the freckles
Dinner was one of the most extravagant feasts she had ever seen. While coffee and tea was being served however, a man stood up at the front (or it may have been the back, everyone was rather far gone). His cheekbones seemed to be sharp enough to cut diamond and his piercing eyes drove holes through the back wall. When some of the guests still had not looked up or acknowledged him, he swiftly grabbed a steak knife and stabbed it into the table.
"It seems," he started, "there has been a slight- mishap in the next car." The glint in his eye was not inviting as he picked up a golden card from the table. "It seems," he repeated, "that one of our guests has perished."
Everyone in the train held their breath, waiting. And the man simply smirked.
---
(an hour ago)
As dinner went on, the drinks started flowing and the conversations, which at first were tense, had loosened up. Ali decided she was destined for a good time; Geheim hadn't let done her wrongly, so she began with some of the harder alcohol. She definitely didn't love it, but the bourbon reminded her of home (and Ashlyn, who she missed a lot more than she might care to admit).
Out of all the people seated at her table, there was one woman, directly across from her, who seemed to catch her eye. For some peculiar reason, she seemed familiar to Ali, who dismissed this feeling immediately. Sure, she knew a lot of people, between the National Team, Penn State and all of her overseas experiences, but she was on a train, to nowhere in particular.
The one odd thing Ali had remarked, only now, was that no one was actually speaking German. After her four years of German soccer, her language skills had grown to a fluent level. Sometimes, she could call a German friend and the conversation could flip back and forth without her evening thinking of it. She also noticed that Geheim was not even a real name - especially in Germany. Why would you name your kid Secret?
She blamed the alcohol for her endlessly wandering mind.
---
(present time)
Her eyes darted from the man, to the table. Dead quiet. Her silverware clinked together on the table and the exquisite vase in the centre of the table seemed to tremble. The vase was magnificent, but had gone under appreciated due to her surroundings. Red and white roses poured out the top, a navy ribbon, outlined with gold, tied in a looping bow around the crystal neck of the vase.
Ali's eyes suddenly looked past the vase she had been admiring, landing on that woman. She had stood up, the black gown not showing any of her skin, for it went straight across her collarbones. Under her silvery black masq, were vibrant green eyes, her face and arms sprinkled with freckles.
Everyone in the room had risen, so Ali followed the crowd into another cabin. This one was just as, if not more, elegant. Two bars were at either one, a diamond chandelier hung in the middle, although it provided next to no useful light. The windows were draped with golden curtains and a light, wordless song, probably from a piano, played in the background.
A figure in front of Ali spun around, black fabric twirling around. The woman again, but this time Ali got a full body view. From what she could make out, the woman was very toned, with light brown hair done up in an elaborate top knot. The back of the dress hung all the way down, to the point where the woman's lower back dimples were familiar. Like her arms, her back was full of light brown freckles.
While Ali was admiring the posture of the woman in front of her, her eyes were drawn to something under her shoulder blade. A scar.
---
(a year ago)
"My legs are so far gone Kriegs, there are not even words to describe this," Kelley whined as they climbed up the stairs.
"You do know this is only day three, right Kel? We have 11 to go and we haven't even started fitness."
"Why did I decide on this sport? Why couldn't I have just, like kept swimming? Hell, why didn't I take up ping pong or something less ridiculous as this."
Ali laughed, yanking open the door to their floor. The girls were three months out for the World Cup and Jill had definitely it was crunch time. Kelley moped all the way down the hall to their room, only briefly pausing to take a peek into Hope and Ashlyn's room. She sighed when she noticed neither of them were inside and that it was just the concierge.
"Don't act all nonchalant you goof," Ali playfully punched her arm, "I saw that."
Kelley grumbled, stealing the room key and letting herself in, throwing her US bag onto the ground before literally throwing herself onto the bed.
"SHIT," she screamed, rolling off the bed, hitting the ground with a thud.
Ali burst out laughing again, Kelley's car keys lying on the bed where she had just landed. Kelley faked sobbed on the ground and peeled off her shirt and sports bra to showcase her new wound, a gauge just below her shoulder blade, the shape of a car key.
"I literally can not win," she stomped out of the room, presumably down to the team medic. Ali just smiled, rooming with Squirrel was always a hoot.
---
(present time)
Everyone in the room gathered around something in the middle. Despite the four inch stilettos with adorned Ali's feet, she couldn't yet see what the centre of attention was, so she snaked between people before she reached the front.
A man, with a masq and a charcoal grey suit, lied on the ground. Clearly, he wasn't dead. You could see the rise and fall of his chest and his hazel eyes stared straight up to the ceiling. A feeling, deep inside Ali began to grow. Strangely, it wasn't fear or anything of the sort. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, as if she had just stepped onto the field.
"Marcus, here," everyone's head turned to stare at the man again, "has passed. And it does not seem like like an accident." The freckled girl beside Ali audibly gasped. When their eyes briefly caught, Ali knew who it was. Ali stretched out her arm to touch her shoulder as the lights flickered.
"Best of luck."