By now, Summer was already on the long-distance train to the Northern Wasteland. The night was thick, and the starry sky filled her window.
When she lived in the city, she rarely saw stars this clear and bright. Two years in the valley had accustomed her to seeing a river of stars whenever she looked up. Now, traveling to the vast north, she found the city lights along the way too glaring and the starlight sparse.
'The stars in the valley are still more beautiful,' she thought. Realizing what she had just thought, she shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. 'I've already left. I shouldn't keep dwelling on the past.'
She composed herself, found her sleeper berth, and tidied up, planning to rest for the night. 'I'll arrive at the northern town tomorrow morning and transfer to an off
