Rift Chronicles

Rift Chronicles Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A New World

Raff took in her surroundings for a moment. There was a simple bench a few hundred feet from the border crossing at the end of a paved pathway which was lined with well-manicured hedges. By the bench was a sign that Raff had read about in her research; it was called a bus stop. Doonar outlawed motorized vehicles, so Raff had never ridden in one before. Thinking about riding a bus for the first time made this all the more real. She had done what most Mandrakes never did: she had left the Grove.

She thought for a second about the Hunter's exams. Every year, the exam was held in a new location. This was part of the test to become a Hunter. After all, a Hunter needed to know how to gather information and then use it to navigate to their destination. She knew that the exam did not start for a month, so she had time to find it. Still, she was in a new land completely unfamiliar to her. This was going to be a challenge.

She made her way over to the bench and sat down on it. She looked up at the bus stop sign and read the time schedule on it. The next stop was at 10 AM. Judging by the sun, it still might be another hour or so before the bus arrived she thought. Raff said to herself, "I guess I'll wait."

She chatted with the three other Mandrakes that had also gone through the crossing as they all waited for the bus. One of the two women, whose name was Buttercup, had some family she was going to visit. Apparently, her brother was among the Lost. Occasionally, there were Mandrakes that left the Grove and refused to return to their way of life. These were known as the Lost, for to their families in the Grove, they had lost their way.

The man was a merchant and was running late today, so he was impatiently waiting for the bus, pacing back and forth. His name was Pine, and he was actually the same Mandrake Raff had bought books from about the outside world. It had been years since their paths last crossed but he didn't seem to have time for a reunion with her.

Maple, the other woman, had wanted to see what the outside world was like and finally had built up the courage to take a bus ride. She had worked at the border crossing for a few years now but had never been outside of Doonar territory. Of course, Raff told them all that she was heading out for the Hunter's exams when some of them asked her where she was going.

After some time, Raff heard what sounded like a faint rumble from further down the road. Shortly thereafter, what looked like a small blue box appeared around the bend. It grew bigger and bigger as it drew closer, and the faint rumble turned into a steady purr-like growl. Raff could now see that there was a window on the front of the box and a row of windows running down its side. The other three Mandrakes stood up; the bus had arrived. It was far bigger than Raff had imagined. The bus pulled in front of the stop sign, stopped, and a metal folding door opened on its side.

The other Mandrakes went in through the door one at a time. Raff followed their lead and went in and up the stairs. There was a human man sitting in the front seat behind a steering wheel and a box that some of the other Mandrakes had swiped a card through or put some coins into. Raff stared at the box, unsure what to do.

The man looked at her with a little annoyance. He said in a dull tone, "You swipe your bus pass through there or it's fifty credits. Drop the coins into the coin slot or swipe the card through the card reader. You have money, right?"

Raff, a little bit embarrassed, hastily got out her coin pouch. She found a fifty credit coin and dropped it in the coin slot. She saw Maple had taken a seat on one of the many benches and was gesturing at Raff to come over. Raff walked over and asked, "Yes, Maple?"

Maple was a middle-aged woman, slightly on the heavy side. Her green hair was done up in a bun. She smiled at Raff. "You can sit by me if you like, deary. I'm sorry that man was rude."