“My son was innocent, Eliz… Yes, they were both teenagers. We all know they were soft on the head... But everyone at the party told me that Francheska was taking too many drinks, the night you and Philippe got wed in Forest Green. Yes, Benjamin had a crush on Francheska, but I know my son! I know my son, Eliz! He might not have remembered everything because he was extremely drunk and had popped some drugs… but I know, he couldn’t do such a thing. Francheska’s claim, that she was raped in the woods, near our lake house, lacked evidence, Elizabeth. It lacked evidence! And now, I don’t know where my dear Benjamin is…”
There was another moment of painful silence!
“There’s not a day that passes by, that I do not think of my son, Elizabeth…” Grandma Lucy struggled to wipe her tears. “I always do…” She broke into another sob.
Still, silence served as Elizabeth’s recourse. There were no words to mollify or lessen the situation she and Grandma Lucy were in.
“I’m going back to Forest Green tonight!” Grandma Lucy wiped another stream of tears. “Sophia’s getting better and I think she doesn’t need me anymore!” she proceeded cold-bloodedly, and was about to leave the room.
Elizabeth stopped her. “Your granddaughter still needs you, Mom. We need you! Please… give our family another chance,” she said, attempting to meet Grandma Lucy’s eyes.
“I have to get back there, Eliz!” Grandma Lucy insisted, and left Elizabeth, in a rush.
Sophia heard some echoes of shouts, ringing, from her father’s office, and she decided to go there. Witnessing how Grandma Lucy recklessly exited the room, she knew they had a fight. Then, she made haste, to check on her mom.
Witnessing those tearful eyes of her mother, Sophia ran to console her.
“Mom, are you all right?”
Not a single word came out from Elizabeth’s trembling mouth as she rested on Philippe’s chair.
“Mom?” Sophia repeated. “What’s wrong?”
Elizabeth blinked back her tears and pretended she was fine, looking at her daughter with a mixture of love and regret.
Sophia’s innocent face slowly frowned as her hands rested on her mother’s arm. “Mom, is there something that I can do?” Watching her mom, watching the heavy rainfall from her mother’s eyes, it felt like the downward pull of her chest was much stronger than gravity.
Elizabeth’s bare hands sponged her tears down but a dew magnified her daughter’s face. “I’m fine, honey! I’m fine! Have you already decided to attend Ms. Bun’s art class?”
The pallid smile of Elizabeth poked Sophia. Agreeing was one way to drift her mom’s sadness away, she thought, and so she acted with full-blown interest.
“Yes, Mom. I’m actually excited to attend it.”
“I’m glad you finally decided. I’ll call Ms. Bun, then,” Elizabeth concluded, her face finally revealing signs of relief.
Chapter 19
Remember Me
The first light of the succeeding day came. The floor was cold when Sophia evacuated her bed and prepared for her art class. She was too nervous so that she did not even know which way to start.
Downstairs, while preparing for breakfast, Elizabeth decided to check on her daughter.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Sophia, from the shower room, asked, with rosy cheeks, when she saw her mom placing clothes on her bed. She was quite uncomfortable to be seen with just a towel wrapped around her body.
“Sophia, honey, here are your blouse and skirt. Avoid wearing skinny jeans or anything revealing. You know, Ms. Bun is very conservative.”
With her mouth hung wide open, Sophia murmured, nodding, waiting for her mom to get out so she could finally doll up.
“Mom, are you not gonna leave? I have to... dress up.” Sophia reminded her mom, when Elizabeth lingered.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Actually, I’m about to leave now.” Elizabeth laughed briefly, when suddenly, she saw a small tattoo at her daughter’s upper right shoulder, at the back. It froze Elizabeth.
“Is that a tattoo you have there at your back?” Elizabeth approached her uneasily.
“What? I don’t know, Mom!” Sophia hurried to check it, in front of the mirror. She was too impatient to see it and didn’t notice her mom’s rising anger.
