Lost in the Wilderness - The Forest of Evergreen Book 1

by Teresa May B. Bandiola

  “Well, it’s your grandma’s plea and she misses you a lot already. Plus, you never visited Forest Green, not even once in your life. So your mother and I decided to take you there.” Philippe was selective with his words, and he was referring particularly to Alex and Nadine, since Sophia grew up separately in Forest Green, with Grandma Lucy, Philippe’s mom. It was only on her thirteenth birthday when Philippe and Elizabeth took her to live with them in Orlando.

  At the onset of her life with them, Sophia was entirely secluded and she was filled with notions of being deserted. But in the long run, she finally found her niche in the city and accepted things the way they were. Sadly though, there had been a lot of things missing in her life, and she did her part to fill them up, piece by piece.

  “When will we return?” Alex asked again.

  “Monday.”

  “So, that means we’re going to be marked absent in school?”

  “Not exactly. I already sent letters of excuse to your respective school principals,” answered Philippe and glanced surreptitiously at Elizabeth.

  “Yes! We’re visiting Forest Green!” once more, Nadine shrieked. This time, with a livelier tone.

  “Yes, honey! And grandma also has a lake house there, near a wide green forest! It would be perfect for a picnic,” Elizabeth said in a high-spirited tone, quite convincing now, even to Alex. However, Sophia’s abrupt hush caused Elizabeth some burden.

  “Honey, hey?” Elizabeth put a hand on Sophia’s shoulder and attempted to catch her eye. “It’s Forest Green, aren’t you excited to see grandma?”

  “I do, Mom! It’s just that... it’s been years since....” Sophia bowed down her head, with the intent of not finishing her sentence. On impulse, unwelcome flashbacks penetrated her mind, especially the day when she left Forest Green. Someone back there was squeezing her heart, for so long now.

  At once, quietness settled the place, as if a horde of ghosts had passed by!

  Elizabeth persisted in facing Sophia, eye-to-eye, to discern her daughter’s thoughts, but she suddenly understood it all, all so clearly and that shook her resolve.

  To change the topic, Philippe announced that the storm would be gone the following day, and that classes would be resuming.

  “In that case, the prom will not be postponed,” responded Alex, with a jolly voice to clear up the atmosphere. Although Alex was ten months ahead of Sophia, they happened to be both junior students of St. Thomas Academy, a Catholic school, and one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. As for Nadine, she was a fifth grader in the same school.

  In a little while, surprisingly, the sun was already starting to come into sight and the mists, everywhere, were already outshone by the sun’s glimmer.

  Still seated on the elliptical table, Nadine finally had the guts to break the sickening silence. With a cup of Belgian hot chocolate in her right hand, she cheered, “This is for Sophie, for qualifying for the painting contest! Yehey!”

  Bulging at the seams with surprise, the rest of them congratulated Sophia too, but Sophia reacted hesitantly. Nonetheless, such applause from Nadine went well and they finished their breakfast like nothing unpleasant happened.

  Chapter 2

  The Prom Night

  The succeeding day arrived and Sophia found it difficult to get up. Two hours of sleep plus a disturbing nightmare ruined her ordinary day. But having no sleep was better than a Gehenna, she thought, and noticed that she was still holding her diary, unable to set it aside when the early crack of dawn finally invited her to darkness. And to some rest.

  Her mind struggled to push the memory of the nightmare, away, and focused on the painting contest instead. Although there were still four months to go, she plunged herself into it, to escape and to move on.

  As usual, she looked outside through the windows and absorbed herself with the easterly sun; the sky shot with yellow rays as it glinted in her eyes.

  Morning was always her favorite time of the day, the time when new chances were brought to life, like a blank page to write on another new life chapter.

  Lost in thought, her scheduled alarm finally rang, the sound so earsplitting as if the four walls of her room would rupture at any moment. Then she galloped to stop it, and a text came. It was from Zarah, reminding her of their dresses for the prom. Then and there, she felt zero excitement for the occasion. Yet she tried to give Zarah a positive reply.

