***

  I'm still on the train when I wake up, guess this wasn't just a nightmare.

  I'm curled up across the double seat, and I seem to have Gideon’s jacket laid over me. I look around to find him sitting across from me, where Maria was sitting before. He's reading a newspaper. Maria is nowhere to be found.

  I pull out my phone from my cargo pants pocket, no signal of course. Not that I was expecting it. Battery reads 20%, I could burn the remainder of the battery power on a game. I doubt they have chargers here, but do I really want the last game I ever play to be some dumb phone game?

  "What's that?" Gideon asks me.

  "It's just my phone."

  "Phone." He rolls the word around his mouth. "Huh, interesting word, a lot of meaning in that. It's a communication device, but also a personal secretary, a global library, an emergency help system, an entertainment system, a time wasting tool and the secret bane of your life?"

  "You got all that from one word?" I ask him.

  "The slugs convey meaning. I don't just hear the word, the slugs also try their best to translate the meaning behind the word as you understand it. It's not perfect. It doesn't work if the context is too alien, but they do a pretty good job." He offers up a hand, "Do you mind if I take a look? It's an interesting device."

  I shrug my shoulders. "Sure, it's basically useless now anyway. There is no signal because I'm not in Kansas anymore, and the battery is about to die. I'm gonna guess that there aren't any USB-C chargers around here."

  "No, but if you like I can give this phone to our artificers. There maybe something they can do to keep the machine running."

  I look at my phone longingly. Can't hurt right. Not like I can do anything with it once the battery dies. "Sure. You can have it. Do you want to see some pictures of my world?"

  He looks at me with a sparkle of curiosity in his eyes. "Yes please."

  I open up the camera roll on my phone and start going through the pictures, explaining as I do. I choke up a little when we come to a picture of my mum. Gideon seems deeply interested, he has his little cop notebook out and is furiously taking notes.

  During this show and tell session Maria returns, holding a bundle of clothing. She joins in with Gideon and I, seemingly just as fascinated by my world. It doesn't take long for us to drain the battery, it never could hold a charge. I sigh as it ticks to zero and shuts itself down. I hand the now useless block of glass and plastic to Gideon, who tucks it away in his bag.

  Maria then gathers up the bundle of clothes. "That was wonderful Tangerine. Thank you for showing us your world on that interesting device. But may I ask you to follow me now? Not to be impolite, but it may be time for a wash and a change of clothing."

  Oh, yeah, I smell horrible. I think nearly all my bodily fluids ended up on my clothes at some point yesterday. The gross ones anyway.

  I stand and follow meekishly, now very conscious of my smell.

  Maria leads me through the train cart, towards a small private room with a wash basin, a pitcher of warm water and a cloth. She handed me the clothing she had scrounged up from somewhere and closed the door behind me. "I'll wait here, make sure nobody bothers you."

  "Is that likely to happen?" I ask.

  "On this train, no. But better safe than sorry. Just in case some gentleman 'accidentally' catches a peek." She said with a roll of her eyes.

  Ah, I guess it is a 'boys will be boys' sort of world, fucking wonderful.

  I strip off my grime and fluid soaked clothing and dump them in the corner of the tiny wash room, and go to town with the soapy cloth. I'm not exactly used to strip washing, I miss my shower already, but I get the job done fast enough.

  I investigate the clothing that Maria has given me, and have my first minor panic attack of the day. First off there is a skirt. I don't think I've worn a skirt since I was six. Then there is an oversized ash grey shirt, puffy around the shoulders with a collar of length. A pair of black boots with a slight heel.

  There are off white undergarments. Not knickers, undergarments, they are basically boxers that go down to my knee. Honestly I used to steal James boxers all the time, so I approve of the comfort. It's weird that they are split down the middle of the crotch. I'm guessing it's to pee?

  And lastly there's the corset. Fuck, am I going to have to destroy my ribs in this new world?

  I do my best, pulling the shirt over my head, stepping into the undergarments, and fixing on the skirt hopefully correctly.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The corset stumped me.

  "Maria?" I ask.

  "Yes hun?"

  "Eh, could you help me with this corset thing?"

  She slides the door open and looks me up and down, and then goes into mother mode. Which is honestly pretty strange as her whole aura screams stocky badass sergeant. Not that I can talk, she's still taller than my five foot two arse.

  She fixes my shirt and skirt. Shows me how to attach the tall socks to the end of my undergarments. Then she fixes on my corset. She pulls it tight, and just as I am about to have visions of me fainting everywhere because I can't breathe properly, she loosens it again.

  It feels… supportive?

  "Move around a little, I want to see if it's too tight." She tells me. I follow instructions, wiggling around a bit, she adjusts some of the laces here and there until I no longer feel it's restricting my movement.