Elizabeth drew closer to her and examined her tattoo, as if she was digging for gold. “Sophia, what were you doing with your body?” Elizabeth began scolding and saw the word forever in her tattoo. “Since when did you have this?”
“Mom, I don’t know! I have amnesia, remember?” The color drained from Sophia’s face as her mom looked at her more closely, her mom’s expression a blend of puzzlement and concern.
“Your tattoo is inappropriate for you. Get dressed now, and I’ll drive you to your art class.” Then, Elizabeth went back downstairs, disappointed.
Sophia exerted a lot of effort to look at her tattoo again, self-questioning how she had it, until it finally frustrated her. And so, she began dressing up, and also went downstairs.
The steering wheel appeared more fragile than glass when Elizabeth drove Sophia’s red mini-Cooper. It was not used for months now, and Elizabeth decided to use it in the hope of bringing back Sophia’s old memories.
Sophia looked vacantly through the windshield. She was thinking of what could happen later, of how to introduce herself in front of the class, and the like, but one thing that bothered her the most was… if she could still sketch or paint.
“If you need something, don’t forget to call me or your dad.” Elizabeth attempted to distract her.
Sophia managed a nod.
Now, they were almost approaching Emerald Building.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Elizabeth stirred Sophia again, after Sophia admitted she couldn’t eat earlier. “We’re thirty minutes early. We could still grab some pancakes and bacon…”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll grab my meal later.” Sophia gave her mom a smile, then planted a kiss on Elizabeth’s flawless cheeks.
It was an absolute bombshell to Elizabeth and it made her freeze up, disbelieving the latter act from her daughter. She was never kissed by Sophia, before. Before the amnesia, Elizabeth amended silently.
“Sophia…” Elizabeth grabbed Sophia’s hand, the moment she recovered from her surprise.
“Yes, Mom?”
“Take care of yourself, okay? And be careful of strangers!” Elizabeth was exceptionally serious in saying it.
Dumbstruck, Sophia widened her smile. “Yes, Mom. I will.”
And then, Elizabeth provided her a quick once-over as soon as Sophia stepped out of the car.
Sophia arrived in class and saw ten of her classmates. Glancing, she saw five vacant chairs at the back—three at the second-to-the-last row and two at the last one. She went straight to the nearest one but Ms. Bun saw her and welcomed her. She turned red-faced when all of her classmates began to scrutinize her. But she handled the situation fairly enough, and hurried to sit down again.
She was taking down notes about the introduction to the program when a tall guy suddenly entered the room.
“Oh! I suppose you are Mr. Leivinhyde!” Ms. Bun spoke in obvious pleasure, and began to introduce him to the class.
The tall guy took his shades off and beamed. He thanked Ms. Bun for her warm welcome and looked for an available seat.
“Wow! He’s really hot!” one of the females whispered, in admiration.
Still writing and absolutely clueless about the new guy’s presence, Sophia overheard, then out of curiosity, she finally set her eyes on him. One way or another, she was suddenly mesmerized.
The tall guy was looking at her, too, keenly, and a partial smile was bestowed upon her. Unexpectedly, he sat down beside her.
“Hi! I’m Jericho,” he spoke with confidence.
Sophia flushed and wondered if he was the Jericho she knew in her diary. In a flash, she excused herself and ran to the lady’s room.
Terribly bothered, she appeared before the mirror,
while she washed her face again and again, trying to stop the shaking of her hands. She paused for a moment and pressed her fingertips to her eyes as if the pressure would stop her tension. Then, she took a deep breath and wiped her face with tissue paper.
When she was somewhat eased, she went out and was startled to see Jericho, waiting outside the lady’s room, as if she was his target.
She stopped, motionless, her heart beating fast and loud.
Jericho, as he stood against the wall facing the door, noticed her fast and shallow breathing.
“Are you scared of me?” he asked with a dagger look.
“I... I’m not feeling well,” Sophia reacted, stumbling.