  She sat in front of the mirror and gently brushed her soft honey-hued hair that passed her shoulders. For about half an hour, she did nothing but sit there, staring blankly and stolidly. She was bothered, truly bothered by their impending visit to Forest Green. She tried hard not to think of him, nor to allow even a flashback of his face in her memory. But it was impossible. She just couldn’t help herself seeing Jericho’s face all over again.

  She thumped herself on forehead before the dresser’s mirror. Why am I seeing you? Please, let go now. Her eyes were almost tearful when she ran over these thoughts in her mind.

  The moment she got her composure back, she hurried for a quick shower and kept blinking back the tears.

  Miraculously for St. Thomas Academy, high school students were not obliged to wear school uniforms, only the grade-schoolers were. So for this day, Sophia could wear anything she liked. She put on her plain white sleeveless blouse—one of the thousand gifts from her mother on her sixteenth birthday of about seven months ago—and paired it with fitted jeans. The only accessories she used on her body were her silver necklace tinted with small beads of diamonds, and a leather-strapped silver watch, both from her father during her first few months with them. She had her heels on, adding one and a half inches to her five-eleven, sensual frame. Her closets were filled with elegant shoes. On the other side of her shoe closet was a colossal cabinet of signature bags. Perhaps, such passion for fashion was demanded by her artistic side. Now, with some light makeup on and a heavenly mist of her favorite perfume, she was all set for school.

  On her way to join her family at the dining room, she made up her mind to skip breakfast. There was no urge to nibble on anything, not even a small piece of bread. Everything that she left in Forest Green kept on haunting her ever since her mother announced the upcoming outing yesterday, and she wished that their plan of visiting it was just a part of last night’s distressing nightmare.

  Entering the room, she saw everyone already seated. Their fond gaze on her deprived her of her breath right away, and it reminded her of the first time she joined them for breakfast, just the day after she left Forest Green. The picture was the same, that seemed to congeal and leave her gaping at them, while standing. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she blocked all the memory impulses that came out of her dread.

  “I’m not hungry. I’m going to school now.”

  “Why in a hurry?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, why?” Nadine echoed.

  Sophia’s mouth froze as their gawk travelled over her, unable to process right away their questions in her mind.

  “I… I’m really not hungry,” she finally admitted, while her long and thick eyelashes dropped down. “I really have to go. Bye now.”

  “Sophie, are you sure?” Elizabeth rushed to ask, but Sophia already exited the dining room.

  “What’s her problem?” Alex wondered.

  “I don’t know.” Nadine shrugged her shoulders innocently.

  But the moment was a hard punch in the gut for Philippe and Elizabeth, that drew out all the air from their lungs.

  Sophia was now heading to their covered car park, which was extended, at their backyard, replacing the swimming pool that almost drowned Nadine when she was three. Parked in there were their parents’ black Mercedes Benz, Sophia’s red mini-Cooper, Alex’s silver BMW, and a Chevrolet truck, an extra one.

  With her mind somewhere in the clouds, Sophia hardly noticed that her parents called her and almost chased her, across the pavement.

  “Hey! Did I mention that you look stunning with that blouse I
gave you?” Elizabeth’s adoring preliminaries went beyond Sophia, as Philippe and his pained look continued to reach her.

  The voice of Elizabeth did not reach Sophia right away. Instead, she was engrossed entirely by her father’s stare, and it had the power to set butterflies in her stomach, once again.

  With his face undergoing the most painful ordeal, Philippe stepped closer to Sophia. “Sophia, about Forest Green…”

  Sophia immediately shifted her gaze sideways and fixed her eyes on their well-crafted landscapes, filled with blossoming flowers that instantly sent a calming effect to her nostrils. She thought of Nadine, of her sister’s bouncing excitement for Forest Green. Though it killed her, she then forced herself to persuade her parents, that she was actually delighted to go to Forest Green. She tried her best to deliver it, wishing it wasn’t a lie.

  Listening to her, Philippe and Elizabeth were fairly swayed and whispered their goodbyes as soon as Sophia proceeded to her car.

