The Unseen Road

Chapter Two: Mina

Today she was going to find it, for sure. The eleven-year-old girl looked around confidently with astute eyes far beyond her years; however, on the inside she was still a little timid. She was only a young girl, after all.

Being so, she had only gotten as far as the bus stop of her own small private school after finally deciding on what she wanted to do; unfortunately, she didn't know where to go from there, or even where to start except for the western woods. All she was positive of was that she wanted to find the Phantom Railroad- to find Chase. Surely, that's where he was; after nearly a year of researching Hartsville's legends and random disappearances, Amina Holloway- or "Mina" as she preferred- was sure of it.

It had been five years since Mina's cousin had gone missing. However, at the time, Mina had been too young to realize what "gone missing" had meant; but ever since another person had recently gone missing in that town, allegedly around the same area where her cousin Chase had last been seen, the young girl had realized with horror that something was amiss with the term- to her, it began to mean that someone had run away and was never coming back. Sure, as a kid Mina had thought of doing the same thing many a time to try and get out of the little "Hartsville Bubble" and explore a little, but never really went through with it because she loved her family and terrier, Quill, too much- so the very thought of actually going through with it horrified her.

But because, as family, Mina had also loved Chase deeply as a toddler and was sad to have him gone- she could remember vividly how her older cousin would always look out for her and play with her- her child's ambition had been re-aroused. There was a mystery that needed to be solved- and an older cousin, who had more accurately been an older brother to her, to be found. However, so much time had gone by that she wasn't even sure that she would recognize him.

Now, more than ever, she longed for the boy who was named Chase, to get him back.

According to the legends, the Phantom Railroad, her closest and only lead, was an old, abandoned train tunnel in the western forest of Hartsville. And according to Mina's map, which she had taken from the pamphlet shelf in her school's library, it was located right near Hartsville Middle School, just to the West.

Mina knew right then that she would have to be careful. By what her mom had told her, the western end of Hartsville was known as the "poor side of town." And that was dangerous. The very phrase triggered a red flag in Mina's mind- but she was going to be brave.

The bus pulled up. The double doors popped open with a steaming noise, revealing a smiling, well-trimmed bus driver. Mina had missed the school bus trying to retrieve her map, so she wouldn't be able to talk to the school bus driver, Bart, who she knew well; but the town transit bus would suffice nonetheless.

"Hello," the driver greeted amiably, tipping his hat as three other late students- the slackers of the class- filed up the stairs of the bus past her while she continued to concentrate on her map. "Where are you headed, little miss?"

Mina looked up. "Hartsville Middle School," she replied politely but surely.

"Well, lucky you. We're headed to that area. Climb aboard."

So she did. All of the seats up front were full- Mamma always told her to get a seat by the front if she ever had to ride on a public bus- so Mina had to settle reluctantly for one of the seats in the back; but she still wasn't deterred.

The bus jerked and began to proceed down the street. Mina spared a glimpse at the back of the bus around her, but was too afraid to make any eye contact. However, she still had to know her surroundings.

Immediately she noticed that she felt like she was being watched. She dipped her face back down, staring at her lap as her heart rate began to increase.