When Summer StayedChapter One – The Train to Nowhere
The train rocked gently as it sped through the countryside, streaks of gold sunlight slanting across the windows. Mia Turner sat by the window, head propped against the glass, her reflection blurred by motion. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry, but her chest felt heavy enough to crack.
She had left London in a storm of words she didn't mean. A fight with her sister, a breakup she wasn't ready for, a career she wasn't sure she wanted anymore—everything had tangled into one big knot. So she'd done the only thing that felt right. She'd bought the cheapest ticket she could find on impulse and boarded the first train leaving the city.
She didn't even know where she was going.
The countryside outside was green and endless, rolling hills giving way to sleepy villages. The world outside looked peaceful in a way her mind wasn't.
The voice of the train announcer crackled over the intercom, "Next stop: Hartwell-on-Sea."
