Their things were packed. Somehow Moira and Severin had managed to fit all of their belongings that they thought they would need into one large suitcase each and a beautiful, heavy trunk. After checking and re-checking to make sure everything was in order they carefully muscled their baggage into the family carriage and turned to their younger siblings, some with tears in their eyes, and hugged all of them goodbye.
"Aww I wanna go with you!" cried Melwr, in Keòen. "Why don't I get to go?"
"Because, my dear brother, you are not old enough! You need to be twice your age," said Moira grinning. "Besides, it's not like I was around much anyway. I went to school in Taleah if you have forgotten already since I graduated on Friday."
"If you see any fellow Jadali tell me all about them!" Sofia said breathlessly.
"Don't worry, we will!" replied Severin.
"Have you forgotten who one of the music professors is?" Moira asked, almost shouting, to her siblings. "We have an amazing piece of Jadali history right there!"
Moira had considered Kennywood University for this very reason. It's what caught her eye most and as she was researching schools that had both good music programs and Jadali-Kiillra on their music faculty it came down to what she knew about them and what the climate was like. It came very close between two schools: University of Baydi Tarra, which, being close to Dahhod, had several Jadali-Kiillra students and three music faculty; and Kennywood University, which was across the entire country of Kiillaana, but had one of the most famous Jadali alive, Dr. Silanu Ravosilu Sorela, the man with both Great Catin Gifts and who overcame the Curse of the Realm. When she discovered this, Moira almost dropped everything she was holding and it was all she could do to stifle a scream which would surely awaken her sponsors. She considered everything for a long time and felt very strongly that the reason it caught her eye was because it was the best option so she applied there instead of Attlefort Coastal, where her brother went to school, and convinced him to go with her to KU, which he did willingly.
The two oldest children of the large Lochgren family continued with their goodbyes, promising to write often, and got in the carriage accompanied by their father, Elwin, who was taking them to the ferry where he worked as a captain. It was very early in the morning, for they were going all the way in one go and it would be very late when they finally arrived at their rental home. When Moira and Severin auditioned, they decided not to visit the campus because they couldn't make it on the days they had open auditions, so KU had sent the traveling audition committee to Taleah High School to audition them back in February. Among the panel was the flute professor, Dr. Blaze Kye, who met with them and told them most of the things they needed to know. One of the most important things he did was explain to them that one of the top realtors in the area owned several houses next to the campus and had special deals for music majors. Because of this, Moira and Severin were able to secure a small rental home that could accommodate up to 4 people and never had to be separated in dorms.
They arrived at the dock at just after 5:00. It wasn't often that the Lochgren children caught the first boat out but it wasn't the first time, so they knew what to expect. Lots of Jadali commuters that they knew well took this ferry to go to work in Attlefort or surrounding cities so they had plenty of familiar faces to talk to on the voyage across the 12 miles of ocean separating Leena Eithre-Resa and Taleah to wish them well. They spent the hour reviewing their paperwork, making sure they had everything, and fingering the house keys in their pockets that had been mailed to them earlier with a lovely note telling them all they needed to know and wishing them well. They looked out over the water and watched the first rays of the sun appear from over the mountains and they could just make out the majestic Dahsir Castle, identified by the giant lighthouse that was a part of it.
It felt like ages but the ferry finally arrived at the shore of Kiillaana. Moira and Severin went up to the captain's deck and said one last goodbye to their father before disembarking the ship, heading out onto the beautiful covered beachwalk. The sidewalks here always seemed extremely white and clean, probably because very few cars ever ended up here. Just ahead of them was the small yet popular Taleah Station and as the sun began to rise and the world around them was beginning to come to life, they passed the gates, heading for the elevator that would take them to the other side of the tracks so that they could go south towards Tevernid. A worker saw them struggling with all their luggage so he offered them a cart that they gratefully piled their things on and easily pushed to the other side where a train had just pulled in. They headed for the very front and found that it was totally empty so they stashed their trunk in its compartment under the seats, thanked the nice worker for letting them use the cart, and sat down on the soft seats.
The train began to fill up with the 6am commuters but they were not disturbed in their compartment. They knew that they had a very long day ahead of them and as the train began to roll forward they closed the shade and laid down, catching some sleep before they would arrive in Tevernid for transfers. The journey there took a surprisingly short amount of time since the trains had gotten substantially faster in recent years.
"Wow! It's 9:30 and we're already in Aloa!" exclaimed Moira as she listened to the announcement. Severin awoke and looked around. They opened the shade and looked out at the incredible tall buildings and mass of cars around them. The Cayan ocean had long gone from view and they were quite close to their first transfer.
"By the Darkness that only took three hours! I could have sworn it took five... I love this new rail!" exclaimed Severin, looking up from the written itinerary that he had been studying. "When this train stops we need to head west to the Tarra station. We're in luck- it's on this level and only two big stations over. Plus it's an hour earlier!"
