Bexley Bunny's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Bexley started north the next morning, following the trail the child had given her. She kept her journal open as she walked, noting landmarks that appeared on none of her bunker maps. The town stretched farther than she had expected. More buildings. More people. More places her brother might have gone. By afternoon, she reached a brick building with a painted sign that read Downtown Soup Kitchen. The smell of cooked vegetables drifted through the open door. People in worn coats clustered near the entrance, talking in low voices. One of them glanced at her, then looked back at the group. Bexley heard a name she didn't recognize: Minerva Doodle. The woman in the red cloak was saying someone had been asking questions about a girl from a bunker. Bexley stopped walking. She approached the group slowly. "What did they ask?" she said. The woman in red turned to her. "Minerva left notes with everyone who comes through. She wants to find someone who just came out of a bunker. Is that you?" Bexley nodded once. The woman reached into her coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper. The handwriting was careful and looped. It read: Bexley, you are welcome to visit my farm. Below it was a signature with a small heart: Minerva. Bexley took the note and read it twice. Someone knew her name. Someone who wasn't her brother. She opened her journal and wrote: Minerva Doodle — knows I exist. Below that she wrote a question she couldn't answer yet: How? She had two leads now instead of one. Her brother was looking for her, but someone else had found her first. That changed what she needed to do next.