“Really? I’m a doctor. I suppose you need me.”
Upon hearing it, Sophia felt like she waned.
Jericho looked sharper and more tempting. He was trying to figure out if she knew something about him.
Sophia attempted to escape from him but Jericho suddenly grasped her right hand and led her straight to the lady’s room, and swiftly locked the door knob. Then, he began to interrogate her.
“Let go of me!” Sophia protested aggressively.
Jericho carefully pushed her against the wall and examined her from head to toe. “Do you not remember me, Sophia?”
With her eyes avoiding his piercing look, Sophia grew scared. “I don’t know you! Please, get off me!”
“Even if you scream right now, no one will hear you, Sophia.” Jericho clutched her even tighter. “Now, if you’ll allow me... I just want to explain some few things.”
Sophia ceaselessly pleaded for him to let her go, but Jericho was unwilling.
“Please, don’t hurt me!” Sophia begged severely, as tears started to fall from her terrified eyes.
“I would never hurt you, Sophia,” Jericho assured.
“What do you want from me?” Sophia turned even more frightened as she incessantly endeavored to flee his overpowering skintight grip.
“I just want you to trust me and listen to what I’ll say. I promise that I won’t hurt you, Sophia,” Jericho mellowed, and voluntarily wiped her tears with his caring hands.
Sophia paused, shaking. She looked at him again and begged him to let go of her. This time, her face manifested courage.
“Sophia, I missed you so much.” Jericho bared his emotions uninvited, as he laid his head on her chest. “Why do these things have to happen to us?” He poured out even more words!
Silence took over the place for a while and then, Jericho spoke again, his voice echoing more heartache. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited just to have you this close again... and now that you’re here with me, I would never let anything hinder our way again. Never again, Sophia.”
Sophia grew paralyzed. His begging voice instantly blocked every impulse in her brain, and she found it hard to process his words. But they sounded genuine, loving, and kind.
“I lost you once, Sophia. And I don’t know if I can go through it again. You don’t know how shattered I was when you left, and until now.” Then, he grabbed her soft hand and placed it in his chest, allowing Sophia to feel the pounding of his heart.
Sophia did not know what to feel at that very moment. All she knew was the warmth of his approaching embrace and the tender touch of his hands. There was no mistake that he was slowly drowning her in the depths of his love, and soon, her ocean-blue eyes merged into his sea-green ones.
Their eyes met, unblinking!
Sophia’s vanishing strength worsened when Jericho began tracing the shape of her lips, sending powerful messages to every part of her being. He appeared very alluring, and he was undeniably irresistible. Then, his bloodshot lips moved forward to cover hers.
Frozen, Sophia closed her eyes as Jericho’s mouth journeyed over hers. And she felt like she travelled, too, to a place unknown, as she felt the extreme thirst in his passionate kisses.
Intense as his kisses and grip were, Sophia was pushed more and more against the wall—with Jericho not allowing their lips to slide away from each other.
Buried under, Sophia’s mind battled. She distanced herself, then, and rushed to leave him.
Dismayed yet determined enough, Jericho chased her.
“What do you want from me?” Sophia repeated as she glided away from him. “Please, leave me alone now!”
Unwavering, Jericho pursued her and stopped her from walking too fast.
“Please, stop chasing me. I’m not even sure of who you are!”
“It’s me, Jericho, the one who has always loved you since then. We grew up in Forest Green together…”
Now, Sophia was put to a sudden halt. She bent her head down and pacified herself.
“Please, do not forget that this never happened,” Jericho implored. “I love you, Sophia. Please, give me the chance to get you back.”
Seeing the man appearing like a boy, Sophia’s emotions went off, like a thunderstorm, and it felt like breathing, for her, was impossible.
They were suddenly disturbed, as Sophia’s cell phone rang.
Startled, Sophia quickly answered it and was blown away by her mother’s earsplitting voice.
