Page 99 of Meet Me on Greenwood

We moved through the woods as quietly as possible, branches snapping underfoot no matter how carefully I placed them, every sound impossibly loud against the stillness. Susan gripped my hand tightly, her breath coming in short, shallow pulls, and though my heart was racing, I did my best to appear calm for her, even as every shadow between the trees looked like someone waiting to catch us. We moved for a bit, then sat quietly in the dark, waiting to see if there was anyone looking for us, straining to hear footsteps or voices over the sound of our own breathing.

My confidence grew as we neared the platform. The train sat stopped on the track, steam hissing faintly.

"How much further?" Susan whispered.

"Not long," I said, pointing to the train. I stopped to listen one last time. When I heard nothing, I kept going until the sound of a snapped branch underfoot filled the air. I paused, and looked around, adrenaline coursing through me. The forest was still quiet, perhaps too quiet. The two of us jumped when the horn of the train sounded in the distance. It was the ten-minute warning. We had to go now if we were going to catch it. I had just convinced myself to move when a flare rose into the air turning the sky bright orange. Something was wrong.

I looked back at Susan who was shaking uncontrollably beside me. "Maybe we should go back"?" she whispered.

She was right, of course. We should turn around and go back to the tunnel. I nearly did, but then I caught sight of Freida and Edmund on the platform looking around frantically for us. They must’ve seen the flare, but this was their chance—Susan’s chance—and I wasn’t ready to give up. I looked into Susan’s fearful eyes and knew what we needed to do.

I waited another minute longer before we made our way toward the train. Another branch snapped, and my heart stopped.

"You two are out awful late," a man said, coming out from the brush. My eyes widened and Susan ducked behind me.

He was tall and of mixed race, though with his complexion he could almost pass. The man stepped forward with a rifle on his back. I thought about pulling my gun, but I doubted I’d be fast enough.

"Yes," I managed. "We went for a walk before catching the train. We better hurry, or we will miss it."

I started to turn, but he said, "Hold on now? Who is this little princess you have with you?"

"My cousin," I said quickly. "Bri Cross." Something moved in my chest as I said it, but there was no time to process, so I filed it away.

He tipped his hat. "Is that your name little girl? Bri Cross?"

Susan nodded silently.

"We should hurry," I said. "I don’t want to miss the train."

He smiled. "You can run along then."

I smiled back gratefully, but just when I thought we were free, I heard the pump action of the gun. My hand went to my hip.

"Turn around and put your hands up."

"We didn’t do anything!" Susan cried.

"It’s okay, Bri," I whispered. I turned around, raising my hands slowly. "I thought you said we could go. Are you here to prevent us passage."

He spit peanut shells onto the ground. It seemed like an odd choice for man who had a gun on us.

“There has been some unsavory activity in these woods. And I’ve been tasked with protecting them.”

“And you are afraid of us? We are just like you.”

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because his face turned from mildly angry to dangerous. “Watch your mouth girl. You are speaking to a white man.”

My heart raced as I felt the window of opportunity to leave closing. “My mistake. It is hard to see. May we please go?”

"You can," he drawled. "As long as little Bri can answer one question first."

I swallowed, waiting.

"Bri?" he asked.

"Yes," Susan whispered.

"Is your cousin from your mama’s or your daddy’s side?"