Minna

Chapter 6

~ In which Minna shows Patricia the cargo trains

Since Patch knew absolutely nothing about Los Angelas it was up to Minna to help formulate the plan to get out. But he had been at it for a couple of days already. Most significantly, he had failed.

     "It's not like we can take the Amtrak train out." He explained as his eyebrows knit together with frustration. "I've tried."

     "I know." Patch rolled her eyes. The two of them were walking aimlessly around the train station, never straying too far. Minna was pretty useless, but at least he was someone by her side. And of course two was always better than one. Just his simple presence reassured her. But still, he might be practically all useless incarnate.

     "Is there any other way?" Patch asked as they went along. "Why can't we just walk?"

     "To New York? You've gotta be joking." Minna gave her that flying-eight-legged-piggy-look as she has begun to think of it.

     Patch stuck her tongue out at him. "We've got time."

     "Yeah, but not that much." Minna stated bluntly.

     Patch stayed abnormally quiet for a while. To be honest she really disliked going in circles like they were currently doing. What she had planned to do before was to just keep going, no matter what. However, all Minna liked to do was just stick around, waiting for something to happen. It was really bothersome, considering all Patch wanted to do was get a move on.

     "Come on, let's go." She spoke plainly and turned towards the trains. Minna stood there for a moment, opening his mouth to speak but then closing it soon after. When he realized that the younger girl wasn't going to stop he jogged in order to catch up.

     "What're you doing?" Minna asked her when he was again by her side. "Where are you going?"

     "I don't know." Patch replied smoothly. "But I am going to find some sort of transportation and get on it." She kept walking steadily as Minna padded along by her side. She guessed he was a little shocked by her suddenness but chose not to say anything against it. That was fine.

     "You know," he said after a moment, "there are these cargo trains a little farther down that we might be able to get on. I'm pretty sure it's illegal but..." But nothing, as Patch had always said to Landon. It was something. It would work. Patch looked at the older boy and smiled genuinely.

     "Thank you." She told him. "Can you please show the way?" Minna jumped, startled by her happy grin. He didn't expect that reaction from her. It was... endearing almost.

      "Sure..."

     Again Patch smiled at him. It was a very squinty smile this time, but the reason for that manifested itself as she yawned.

     "Are you still tired?" Minna asked nonchalantly. As if sleeping in until one o'clock wasn't enough.

     "Not really, I'm just... drowsy. It's summer." Patch explained. That was useful information. Not. But then Minna realized that it really was the first calendar day of summer.

     "Summer, huh?" The idea of summer wasn't always the nicest thing to Minna. "How does summer make you drowsy?" Patch massaged her somewhat sore cheeks in circular motion as they walked, making her look like a baby chipmunk waddling around.

     "You know, never doing anything during summer except laying around. Well, maybe me and my best friend went out to get ice cream during the summer but that was just because we felt like it." Patch explained. She was feeling a bit nostalgic. Minna could tell.