Main character: Willa (F), Maya (F), Patrick (M), Clara (F) // Time and Place: The day on the way to J city and that night arrived in J city
“Buzz—”
Willa’s phone vibrated sharply on the table.
She looked down at the screen. A notification blinked:
"Thank you for choosing Train J. Due to weather forecasts, your train schedule has been adjusted. Departure is now in six hours. Please prepare your luggage and board on time. For date changes, contact our customer service..."
The cold white glow of the screen reflected in her eyes. Willa read the message over and over. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZPybN0TdK
“Is this for real…? This has to be a joke.”
Her heart began racing. She checked the official website—this wasn’t a prank!
Without hesitation, she scrambled to stuff her belongings into her suitcase. She grabbed her coat, yanked her bag, and dashed out the door.
The station was a cacophony of voices. Willa sprinted along the platform, her breath uneven, just as the train was pulling in.
“Excuse me—this is Train J, right?”
She handed her ticket to a station attendant, voice urgent. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauhQjmDfiQ
He scanned it briefly, nodded, and said, “Yes, hurry, you can still make it.”
With a mix of panic and relief, Willa leapt aboard. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7tnTipkIa
The doors closed behind her, and for the first time, her heartbeat began to normalize.
Her seat was a four-person arrangement—two passengers facing two others. Willa followed her ticket, scanning the aisle until she found her window-side seat. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfiDBVMkvY
The other three passengers were already seated.
She lifted her luggage to the overhead compartment, and a nearby young man noticed. “Careful, I’ll help you,” he said, hoisting the suitcase effortlessly into place.
“Thank you so much,” Willa said. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQ3l6JDmXM
The man waved her off and returned to his seat.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWjbPYO1X5
Once Willa sat, he introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Patrick. This is my girlfriend—” 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoAbRTUHx4
He gestured to the woman leaning her head on his shoulder.
“Hi, I’m Clara,” she said, waving politely.
“Nice to meet you,” Willa replied.
The other woman beside Willa chimed in, “Hi, I’m Maya. Looks like you just made it in time.”
Willa laughed wryly. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmMI1gmnWd
“Yeah… the train suddenly got rescheduled. I had no choice.”
Maya’s eyes widened. “You too? Looks like we’re all in the same boat!”
Patrick and Clara joined the conversation. “We almost canceled too,” Clara said. “But decided to leave early, just in case.”
Willa asked, “Are you both from J City?”
“Yes, just a short trip out of town,” Clara replied.
Time passed quickly as they shared stories of travel, daily life, and small adventures. Laughter echoed through the car. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtjs3Mq10F
By journey’s end, the strangers had quietly become friends, exchanging contact information as the train pulled into the station.
By the time Willa arrived at the final stop, the sky was pitch black. The platform lights flickered faintly. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3D6Jub40Vn
Willa dragged her suitcase toward the station exit, intending to walk to her hotel.
Then she glanced at her phone—and froze.
She had forgotten to change her hotel booking in advance!
Her fingers swiped frantically across the screen, checking nearby hotels. Each one displayed “FULL.” 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKraLfs4xD
The pale light from the phone cast sharp shadows across her face as her heart sank further.
“This… can’t be real… why is everywhere full?”
Her brows furrowed. Panic tinged her soft mutter. Could she really end up sleeping on the streets tonight?
Maya immediately hailed a taxi and drove off. 100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEqOF7JCDb
Patrick and Clara got off more slowly. Clara glanced back at Willa, noticing her tense stance and tightly clenched phone, as if trapped in place. She hurried over.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I… I have nowhere to stay tonight,” Willa admitted, her voice tight.
To be continued...
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