Pierce was first to wake up, his eyes smudged closed by the sand, body stiff from sleeping on the ground, in the cold. The sun was up high now, and it was considerably warmer. He didn’t move as he felt his friends even breath calm against his chest, that was until he heard the sharp whistle of another train, and he urged himself to sit up, startling the other boy somewhat, who then dazedly sat up again.

“That doesn’t sound to fast, maybe we can run up and jump onto a trailer?” Harry said, glancing around a large tree, eyes finding the engine maybe half a mile away.

“You really think that that is a good idea?”

“Its better than walking Pierce, we barely made it far enough to get out of London yet.”

“I told you we should have bought a map, we must have been taking the worst detours!”

“Neither of us know how to read the map,” Harry observed eyes straining to make out the speed of the moving freight train.

“There’s gotta be a wagon we can jump into,” he said urgently getting up and making sure the letter and the rest of his change were in his pockets.

Pierce swallowed the rest of his fears and complaints and got up with his friend, biting his lower lip when the boy made a sound of approval.

“Look, it’s really slow, but still much faster than either of us could walk,” harry observed, and true to his word the train was moving at a snails pace if one considered that it was a train.

“Yeah, that seems slow enough,” Pierce gave in sighing.

“Are you sure it goes in the right direction though?”

“Well it does go towards Scotland. And there’s gotta be a station coming up. We can get up at the next station if you want, and make sure.”

“Okay,” Pierce said quickly, adrenaline of the building excitement catching him also.

Both boys stood behind the train watching the heavy engine pass them by, Harry unconscieously counting the wagons as he looked down the seemingly endless line of wagons to find one that was easier to climb.

“Look, those seem easy to climb, and that one is all open, if we grab the ladder and pull ourselves up everything is good.” Harry said pointing down ten or fifteen trailers ahead. Pierce pulled all his courage together before he nodded, chasing after his friend when he broke away from the tree running straight towards the track, watching with wide eyes, lungs almost cramping with the pace he was putting out when his friend grabbed the metal rail and then swung himself onto the wooden platform with so much force he nearly fell flat on his face.  The train was much faster close up, and Pierce began doubting that he was able to make it, panicked eyes flew to his greeneyed friend.

“Come on, it’s easy, I’ll help you!” Harry screamed over the roar of the train, extending an arm, which Pierce immediately grabbed, before stretching out his other hand as well, holding onto the train as he put the most effort into his spring, catching up with the handle and then swinging himself up, much like Harry had before, tumbling onto his friend, screaming with joy and the excitement and relief of having made it.

“YES!” Harry cried out as well, highfiving his friend when both of them had finally sat up.

“So, this was much faster than it looked,” Pierce said grinning at his friend rubbing his hands against his thighs as he sat crosslegged next to the large freight boxes.

“Yeah, to bad we didn’t get a train that transports something to drink,” he said, licking his dried out lips.

“We have a snack left,” pierce said carefully pulling the crumbled chocolate bar from his pocket.

“No, we only just ate last night, let’s keep that until we are really hungry,” Harry said determinetly, even though his mouth was watering like crazy at the brown wrapper, promising rich sweetness!

“It says we need a wand,” Pierce laughed pointing out the shopping list to his friend as both sat on the edge of the trailer, legs dangling looking at the list, which was slightly bristled by the wind.

“And couldrons,” Harry burst out laughing pointing at the next lines. They continued like this, wondering at some of the book titles.

“Do you really think someone can make this up?”

“Well, someone made up starwars,” Harry observed though there was doubt in his voice.

“Yes, but with the seal? Isn’t this really official? I thought only the queen still used those,” Pierce said turning the envelope around to look at the red wax seal again.

“Well, everyone can melt wax,” Harry said yawning.

“How much could it hurt if we layed down to get some rest?”

“We could fall off!”

“We’ll just lay like this, just further back. We’d have to role across the entire wagon to fall down.” Harry said looking at the wagon.

“We could just close the door as well,” Pierce said softly glancing at the heavy door.

“Yeah, but what if we can’t get it to open again, and we need the oxygen as well, and this way we can see if we slow down.”

“That’s when we have to get off, right?”

Harry nodded, before laying back, closing his eyes.

“Just a short nap,” he sighed but was already nodding off.

Pierce sat rigid for another hour or so, he had never done anything so dangerours, so daring. What if they got caught and send back home. What if they would fall of and break their arm or leg? What if they rode in the wrong direction and would end up near surrey again?

Just when he thought about laying down to sleep a bit as well, to cuddle up to his new best friend, that he saw a city come up. New fear raced through his body, what if they were seen? And the train was stopped? What if they got off to late?

He shook his friends shoulder, startling him awake effectively.

“What city is that?” Pierce asked, voice small, fearing that someone might hear them over the noise.

“I don’t know, is there a sign anywhere?”

