2

Catarina and Fiore continue their reading and writing. Catarina takes out an Ozera School pamphlet and flicks through it hungrily. The train makes its steady way through vast farmland which shifts to craggy plains scattered with towns which get smaller and smaller as you travel deeper into open country.

By the time the train halts at the pretty tourist town of South Outlook, Catarina's fallen asleep. She jerks awake as the compartment door slides open and scrambles for her papers, which are at risk of sliding onto the floor.

In the doorway stands a girl around Catarina's age, small and round, fiddling with a long brown plait that reaches to her elbow. Behind her is a chattering group of adults, three of whom look dressed for a theater premier. The fourth looks comically large beside the girl: tall, tanned, bulkily muscled, and wearing a not-quite-military bright blue dress uniform.

The girl turns imperiously to her minders. "Mama, Mother, Papa, you go in the other compartment, there's no room for you lot too," she says. "Raffi, stay with me. That's what we pay you for, after all."

The three parents in party wear give her hugs and kisses and wave happily as they go. The uniformed escort, Raffi, steps into the compartment with a cheerful smile. The space immediately feels a little smaller thanks to Raffi's looming height.

The girl sits beside Catarina and points at the Ozera School pamphlet. "I'm Simone Morarre. My mother back there is the Honored Valentina Morarre—the actor, you know?—and I'm going to Ozera too. Which year will you be in? You must be new, I was there last year."

Fiore's mouth twitches, but she inclines her head politely to the newcomers, braids brushing lightly against her shoulders. "Lovely to meet you," she says. "And your companion?"

"Raffi Claudian," Raffi says with a grin, shaking back shiny brown hair. "I'm Simone's bodyguard."

As the train begins to move once more, Raffi takes a seat beside you. Though there are five of you in here now, the seats are thankfully generous enough that there's plenty of room.

Oh! Simone! This is Specialist ., my bodyguard," Catarina says.

Simone squeaks excitedly. "You have a bodyguard too? That's so great! I get Raffi to carry my things and it's so much easier than dragging equipment everywhere."