Chapter 5

• She noticed the dirt floor, left by traces of dirty shoes. With great anger, he passed his hands hard over that powder and then rubbed it on his arms, until they turned brown, the color of his beloved Lia. Why wasn't she born as Lia? Why wasn't Lia's daughter born?
• He couldn't stop crying, such sadness was taking over him.
• Sarah heard a noise and got scared:
• - Who's there? she asked, quickly wiping her tears away.
• - Do not be afraid.
• She looked at the black boy emerging from among the bags. The light from the window under the sun illuminated him completely, almost as if he were an apparition.
• - Who are you? she asked in fear.
• “My name is Tristan.
• - What are you doing here?
• “I don't talk to people whose names I don't know. He smiled gently.
• "My name is... Sarah," the girl said apprehensively.
• “Why are you here, Sarah? Why do you cry? he asked without moving from his seat, looking at her.
• The girl wiped her tears again. A stranger was watching her cry.
• “Excuse me,” he asked.
• "Why are you apologizing to me?"
• "For crying in front of you."
• - I don't mind. The boy shrugged sincerely.
• “But I can't cry in front of you. A woman cannot cry in front of others,” she said, almost to herself.
• “But you are not a woman. It's just a girl.
• "I'm... I'm almost a woman." — The girl was a little irritated by him mentioning that she was just a girl.
• "Why are you crying, Sarah?" Why are you getting dirty like this?
• - What are you doing here?
• - I asked first.
• He was so firm in his questions that Sarah saw no choice but to respond.
• — I... I'm sad — he confessed, not quite understanding why he was talking to that boy he didn't even know.
• “Why would a girl as beautiful and rich as you be sad?
• “I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go to Deolinda.
• — What are you going to do in Deolinda?
• “I'm going to a boarding school for girls.
• - Why?
• “My parents want me to go.
• 'Are they with you on the train?'
• - No.
• "Then don't go there," he said, finding the solution at once.
• "As if it were possible not to obey them, " she said.
• “Sarah, are you alone on this train, not knowing anyone? Isn't there someone accompanying you to Deolinda?
• - Yes I am alone. And you?
• - Yes too. The boy looked away from her, turning to the side.
• "Did your parents send you to boarding school too?" she asked curiously.
• - Of course. I don't even have parents.
• "Don't you have parents?" he asked. "But is that possible?"
• He laughed:
• - Yes, it is possible.
• "I never thought there could be people without parents," she said, impressed.
• "Are you traveling first class?"
• - First class? he asked, not understanding the question.
• “A place full of windows, good food, well dressed people,” Tristan explained playfully, a half smile on his lips.
• "Yes... It's all there," Sarah confirmed.
• “So it's first class. The place where the rich travel. I can tell by looking at you that you're rich.
• "Are you traveling there too, Tristan?"
• — No... I'm traveling right here.
• — With the bags? She smiled, confused.
• — Yes, with the bags. He couldn't contain his laughter either.
• They heard the sound of one of the doors opening.
• “Don't tell anyone I'm here, Sarah. Please,” he begged, whispering as he hid among the suitcases.
• — I won't say — she said to herself, because she didn't even see him anymore at that moment.
• A man opened the door. He wore the uniform of the train's employees.
• - Who are you? he asked confused when he saw the state of the girl.
• "I'm Sarah...Sarah Mackerson," she said.
• “Mackerson? What are you doing here, girl? Your seat is in first class. She must be John Mackerson's daughter. Your father practically owns this train.
• “I don't talk to people whose names I don't know. - The girl mimicked Tristan's phrase.
• — Well then, funny girl, my name is Manoel and I am the Supervisor of this train. And you will come with me now.
• Manoel took Sarah Mackerson by the arm to a woman who was also working on the train. She tried to clean the girl, change her clothes and take her back to her place.
• Sarah hated going back to her place with those women who had made fun of her.
• After a while, he got distracted looking at the landscape through the window, which was changing every minute.
• But soon the night came and she could no longer observe anything outside the glass, except the darkness. With her eyes lost in space and thinking about the boy on the train, Sarah ended up falling asleep.