  Also explains why there is no bra. The corset keeps the girls comfortably locked down. It's reasonably high with a straight top that sits a bit below my collar bone, modest for sure. But I think I like that.

  Maria admires her work. "It's not perfect, you'll have to get one fitted for you, but the fit isn't the worst either, it will do for now."

  "First time I've worn one of these." I said. "Not gonna lie, I might actually be a fan." I feel strong, and straight, well not straight, but my back is. I normally have that slacker perma slouch going on.

  Maria spins me around and starts brushing my hair. I had done my best to wash it with the soapy cloth, but it's not shampoo. Maria is not gentle with the brush strokes, my eyes water a little as she tugs out the knots. But eventually she fashions it back into a low pony tail.

  It's been a long time since someone brushed my hair. Feels nice.

  I miss my mum.

  I suck the tears back into my eyes. "Do you have a mirror at all?"

  "Yes hun." Maria said with a smile, She opens a small side cabinet and pulls out a hand mirror and holds it up so I can get a good look at myself.

  I look like Mary Poppins fucked the librarian from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don't need them, but maybe I should start wearing glasses?

  I look pretty.

  In that straight laced kind of way.

  It's been a long time since I've felt pretty. With my size and face I was never going to be able to pull off sexy or hot. But pretty and cute, I had in the bag.

  I stopped dressing that way when I was a young teen. Kinda hard to attract girls when you are in full femme mode. I did try at first, shit like wearing pride pins and having a carabiner on my key ring. Didn't work, girls thought I was an ally, and guys wouldn't leave me alone. I know this sounds like I’m moaning about suffering from success, but it was the wrong sort of success.

  Also, I was lazy and I didn't care, and I just wanted to hang out and play videogames.

  And also hoodies are the fucking best.

  I don't need to justify myself.

  Moving on. We head back to where our table is. I avoid looking out the window, the view is so alien it makes me want to vomit.

  We sit back around the table and Maria gets me to describe everything that happened yesterday again, in as much detail as possible.

  She stops me when I get to the Zombie head clamp bit. "That sounds like the Infinite Archives." She said to Gideon. He gave a nod in agreement. "That might be a good thing. The City of Doors is no friend to the Infinite Archive, but if they have a connection to your home plane, it is possible we might be able to find a way back there."

  She took a look at my hopeful expression, "The chance is small Tangerine. Very small, the City of Doors may not be in open hostilities with the Infinite Archive, but it is close. It’s a bit of a cold war." She changed the subject. "How old are you? Or how grown does your world consider you to be? I'm afraid we would have no reference for your dates and times." She asks.

  I ponder for a moment. "Old enough to fuck and fight, but too young to vote and drink." I replied.

  Gideon chokes on his water and Maria gives a little smirk. Now that I really pay attention to him, Gideon doesn't really look all that old, late twenties maybe? Maria on the other hand, early forties I would guess. Proper boss mommy look.

  Huh, guess the horny is back. I figured the mortal terror would keep that away for longer.

  "Tangerine, that is not the most appropriate language in this realm. Especially for a young lady like yourself." Maria chastised me lightily. My Mum would have given a lot more shit than that, so I'll take it.

  "Sorry Maria."

  She looked pleased at me. I'll try to remember to keep the swears in my head.

  ***

  The day drags on. The train travels along one of the many floating land masses of this strange world. We briefly enter a tunnel and then we just aren't on that landmass anymore. We are in a vast city. One that I did not see coming, it was just rolling fields, forests and hamlets, when I looked ahead. I swear this world is a total mindfuck every five minutes.

  The City is tall and compact, and apparently just floating in the sky, with no land mass under it.

  "What happens if someone falls?" I ask.

  "You'll just float. The ether is thick around the city. The bigger worry is getting swept out by the tides. But we have lookouts for that, it's actually pretty rare to die that way. You basically have to stay out long enough to die of thirst. Which wouldn't happen around the city. Someone will spot you." Good to know. Never liked heights.

  The Train pulls into a station and Maria hustles us out on the station platform. I keep my head down and follow her lead. I'm overwhelmed as it is, and I don't fancy processing all of the everything that is going on around me.

  Is this how babies feel?

  We split off from Gideon and I followed Maria back to her home. She has a husband and a young daughter waiting for her. They feed me a stew that is a little on the bland side and set me up in one of her spare rooms.

  The house is pretty big, I think Maria might be rich.

  It's dark, I stare up at the ceiling. Sleep has never been easy for me.

  I rub one out because sometimes that works.

  It didn't.

  I think about my Mum, she must be freaking out, now that I haven't returned in a whole day.

  I start to sob again.

  Sleep eventually takes me.