  But something reminded Elizabeth, and she dashed to stop her daughter again.

  “Oh, by the way, Soph…”

  “What is it, Mom?” Sophia turned to face her mother.

  “Your grandma called. She said she deposited in your bank account. Perhaps, for your dress for prom…”

  Sophia dampened her lips and glanced downwards, avoiding her mother’s resolute eyes. Why would her grandma send her money, especially for an occasion that involved dancing? She had always been strict, and she never wanted her to have a social life either. What was the catch?

  Ages passed by and Sophia finally said something. “In that case, tell her my warmest thanks, Mom.” It was followed by a compulsory smile.

  “All right.” Elizabeth sighed and swallowed, with a prominent ripple movement in her throat. She easily perceived the forced smile in her daughter’s lips. She knew her daughter and Grandma Lucy weren’t close. Ever. But for some reason, Elizabeth did not want any melodramatic scene with her daughter again, hence, she tossed more praises on Sophia’s appearance. “You look really beautiful, Soph. Try not to turn every head, okay?”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Sophia chirped. This time, her face showed no smile at all.

  “Take good care of yourself, then. Be good in school. Avoid any form of trouble.” Elizabeth spoke in a rush and hastened to squash Sophia in her soft arms.

  “I will, Mom, but I have to go.” Sophia struggled to escape her mother’s embrace. “Bye, Dad.” She shot a hand-wave at her father and continued her forward motion to her car.

  Philippe did the same and went to Elizabeth, relieved that their conversation went well with their daughter.

  Hands on the steering wheel, Sophia remembered to check the time. It was still seven twenty eight, thirty two minutes before her first class. Along the way, she noticed the mass of fallen tree branches scattered at both sides of the streets. She drove on, and at Olympus Heights’ main gate, she was greeted by the security guards, giving her a grin so awful, that strained her nerves and made her drive faster.

  She passed by one of the busiest avenues in the city and longed for a cup of cappuccino-to-go at her favorite coffee shop. Unfortunately for her, the parking lot was already full. But when she finally saw a car leaving, she immediately took a U-turn and drove fast, to occupy it.

  She was about to leave her car when, from nowhere, someone called her name. She instantly looked around, wondering who called her, although the voice was familiar. Then, a girl her age, in a white shirt and a red scarf appeared within sight.

  “Sophia,” she repeated.

  Finally, Sophia came to realize that it must be Daniella, one of her classmates during her freshman year.

  “Daniella?” she asked uncertainly. “You look different. What are you doing here? I thought—” Her delighted sentence was cut when Daniella eagerly responded to her queries.

  “Working! I stopped schooling for a while.” Daniella walked closer to her. “I was serving when I saw you parking your car and I thought that I could come to you, to talk to you actually,” she added with an easygoing voice.

  Sophia was glad to see her good friend once again. “I thought you already left the city.” She looked at Daniella with disguised pity.

  “Personal problems, that’s why…”

  Beholding such a sardonic smile and desolate eyes from an old friend, Sophia decided to act sensitive.

  “How are you now, Sophia? It’s been... I think, two years since I last saw you,” Daniella continued, seemingly even more outgoing, with the way she spoke now.

  “I’m fine. How about you?”

  “You know, after all that happened... I am actually thankful these days. Being away from my foster family now is like an unchained reef knot in the neck!”

  “What? Don’t tell me you ran away from home?” Sophia’s loads of curiosity manifested entirely through her face.

  With a mysterious smile, Daniella answered, “Um, something like that,” while taking a look inside the restaurant at the other side of the street. “I think I have to go now. More customers are invading the diner,” she exaggerated, while smiling, and Sophia conferred her a sincere grin and a tight hug, that brought them back to their memoirs of freshman year.

  Sophia was left alone again and a sudden recurrence of the night she was with Daniella hit her; a night that Sophia was now ashamed to remember. She recalled exactly how her parents searched the entire city and found Daniella and her intoxicated in the streets. It was so risky, such that her parents grounded her for almost a month. She recalled how empty she felt in those days.