Pierce strained his better eyes, leaning forward as far as he dared, the cold air wipping around his ears and hair.

“No, but we are slowing down, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Harry breathed, excitement in his voice.

“Should we get off?”

“No, it’s still to fast, let’s get off when it’s not that fast anymore, so we don’t fall and get hurt,” Harry said, hands trembling as he scooted closer to the edge, looking at the ground and then at a closing in building. They sat for almost two minutes in absolute silence, both jumping when the train blew it’s horn.

“I’m really hungry,” Pierce sat pulling out the candy bar he unwrapped it and then broke it into half, handing his friend the even other side before stuffing it into his mouth.

“Thanks,” Harry said as he slowly nibbled on his, eyes still on the ground.

“It’s picking up speed again, we either  jump now or stay on,” he finally said noticing that the ground seemed to be moving faster edging even closer to the end of the trailer.

“Okay, lets get off, we can catch the next train.” Pierce said, but his eyes were full of doubt as he looked at the quickly moving ground.

 Harry however seemed to fear nothing as he without another word, lept of the train, landing on both his feet before stumbling with the force of his exit, falling to his knees and then nearly rolling over. Pierce looked at his friend horrorfied as the distance between the two seemed to become greater even faster. Harry yelled something, which Pierce didn’t understand, but he was pretty sure that his friend urged him to jump, so without another chance to let his fear hinder him he jumped off, in much the same fashion as his friend had, feet giving in with the force, knees crashing into the larger stones, hitting his knees open, his hands scratching over the rough stones. But he knew before he even got up, that he was okay, that he didn’t get seriously hurt. Even though his body was aching, and he was frightened and relieved at the same time, he fought his tears, much like he had all his life as he stood up straight and glanced at his red scraped hands.

“You okay?” Harry asked as he quickly ran towards him, his own jeans ripped at his knees, quickly dampening in a reddish color.

“Yeah, just a little scratched, you?” He asked, glancing the quickly growing stain of blood.

“Yeah, just a little blood. Everythings cool,” He said before glancing at the town.

“Okay, we just have to check the station, it’ll tell all we need to know.” Harry said taking a few steps towards the station.

“We have to get cleaned up first, if anyone sees us like this, then they will call the police,” Pierce objected.

“There is no gasstation here,” Harry said glancing around.

“Maybe the church?” Pierce asked, remembering the movies on the telly he got to watch, remembering that the churches always had clothes to spare, and food to spare.

“What if they call someone?”

“The priests aren’t allowed to tell anyone,” Pierce said walking towards the city.

“IT’s the middle of the day, other people might see us before we get to the church, and we have to be in school.”

“Let’s just make sure no one sees us then, besides I need to take a dump,” Pierce said laughing at his friend when he made a face of discust.

“How can you take a dump when we barely ate anything?” Harry groaned but walked after his friend who was walking by the walls of buildings always glancing around, looking around corners, something Harry found very funny. He looked like some secret mission agent.

They had to hide away behind a dumpster once when a car drove by, but other than that they basically had a clear walk to the church.

“There, I see it,” Pierce hissed as the church tower came into view, pressing himself and his friend into a little alley, eyes on the clocktower.

“What if there is a service?” Harry asked, nibbling his bottom lip.

“You jump onto a moving train without any fears, but you are afraid of walking into a church?”

Harry stuffed his trembling hands into his jeans, his uncles hateful words floating back to his mind.

“They said I wasn’t allowed to go to church,” Harry whispered and Pierce frowned at him.

“Why?”

“They said freaks weren’t allowed in Gods house,” Harry said tongue heavy in his mouth.

“And we know that everything they ever said was true, right? Come on Harry, it’s church, they are supposed to help,” Pierce said, sounding sure, but inside he wasn’t that sure anymore. Yes, even his stepfather had said that he was a freak, a good for nothing, maybe they weren’t allowed in church?

“Okay, but if the priest even suggests calling someone, then we are out of there, yes?”

“Yes, maybe they have a shower,” he said wistfully glancing at the heavy old stones.

“I’d be surprised if they have running water here,” Harry said laughing, glancing around, slightly caught of guard when Pierce all of a sudden jumped from his side, sprinting over the street at a pace he had never before seen the boy run. He dashed after him in a split of a second, rubbing his hands against each other once more when they stood by the side of the church.

“Maybe there is another entrance?” Pierce asked, before he began walking around the church, almost yipping with joy when he saw another door, before sighing. It was locked.

“Front doors then?”

But those were locked also.

” Maybe there is a door on this side,” Harry said walking around the other side of the church, but there was no door. They walked further, standing at the back of the church a few seconds later, both sitting down, leaning against the sunwarmed stones, examining their hands, Harry pulling up his jeans to look at the cuts and scrapes, one cut still oozing blood dangerously.