• He dreamed that he was her in a woman's body. She wore a long red silk dress and a lipstick of the same color on her lips. I was leaving the Mackerson farm... with Lia... and Tristan. João didn't want her to leave and insisted on running after her, trying to stop her. But she ran away. It ran a lot. And the dress didn't reach the floor, even though it was long. She held the flowing fabric in her hands. Tristan and Lia managed to leave. But she no. Joao grabbed her tightly by the arm and yelled at her. Lia and Tristan needed to wait for her. But they couldn't hear her... They were already too far away. John would kill her.
• Sarah screamed, waking up from the nightmare and calling the attention of some people who were close to her on the train. There was, he noticed, very little conversation in the car... The lights were low. Few passengers were still sipping tea or coffee. Others were no longer there, certainly in the sleeping cabins.
• "Girl, what is this?" Shut up, please, it's not in your house. This is a train and there are a lot of people on it. - Condemned the woman who sat next to him, in a non-sensitive way.
• "Did you have a nightmare?" asked the front passenger, her voice a little more delicate.
• "Yes," replied the girl.
• "Why don't you go to your sleeping cabin and try to sleep again?" he suggested.
• Sarah was silent and pretended not to hear. I didn't want to be alone in a sleeping cabin. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep again. I was tired. The train whistled frequently, making her jump, scared.
• He feared going to sleep and having the same nightmare. She started thinking about Sandy, the girl in the story she loved to listen to so much. If Lia were there, she wouldn't be afraid.
• The air was cool there and Sarah took a small blanket available. He remembered Tristan... He must have been cold. The windowpane was fogged up. She ran her little hands, trying to clean it. I couldn't see anything outside the train, only darkness. Not even a light in the distance. As the light was very dim, to respect people's rest, Sarah took a kind of fireless lamp that was on one of the tables. He got out from car to car, slowly, trying not to make any noise so as not to attract too much attention.
• He observed some whole families traveling together, parents and children. She wished that Marla , João, Júlia and Lia were there with her. He imagined how much Lia would like everything on that train. But it would certainly not be well received in that space, because of its color. Although the blacks were free, very few of them were seen around the whites, except as servants.
• — Hey girl, are you missing your parents? asked a woman she bumped into in the hall.
• "No... I'm not lost," he said. "I'm just going to the toilet ."
• The woman smiled and nodded. Sarah also smiled and moved on. He realized that the train was all blue, both outside and inside. The walls, the decoration, the seats, all in the same color but in different tones. Employees working on the train wore black uniforms with blue details.
• Sarah opened the door to the last car, which was in darkness. The light she held in her hand gave little light.
• “Tristan? he called.
• “Sarah? She heard his voice, not quite sure where it was coming from.
• "Yes... It's me," she whispered so as not to be heard by anyone but him.
• Tristan came out of a dark corner. She only recognized him when he got very close.
• "What are you doing here, Sarah?" he asked in surprise.
• "I came to see how you were doing."
• "I can't sleep... It's too cold," he confessed.
• - I... I brought a blanket - she handed the blanket that would warm him, in his hands.
• - I can not accept. How are you going to cover yourself?
• “I… I don't know,” she said, confused.
• That boy always left her like this... No answers.
• “Well, I think if you ask they'll give you another one. After all, you're in first class and you paid a lot for this trip.
• He sat down on the floor and covered himself with the blanket she had brought. He looked tired.
• "Tristan..."
• The boy looked up, staring at her.
• "Can I stay here with you?" - he requested.
• He was silent for a long time and then asked:
• "Why do you want to stay 'here'?"
• - I do not like her. She pointed to the door, referring to where she was traveling.
• “Sarah, you belong there. You cannot stay here.
• “I don't feel well there. They're all adults and they don't treat me well. With you it's different. We're friends, aren't we?
• - Are? Tristan asked, staring at her.
• Even in the darkness she could clearly see the twinkle in that boy's eyes.
• "We are," she confirmed. “Please let me stay here with you. I promise not to bother you .
• He thought for a while before answering:
• “It's okay, Sarah.