The train arrived in Tevernid shortly after that and they were ready with their trunk already out from under the chairs and as soon as the doors opened they quickly dragged it out and were able to secure another cart to help take it to the fairly large Tarra Station. They could have taken a much quicker route through Kalitonia but, as long of a trip as it was, they both wanted to go a way that was familiar and one that didn't go through many mountains, as those trains were somewhat unpredictable and much less frequent than the ones that went through the heart of Kiillaana. It was just before 10:00 when they had gotten all of their things together and were securely on the first car of this train.
Looking at the schedule, they noticed that this train stopped for half an hour in Tarra so that people could get something to eat, stretch out, and enjoy the maple forest.
"We really should visit Dahhod some time this summer," said Severin.
"Yes that sounds delightful! We could do it when we go back home in a month to get the rest of our things!" Moira had clearly been planning this and was quite excited about it. She had never been very far west and was quite excited to visit the Jadali Quarters of the forest.
The train began to move and the bustle of people was left behind them. Slowly the ancient Kiillaanian capital city moved past them and after they had crossed over a small river the train suddenly picked up speed and began flying through the country. The city became a blur and before long lush green forested hills began to fly past. Before long they were in the very cold state of Endor, which was basically a giant mountain range completely claimed by the government of Kaisi, the capital. They looked out the left window and could see nothing but tall, rocky, and snow-covered mountains. The tallest one disappeared into the clouds and rivers poured all over it in every direction. It reminded them of the Montalo and Hieldin mountain ranges that separated Ardin from the flatter provinces to the south. They were glad that the bullet train they were on didn't change in elevation much and just skirted the side of the mountain range, with areas of the mountains cut out as needed, providing large rocky walls.
The train stopped briefly at the Corbin Creek Station, which transferred people to Kaisi at the heart of Endor, before continuing on through Falitonia and then finally, 4 hours after they had left Tevernid, they had gone through Griso and had arrived in Tarra. Moira and Severin were quite impressed as the train began to slow down and they beheld the ruins of Tavener as the train sped quite closely past, after having just stopped in Griso to let more people out. As the train finally slowed to a stop in Tarra several announcements came on over the speakers and everyone got off the train while the maintenance crew went through inspecting everything.
They took all of their things off the train and stored them in a back area where they could claim them later and then walked out of the station onto a lovely wooden walkway that led straight into the forest. It was very beautiful and they both thought of how wonderful it would be to live there. The path traveled in a series of circles and was dotted with signs that had facts about Tarra, the maple forest, and about the Jadali quarters that was near the heart. They arrived at a small store that sold quick lunch and got some things to eat. They sat on a bench a while to talk and observe this beautiful nature before heading back to the train to collect their belongings and continue 4 more hours until they would be near their house.
They had now been traveling for 9 hours but with the time zone change it was 1:30. They were able to once again get the first car of the train and reloaded all of their things. As the train began to fly down the tracks once again they were greeted with the most spectacular views of the maple forest and the various creeks and rivers that ran through it. They arrived at the station that would take people to Dahhod and as people got off they leaned out of the car and could hear several people talking in Keoen, which made them very happy. The train started again and soon the maple forest melted away into hilly ranch land dotted with cows and horses. It was almost 6:00 Jadali time when they arrived in Kaytue but they were wide awake with excitement as each passing mile was interesting to them and reminded them of Jadali.
"Kiillaana really is a lot like Jadali, just bigger!" said Severin as they passed a very expansive farm.
"I know! I had no idea that Kiillana was like a stretched-out Jadali. This looks like Balthor!"
As the flat ranch land turned suddenly to cities they knew that they were very close to their final train. Once this train stopped they would have to get out once again but thankfully the train they would need to catch next was right next to this one and only had a single station here so they didn't need to climb the tracks to the other side with their heavy trunk. As the train started to slow down they once again checked their belongings again and got out their itinerary.
"By the way Moira... How are we going to get from the station to our apartment? I mean, it's two miles from the station."
"Don't worry. I contacted the realtor and he is going to pick us up and take us there. I have his number in my phone."
"You have a phone? Since when?"
"Oh don't be silly Severin, I got it in preparation for going to college, like you did."
After discussing more things they finally arrived at Kaytue Royal Station and had some time to get a quick bite to eat at a small pavilion nearby. The final train that would take them speedily straight to Kennywood was not there yet so they sat on their heavy trunk and ate while they waited.
"Oh word! It's only 4:15 now! There was another time change back there!" exclaimed Moira excitedly. The train pulled up right after that and they eagerly dragged their heavy chest and luggage once again onto their final train, which was a lot smaller than the other trains they had ridden since it traveled a very short distance of about 200 miles. Being only an hour, they took the time to sleep a bit since they had been up for a very long time. It seemed like they had just closed their eyes when, at 5:22, they finally arrived at Kennywood Royal Station.
