Sadie hummed an idle little ditty, the same annoying little tune she had bothered her brother with all summer. By the end of the holiday, she'd had her brother flying into fits of rage only three notes into her song. It had backfired slightly, as it was now perpetually stuck in her head, but it was a small price to pay. She'd achieved what all little sisters worked towards-- she'd driven her older brother insane. [i]That[/i] would teach him to think twice before he played keep away with her things again. 

 She continued to bounce in her seat. Mr. Tufty tucked his head beneath a wing disdainfully. She'd thought the owl to be quite funny when she'd bought him, but Sadie wished she had selected a pet less prone to nipping her fingers. Maybe Mr. Tufty just wanted to stretch his wings. He'd been confined to her room since she'd bought him last month. Her mum said having an owl swooping around the neighborhood might qualify as suspicious. Sadie hoped Mr. Tufty was just grumpy. The alternative was rather...worrying. Mr. Tufty wouldn't [i]always[/i] hate her, right? 

 The door to the compartment slid open, and Sadie's head immediately swiveled to watch. Her hazel eyes lit up with curiosity. A boy stood in the doorjamb, about her age, with white blonde hair that would be the envy of all the girls back in tiny Hankerton. Mum always said not to stare, but Sadie had yet to kick the habit. She wanted to know everything about everyone. Was that so terrible? This argument had never gone over well with her mum. 

 "Go right ahead!" She chirruped brightly, legs swinging. Sadie was exceptionally useless at sitting still. The train jerked forward, and Sadie managed not to squeal in delight (but only just). She gripped the edge of her seat in a bid not to fidget, craning her neck to look out the window. Her idle hands had a way of getting her into trouble. She didn't mean to break things, but she just got so excited and then things ended up dropped or shattered or, like the unfortunate Loo Incident, exploded. It was best for everyone that she refrained from poking things. 

 "I'm Sadie Ethans, by the way!" Sadie was at the stage of excited where 'Everything I Say Ends in Exclamation Points!' Mr. Tufty hooted derisively, clearly unimpressed. The nerve! She scrunched her nose at her bird before returning her attention to her new companion. “What’s your name? Is this your first year too? How long is this train ride anyways?”

The last bit wasn’t entirely directed at her companion. She looked out the window impatiently, the city transforming into a blur as the train picked up speed. Surely this would be a quick ride... wouldn't it?