going to take a chance.

She was going to get on that train.

Taking a deep breath, Claire studied the steam engine as it trundled along.

It was still going relatively slow and if she had to guess, it was moving a little faster than walking speed. Claire also knew that if she waited too long, she would be too late and the train would be moving too quickly.

Watching carefully, Claire waited for the right moment, trying to time it just right before leaping forward. Her outstretched hands met with nothing but air, fingers reaching in search of something to grab hold of, and she wondered if she had made a grave mistake.

Had she miscalculated?

Perhaps she had jumped too soon, or maybe she had jumped too late.

If she were run over by the train, would her body be found on the alley floor, crushed and mangled, or would it be lost to the wilderness of this strange place with no one knowing what had become of her?

What felt like an eternity passed before her fingers curled around the cold metal of a passing railing and she pulled herself onto the stairs, her heart crammed into her throat where it beat wildly and made it difficult to breathe.

Her forward momentum caused her to fall against the steps which was likely for the best as her legs didn't seem to want to stop trembling.

With each passing moment the train picked up speed and Claire simply clung to the railing, letting the cold, icy wind sweep over her as adrenaline crashed through her like a wave. She'd never done anything so reckless in her entire life.

It had been terrifying, and she was gripping the railings so tightly her knuckles had turned a ghostly white, but she felt exhilarated and quite pleased with herself.

Looking back, Claire half expected to see the alley where she had been standing, but she saw nothing but foggy darkness. Where had the alley gone? Had it vanished the moment she'd jumped into the train or was it still there, simply masked from sight?

She supposed she might never know.

The train steps rattled beneath her, drawing her from her thoughts. Reminding hers that it probably wasn't the best idea to remain clinging to the stairs once the train reached full speed. Claire managed to slide the door open and stumbled into the quiet sanctuary of train car number six.

The corridor she found herself in was narrow, offering just enough room for a single, average sized person to walk along without bumping either side. Along the outer wall large plate glass windows overlooked the passing terrain. The fog had given way to snow covered fields that rose and fell in gentle, rolling hills. On the other side was a paneled wall interspaced with doors that opened into private compartments.

Claire wasted no time in seeking out the stranger and her box. She peered into each compartment as she passed and each turned up empty. Though she hadn't ridden on many trains in her time, the lack of occupants struck her as odd. Surely, even this late in the evening, there should be at least a handful of passengers traveling to unknown locations.

Reaching the end of the car and finding it completely empty, Claire chewed on her lower lip as she tried to decide how to proceed. She could move to the next car, but did she go forward or backward? Who knew how many cars the train possessed. What if she went the wrong way and the train stopped again before she was able to find the stranger and he disembarked without her knowing?

That would certainly make things a bit awkward.

"Tickets! Get your tickets out please!"

Eyes growing wide, Claire turned so sharply that she nearly knocked herself out when the top of her head came into contact with the overhead rack used to store luggage. Fortunately, it was empty so the impact was not as jarring as it could have been. Nevertheless it hurt and left Claire feeling momentarily dazed.

Fighting back tears, Claire rubbed her throbbing head, feeling a goose egg already rising beneath her fingers.When the door at the far end of the train car opened and the large, bear of a conductor pushed his way through the narrow opening she did her best not to panic. When she had taken her life into her hands and leapt onto a magical train, Claire hadn't considered needing a ticket.

Those sorts of things seemed rather obsolete in situations such as these.

What was she going to do?

If this had been a city train, or the subway, she'd have to buy a ticket, or pay a fine, or get kicked off at the next stop. She had no money to buy a ticket, she wasn't even sure if any money she had would work. This wasn't New York after all, and this wasn't an ordinary train.

Good job, Claire, now you're a stalker and a delinquent.

Scowling , Claire knew there had to be some sort of solution -- one that didn't end with her being pitched out of a moving train in the middle of nowhere.

A thought struck her then -- maybe she could hide.

With no time to do more than ponder, Claire ducked into the closet compartment and closed the door behind her with a quick, quiet click. If the conductor thought the compartment was empty, maybe he would just move on.

In a desperate bid to ensure this plan worked, Claire began to pull on the seating to see if perhaps it would open with room for storage beneath the cushions.

No luck.

The compartment wasn't exactly big and even if she sat in front of the door he would see the top of her head if he happened to look down.

A thought struck her then. What if she switched cars? She could move into the next car and then the next, staying a car ahead of the conductor and hope that she found the box thief before the conductor found her.

It was plausible, more so than trying to hide, and she would kill two birds with one stone. Claire decided that was her best course of action. She reached for the door, but stopped short when a shadow fell over her.

"Ticket please," the conductor called through the door. Claire tried not to let her panic show on her face. She opened the door and offered him the biggest smile she could manage.

"Of course," she stammered as she reached into her pocket. She knew that she wasn't going to find anything, but she had to convince the conductor looming over her that she didn't know. She checked her front pockets and then her back, coming up empty as she knew she would. She hoped her expression suggested otherwise.

"Oh shoot," she gasped, hoping the crack in her voice was construed as fear over the missing ticket and not fear of her ploy being discovered. "I seemed to have misplaced it. Um, maybe it fell on the floor." She turned and crouched down, pretending to look beneath things in search of her ticket. Though she knew the seats were stuck in place, she still attempted to lift them, even going so far as poking into the cracks and crevices between the cushions and the wall. The car itself was empty making it difficult to maintain the ruse of searching for very long.

After a minute or two she heard the conductor clear his throat. When she looked up at him, his dark eyes bore into hers and she knew she without a shadow of a doubt that she was in trouble. Could he, by chance, read minds? The mere thought horrified her and she made a valiant effort to clear her thoughts of any incriminating evidence it might be projecting.

"Maybe I left it in my luggage," Claire offered with a weak smile.

"Ma'am, either you have a ticket to present to me, or you do not," he stated dryly. Claire could tell by his expression that he was growing impatient and unamused by her procrastination. It also looked as though he was beginning to doubt she had a ticket. "If it is the latter, I fear I shall have to detain you for the duration of the trip and turn you over to the authorities upon our arrival in Avala."

"N-no! There's no need for that, I assure you," Claire managed, her voice cracking again. Her heart was racing and she was desperately trying to come up with a viable solution. She knew, however, that she was grasping at straws. "I just have to-"

"There you are, darling," a low, lilting voice called from behind the conductor. "What are you doing in this car? I warned you about wandering off to go exploring without me. Did you get lost again?"