Excited, they leapt up and dragged their heavy trunk and luggage out and looked around. People dressed in all manners of clothing were walking around, catching trains and chatting on phones or to each other. Here they were, two Jadali-Kiillra, with their different colored eyes and a mix of traditional and modern dress, surrounded by people with accents of a different kind. It was weird to them not to see any signs in Keoen but school at THS had prepared them for all of this. They turned to each other and with a sigh they smiled as they realized that they were going to school together and were in a completely new culture.
Tired but excited, they made their way outside and watched local trains and monorails come and go while Moira called their realtor, Mr. Charles, to come pick them up and take them to their new house. After about 20 minutes sitting on their trunk, Moira in a long skirt and Severin with a travelers' cloak on, a truck pulled up to the loading zone and a very short and apparently Morlean man, with a square face and round glasses, hopped out, looking at them with a soft smile on his face. Moira couldn't help but notice his high cheekbones and his graying black hair in a nice side part. He had a spring in his step and as he saw them he exclaimed in a high voice "Hi! You must be the Lochgrens! I'm Jimmy Charles, your realtor. You must be Moira. I've spoken to you a few times on the phone; you must be Severin! Oh I'm so glad you both made it safely here! Did you come all the way from Jadali?"
He had a high voice, like that of the sweetest grandpa, and had a very strong accent that Moira recognized as Vetonian. It was she who shook his hand and spoke first.
"Yes we did! We caught the earliest ferry and have been on trains all day since. I'm so happy that you picked us up! I don't know how we would've carried this heavy chest all the way to our house."
Severin smiled and introduced himself as well and he helped Mr. Charles put their things into the back of the truck. The three of them were heavily engaged in conversation, Mr. Charles having that gift and effect on people, and he showed them around the city a bit before he took them to their new house, showing them important places like the bank, post office, grocery store, doctor's office, and of course the music store among some other less important but interesting places.
"My oldest son used to work at the music store," Mr. Charles went on, "He just graduated and is going to grad school in Tekria. He plays horn. I have another son who is a percussionist and will be a senior this year."
"What's his name?" Severin suddenly interjected. "I'm going to do percussion here, in addition to flute."
"Ah that's very awesome! His name is Lleyton. Can't miss him- he looks just like me. If you'll be doing percussion in the band then you'll definitely know him. I'll tell him to look for you. He's not here at the moment as he's with his wife in Vetonia but I imagine he'll be back soon as he had to go to work."
"I'm excited to meet him," said Severin, "The more people we can know before school starts the better. We are rather different, after all."
"Ah, the school's very excited to have some Jadali-Kiillra aboard again. It's been a while since we had one in the music program. We get a few from Dahhod sometimes but it's rare that we get people from Taleah. Dr. Sorela is particularly excited."
"He's excited to meet us??" Moira exclaimed.
"Oh yes! He's the most Jadali person I've ever seen- even if he is half Catin. He's an amazing man and a true friend, he is. When he learned that you were coming he got very excited. Don't be afraid to talk to him- he's the kindest person I know and he loves when students come to his office to chat."
This had both of them very excited for the fall semester to begin. They were looking forward to meeting Dr. Sorela in person and finding out that he was just as excited to meet them made them feel very confident about their choice of school.
"Well, here we are," Mr. Charles said after he had arrived at their house, "Your house is this lovely yellow one with a big front window. Its previous inhabitants were also music majors and it's very well-kept. There's room for two other housemates if you find people who need housing later on but it works just fine with two. It has a bedroom upstairs with its own bathroom so it should be set for anyone who you want to move in."
As he said this he helped take the trunk once again from the truck and they went to the front door. Taking their keys out of their pockets, Moira put hers into the lock and it gave a click. Severin then put his key into the other lock and it too gave a click and finally, after many hours, they were in their brand new house. They looked around- there was a TV on the wall to their left and some nice couches in the living room. To their right was the dining room and kitchen and straight back were the stairs to the basement and a bedroom with a bathroom. They then noticed that a couple people had put together a welcome basket with some food to last them through the next couple days until they could get on their feet and go to the store, along with a note which read:
To Severin and Moira,
Welcome to Kennywood University! We look forward to meeting you in August and going to school with you! Enjoy these gifts to get you started as you settle into your new house. Have a wonderful summer and a great year ahead!
Love,
Lleyton & Sokphair Charles and Nathan Surcaston
Moira and Severin were stunned. This was such a small but kind gesture! They couldn't wait to put faces to all of these names and right away Severin noticed the name of the son that Mr. Charles had talked about being a percussionist like him. Mr. Charles just smiled and told them welcome. They thanked him for talking with them and making them feel at home and waved as he drove away. They had barely opened their chest when they set the clock for the next morning and fell asleep on their new beds, eager for orientation in the morning.
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