Cuts P.O.V

After hours of waiting, my train finally boards. I drag myself to a seat toward the back and pray that nobody asks to sit with me. I'm not very good with social interaction.

People glance at my seat as they walk by. Luckily, none of them decide to sit down with me. I hate my appearance, but if it keeps people away from me in situations like this, I learn to hate it a little less.

After everyone is seated, I carefully shift my body to lay along both seats in the row. If this train ride is going to be sixteen hours I at least need to be able to stretch out a bit.

Me, 12:17 A.M.
I'm on the train...

Horn, 12:21 A.M.
That means there's only sixteen hours between us :)

Me, 12:22 A.M.
I wish I was there already...

Horn, 12:24 A.M.
You could sleep through some of the ride. Sleeping makes time go a lot faster.

Me, 12:25 A.M.
I don't think that I could sleep sixteen hours...

Horn, 12:26 A.M.
That's why you sleep through some of it. Besides, I once slept nineteen hours in one day •3•

Me, 12:29 A.M.
I don't think that's healthy...

Horn, 12:30 A.M.
It's not :)

Me, 12:32 A.M.
Then why did you do it?

Horn, 12:34 A.M.
Because I was tired :/

A small part of me wants to laugh. I don't doubt that Horn slept for nineteen hours. If I could do that I gladly would. I hate having to wake up and drag my exhausted body to perform tasks that give me no value or happiness. Unfortunately, that's just the way the world works. There's no stopping it.

Horn, 12:39 A.M.
Just get some rest... I'll meet you at the train station when you get here.

Me, 12:40 A.M.
Okay, I will...

I press the power button on my phone, putting it into sleep mode. A long sigh leaves my lips as I lean my head back against my seat. The train has finally started to move. Soon, I'll be away from this hell.

Sixteen hours from now I'll be in Washington. It'll be about 4 P.M. Hopefully, Horn knows when to pick me up. I feel like I'm already too dependent on him and we hardly even know each other. Because of this, my plan is to stay with him for a few weeks until I get a job and enough money for my own place. I don't want to impose on him any more than I already have.

I close my eyes and allow my mind to drift peacefully. Unfortunately, just as I'm about to be asleep, there's a tap on my shoulder.

"Ticket, Son?" an elderly man asks with a hole punch in hand.

"Of course." I grab my back and dig around in the front pocket until I find the ticket. The man punches my ticket and hands it back to me before nodding and walking away.

I assume that the man's eyesight must be failing him. He didn't make any sign of discomfort when seeing me. Most people grimace or cringe when they see my scars are bruises. His expression never faltered. It felt nice to have someone look at me like a normal person. The stares I get never feel good.

I close my eyes once more in an attempt to get some rest. Knowing me, I won't be able to sleep for the entire train ride. I'll wake up after a few hours, most likely from a horrible nightmare. That's how a lot of my nights go. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is.

Eventually, I manage to fall into a peaceful slumber. My mind is blank and free of stress for the first time in weeks. I'm able to sleep peacefully without any traumatic nightmares. It's quite a relief.

When I wake up, it's roughly 6 A.M. That means that I've gotten about six hours of sleep. That isn't exactly ideal, but it's the amount I'm used to. If I could be like Horn, I'd sleep for nineteen hours. That would be nice. Unfortunately, I've never slept that long in my life.

A long, silent yawn leaves my mouth as I rub the sleep from my eyes. The sun is barely rising. The colors of the rising sun are quite beautiful. Pinks and oranges marry together in a gorgeous symphony against the darker blues and blacks of the fading night. It's calm and relaxing right now. Unfortunately, I still have about ten more hours of my train ride.

Once the sun has fully risen, I pull the curtain of the window down. I'm going back to sleep for a while. It's the only thing that I have to do.

Soon, I'll be able to start over in a new place. I'll be around new people. I won't have to worry about Ricky coming in late at night, drunk off his ass as he begs for sex. That's a big relief. I couldn't take any more of those nights.

My mind drifts off once again. I plummet into a peaceful slumber. Hopefully, I'll be able to stay that way for at least another four hours. Then I'll only have to be awake on the train for about six.

I don't dream about anything in particular. Luckily, I don't have any nightmares. They're rather frequent and the fact that I've been able to sleep this well is very surprising.

After a while, I hear the faint sound of my phone vibrating. My eyes slowly open, despite me not wanting them to. I wanted to continue to sleep.

Horn, 9:46 A.M.
Hey, you excited to get here?

Me, 9:48 A.M.
Yeah, I'm very excited... Just tired...

Horn, 9:50 A.M.
Oh, sorry if I woke you up... Go back to sleep and get some rest... I'll see you when you get here :)

Me, 9:52 A.M.
I can't wait to get there...