No TV staff had arrived yet, even though it was already past seven. The other passengers began to show up. Besides Feronica, a handful of wealthy people appeared as well. One man had a cold expression, a tall build, and an indifferent stride. He looked exactly like a famous runway model showing off the latest designs. Like Feronica, he was accompanied by a man dressed entirely in black who was much shorter and had a large nose. The shorter man grew nervous when everyone's eyes turned toward him—or, more precisely, toward the person beside him.
"Duncan." The clerk at the office repeated the name the man had given when he checked in. He soon left the little office after receiving a stamped booklet.
"Looks like this season's going to be exciting," Made remarked. He and Clara had been watching from their seats on the platform.
"Their families must not have had time to escort them to an event like this," Clara shot back.
"Yeah, that's how it is." Made looked at Clara. "People like you obviously don't have the money to pay for an escort like that."
Clara chuckled.
By Clara's count, about six other passengers had already arrived. Usually, the show featured fourteen passengers.
The TV crew began arriving and setting up cameras at several spots. Clara let out a long sigh. Her hands felt colder now. Then a loud crackle came from the speakers.
"All escorts are asked to leave the platform, as the show is about to begin. Once again, please take note. All escorts are asked to leave the platform, as the show is about to begin."
"Good luck." Made shook his sister's hand.
Clara nodded as she watched Made walk away, just like the other escorts. The staff marked off the area where they were allowed to watch—from outside the cameras' range, of course.
Not a single contestant approached another. Everyone remained rooted to their spots. But wait! Had Clara seen that wrong? The little girl in the pink dress was happily waving at her parents, who had just joined Made. Not only that, she waved at the camera that had just been switched on. She even knew which camera was recording and tossed it a sweet smile, as if greeting the viewers at home. The cameraman behind it couldn't help laughing.
What kind of game pitted adults against an eight-year-old child? How could her parents allow such a little girl to make the journey alone—even though technically, she wouldn't really be alone? Just look at her backpack. It seemed to contain nothing but schoolbooks. It was incredibly light! But judging by the dress she was wearing, Clara could guess that the backpack contained at least enough money to buy anything sold on the train. The girl herself seemed unable to sit still—she kept sneaking glances at the other passengers but was too afraid to start a conversation. She began fidgeting restlessly until the next announcement came.
"Passengers, please line up in front of car number one."
Clara and the other passengers moved toward the car. She saw the sweet little girl follow the adults around her toward car one. Clara wanted to introduce herself, but she was too shy and afraid she might say something stupid. The fear always surfaced whenever she met someone new.
"Hey, what's your name?" Kei finally broke the ice. He was a man with shoulder-length black hair and an athletic build, and he actually looked intimidating when he wasn't smiling. His face was typical of a hard-rock musician.