  The sound of a harsh car distracted her thoughts as it passed by in front of her. She looked at her wrist watch and discovered that it was almost time for her English class. Groaning, she hurried back to her car and drove like a jet.

  With shivering hands, Sophia rushed through the hallway and climbed the stairs up to the third floor of their one-hundred-year-old five-story school building. She was five minutes late now.

  At the door, she noticed that all her classmates were already seated, wishing to survive Mr. Anderson’s one-hour-and-a-half boring lecture. Cautiously, she opened the back door so as not to distract the class, but Mr. Anderson saw her and gave her an intense look that made her blood heat up on her face. She quickly apologized and went straight to her seat.

  “Where have you been?” her best friend, Zarah, asked, whose seat was just beside her.

  Sophia beamed, not saying anything to avoid any further noise that would infuriate their English teacher. She was pretty aware of his limited patience towards those students talking during discussions. Then, she took a momentary look at her back and saw Giovanni. The gloomy look of him made her feel she owned all the brunt in the world. Pressing her eyes tightly, she risked smiling at him, trying to tell him that she was sorry, but Zarah’s whisper unfocused her.

  “Girl, don’t forget about our dresses, okay?”

  “Yes, I won’t,” Sophia replied under her voice, forcing herself to feel excited, too, for the prom. Having Zarah as her brother’s girlfriend always seemed to compel her to agree to everything Zarah asked her. Nonetheless, Zarah had always been a good friend since they first met in the summer, before they turned juniors.

  When the class ended earlier than usual, Sophia asked Zarah if she could accompany her to the cafeteria for some beverages.

  “Sure,” Zarah agreed delightedly. They got up from their seats but Giovanni was suddenly upon them.

  Zarah knew that the two needed to talk, so she left them, in the meantime.

  Sophia appeared like a little chick in front of a livid rooster. “I’m sorry,” she said, holding her hands. “I’m sorry that I overreacted. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay. I miss you already.” Giovanni’s response echoed piningly, as he offered her a warm hug. “I couldn’t stand a day without you talking to me,” he said to further bare his emotions.

  Sophia’s face felt like glowing. One of the hefty burdens on her shoulders had just been lift
ed. She hugged Giovanni back, telling him that she was again sorry and that she forgave him for being late at their meeting place, the other night. (It was their first month together at that time, and Sophia was already at the restaurant, waiting for him. She did not know that Giovanni was actually busy preparing for her, a huge surprise.)

  “I’m glad that you’re no longer mad at me.” Giovanni’s gaze lingered, exposing his heart, and kissed his girlfriend’s forehead.

  Sophia half-smiled and set her roaming marine eyes on his black hair that passed his hairline, featuring a uniform length that had spikiness all throughout.

  They were distracted when Zarah slipped in and reminded them of the cafeteria. Her loud voice, which the two could overhear, made Giovanni a tad frustrated.

  Giovanni, instead, held Sophia’s hand as they walked to the cafeteria with Zarah.

  “Okay! So here’s the plan. After buying our dresses, I will be at your house,” Zarah talked to Sophia as they looked for an available table, leaving Giovanni listening in.

  “All right.” Sophia made sure some thrill bounced off of her tone to compensate her best friend’s eagerness for the prom. Then, she took a quick look at Giovanni, and perceived his own enthusiasm for the event.

  When they finally found an unoccupied table, Giovanni intervened in their chat.

  “By the way, I’ll drop by your house later. Alex asked me to help him tonight,” he said as he put on the table a box of mocha cupcakes from his backpack. They were perfectly prepared, topped with espresso frosting that no one would dare to resist. (It was made by Giovanni’s mom for Sophia, and there was no denying that his mom truly adored her. And she even joked Elizabeth about an arranged marriage for their kids. After all, they belonged to the same line, in the business world.)

  “Oh! I see,” the two girls reacted simultaneously as they sat opposite each other on a small square table. The guys could have arranged something for them.

  Still standing before them, Giovanni asked what the two girls wanted to drink.

  “Greek frappé,” Zarah quickly responded.