The Little Cheeseboy

Chapter 5

The train was probably bigger than the buildings Isabel and Hugo had seen in town. Its long and sturdy metallic body stretched across the station as the steam rose from the top of its head. Isabel looked at the monstrosity as she followed Hugo who was already purchasing their tickets for them. 

"It is definitely much bigger than the one I rode with father," Isabel said approaching the front of the doors. 

"This train travels all across the world but only to freak towns," Hugo explained.

 "I see," she said as she followed Hugo inside the doors. 

The inside of the train was massive as many passengers began making their way to their own cabins. The warm yellow painted walls and hanging candles gave the train a comforting look while the staff ran in opposite directions to get the train ready. 

"We have cabin 64," Hugo said as he began walking across the cabins and examining their numbers. 

"Wait, we have the same cabin?" Isabel asked.

 "Yup, it was much cheaper than to buy two separately," Hugo said still looking for their cabin. 

"So that means we will be sleeping in the...same room?" she asked as her color began to drain. 

"Yes but there should be separate beds," he said calmly.

 "Should be?!" she said on the verge of having a panic attack, she couldn't sleep with a cheese boy in the same bed. 

"Oh, here we are," Hugo said stopping in front of a cabin door. 

"No way! We are not sleeping in the same bed!" Isabel said crossing her arms. 

Hugo only ignored her ranting and opened the door for Isabel to see that there were two separate beds to sleep on. 

"Don't worry you won't have to sleep in the same bed as I will," he said with a sly smirk. 

The cabin was small but had both beds and a small armchair that stood in front of the window. The same warm yellow walls and candles gave a nice sensation to the room as Hugo plopped himself on his bed. 

"It's been a while since I slept on a soft bed," he said nuzzling the pillow with his face. 

"Oh?" Isabel said raising a brow. 

"Mr. Munink is not a good circus owner and for the most part freaks have to sleep on the floor or really hard bed cots if lucky," he said frowning at the memory.  

"That's tough," Isabel noted. 

"It was but now that we are looking for the clockmaker maybe he can help us both," he said with a hopeful smile. 

"I hope so," Isabel said sitting in the armchair to look out the window. 

"I never asked but I just want to know since we will be sleeping in the same room...are you old or young?" Isabel asked fidgeting with her fingers. 

"Should that matter?" he asked raising a brow. 

"No...but...I just..."  

"I'm a year older than you are Isabel," he said as he started to drift asleep in his bed. 

"Oh...ok," she said confused, he looked younger but maybe it was his height that had made her believe that. 

He was shorter than she was but looking at it now his voice was deep and his eyes reflected some sense of maturity when he spoke. Isabel was now really intrigued by Hugo, she began to wonder what he looked like as a human boy. 

Where his eyes naturally green? Was his smile the same? What color would his hair be? Was he handsome? The questions rambled in her head as she looked at Hugo who was already asleep under his covers until reality hit her...she was sleeping in the same room with a boy who was nearly her age. The blush crept down her cheeks as she covered her face. 

'He is just a cheese boy, how bad can it be?' a voice told her. 

'But a boy nonetheless,' a deeper and more internal voice told her.  

Isabel dropped herself in her bed as she looked at Hugo from the other side of the room. 

'I'll see you soon mom,' Isabel thought before she began drifting to sleep too. 

Isabel woke to the sound of the train stopping its tracks as it screeched against the brakes. Isabel rubbed both of her eyes and let out a huge yawn before jumping off her bed as she shook Hugo who still stirred himself in bed. 

"Hey, wake up the train stopped," Isabel said as Hugo began fluttering his eyes open. 

"We are probably in the first stop," he said after letting out a huge yawn as well.

 "How many stops before reaching Boulderwich?" Isabel asked. 

"Two more, we should get there before sunset," he said standing up. 

"We should get breakfast," he said. 

"Right," Isabel said as she remembered she hasn't had anything after the circus. 

Both teens went to the next cabin where breakfast was being served to the freakish passengers. There were all sorts of freaks enjoying the chatter within themselves, from bearded women to lobstermen. Isabel and Hugo sat down at an empty table looking at their menus. 

There were regular food items but also some weird ones Isabel couldn't make out such as "Fish Nets" and "Blueberry Toasters."  

"May I take your order?" a blue woman with pink hair asked them. 

"I'll have the eggs and ham with a cup of coffee," Hugo said handing her his menu. "And you miss?" she said directing her gaze to Isabel.

 "Eggs and hashbrowns with toast and orange juice," Isabel said handing her menu as well. 

"Your order will be ready shortly," she said before leaving. 

"She didn't write it down?" Isabel asked raising a brow. 

"That's a memory damsel they remember everything even if it happened years ago." Isabel only nodded as she directed her gaze elsewhere but Hugo's eyes. 

She still felt a little ashamed of sleeping in the same room as a boy as she tried to shake the thoughts off her mind, sure she was a tomboy but still a girl.

 "So Isabel...how did you sleep last night...I hope I did not make you uncomfortable," Hugo said breaking the silence Isabel was hoping to maintain. 

"You didn't do anything wrong so there is no reason to apologize...to be honest,  I thought you were younger maybe around ten years old," she said blushing. 

"I get that a lot but I have not intentions if that is what worries you," he said smiling. 

That made Isabel blush harder, "how did you get cursed?" Isabel asked trying to change the subject. 

"Like I said before it's a long story," he said not removing that smile Isabel had seen now often. "

I'm willing to listen, it's not like I have anything better to do anyway," she said with a smile of her own. 

"Fine I will tell you," he said rolling his eyes but smiling either way.

 "I was ten years old when it happened. My father was a lawyer for workers who got injured in factory working and railroad work. My mother was a housewife and a simple woman for anyone's taste, I remember her differently though from what others...she was the most important person to me who kissed my knee if I hurt it and read me bedtime stories until I fell asleep," he said with a nostalgic and sad smile. 

"You see before my mom was a housewife...well she worked as a...waitress at a tavern. There she was considered one of the most beautiful women and even got some contracts to work for film making which she took eventually and stared in some films." 

"She eventually stopped when she had me and took a simple life. We bought a small house close to the outskirts of Cleaveland by  Cleaveland Harbor. Father would go to the city to work and mother would stay to take care of me that is until one night... we went to the harbor to feed the seagulls and she appeared...I remember her black hair and red eyes that were wrapped around her cloak until she cursed my mother for ruining her life then threw a spell at me which turned me into this," he said closing his eyes. 

"My mother tried to help me...she took me to sorcerers and doctors but no one could help me so...I ran away and that's when I met Mr. Munink who allowed me to join the circus. I met Katrina there and all the others who took me in as family but Munink has been studying my curse hoping it also leads him to the clockmaker," he finished explaining. 

"Is it dangerous for Munink to find him?" Isabel asked. 

"I don't know, to be honest, he hasn't told anyone why he is looking for him," he said shrugging. 

"I never knew that you have been through so much," Isabel said frowning, she felt sympathy for him, although he still had his mother, she could understand what it felt like. 

"Isabel I know this may sound weird but could we be friends?" he asked smiling. 

"Huh?" Isabel said clearly shocked at his proposal. 

"I mean you are the first person I get to meet around my age so I was wondering if we could be friends?" he said sincerely. 

Isabel pondered for a bit, she didn't have any friends back at home and she was viewed as weird due to her nature yet Hugo wanted to be friends with her. 

"Sure why not?" she said finally. 

"I'm happy to hear that," he said happily. 

"Me too," Isabel responded and she was.

After that, the waitress came back with their meals as both teenagers sat and ate with the start of a new friendship.