“Honey, I decided to go back and visit you in your art class but Ms. Bun told me that you went out and never came back! Where are you? I am here at Emerald Building! Come back here and I’ll wait for you in the lobby!” Elizabeth’s tone ricocheted rage and disappointment.
Upon hearing it, Sophia slowly met Jericho’s worried eyes.
His eyes seemed to beg for more moments with her. Jericho understood it but he couldn’t stand to let her go without reassuring her of his serious intentions.
“Sophia, please, wait a second!” Jericho risked grabbing her hands. Then, he brought out something from his pocket. “Please, take my cell phone and hotel address.”
Hotel address? Sophia pondered over, her fright turning for the worse.
Jericho felt it was stupid of himself to offer his hotel address outright, and he wished he hadn’t shown it. But out of his eagerness and excessive hope to get her back, he still put it forward, wishing for a positive response from her.
Uncertain, Sophia let her gaze go over the expensive mobile phone and elegant small piece of paper.
“I’ll be calling you through this phone. Promise me, don’t let anyone know about us, not even your family. I’ll explain everything when I call you,” Jericho instructed as he handed them to her, by force.
Sophia dropped her head, still, unwilling to accept them, and remembered what her mom told her: to stay away from strangers. Her guilty conscience instantly enclosed her and crushed her.
“Please, take them,” Jericho begged, harder.
Hard-pressed, Sophia finally received them, and went to her already-incensed mom.
Sophia was already far away but Jericho didn’t stop watching her every step, craving for a possible chance to have her again. Out of habit, he went back to the kiss they shared years ago, and a while ago, and he plunged himself into these. Then, he remembered the sweet, fragile magic of their childhood, especially the times they sneaked into the lake house. Too much water had surged under the bridge, then. She was alluring, young, and innocent. She was all his and he was all hers. Heavens, he was craving for more cloud nine, and if only he could travel back to those days of their young love, he would, without any uncertainty.
Feeling over the moon, Jericho caught himself smiling, and began his unhurried footsteps, to follow her again.
Chapter 20
Your Song, Our Song
“Where have you been?” Elizabeth’s voice seemed to reach the heavens, the moment she saw her daughter approaching.
Sophia, blank and quiet, was not able to respond to her mother right away. Her mind was somewhere else, and she could not stop thinking of him.
“Sophia, are you listening to me?” Elizabeth kept on, her blood’s boiling point elevating. “What’s happening to you? Are you sick or something?”
Sophia’s thoughts of Jericho were dis
turbed fully and finally, when her mother’s voice became angrier and louder. Then, she looked up, at her mom, still zilch of words, and floating.
“Tell me if you’re not interested anymore in this art class, and I’ll tell Ms. Bun!” Elizabeth stressed. Her disappointment was extending all over the place.
Scared stiff, Sophia immediately showed her interest and explained that something distracted her. It was followed by consecutive apologies, but in two minds, (for she debated with herself if she had to reveal her encounter with Jericho to her mom, or not).
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, feeling persuaded, to some extent, and in due course, forgave her daughter. “All right. Let’s go home now. I’ll call Ms. Bun later.”
Sophia managed a nod and walked with her mom, until they approached the parking lot. As the car moved, Jericho appeared through the all-glass windows of the building, with a steady and passionate stare at her side of the car.
Sophia looked at him, too, and felt so out-of-herself until they arrived home, before lunch.
A symphony of catering sounds came from the kitchen, and they found Philippe cooking.
“Honey, what’s the occasion?” Elizabeth eyed Philippe interestingly, sensing the smell of pasta, cooking.
“Oh, I think we should celebrate Nadine’s newly-found talent.” Philippe displayed boundless excitement. “I’m cooking pasta by the way, and later, I’ll mix it with arugula pesto and grilled chicken.” Then, he made a move to kiss Elizabeth and saw Sophia’s silent presence, from behind.
“You’re home, so early?” he asked Sophia.
Sophia stayed shut, showing no intentions of responding.
“Nadine’s quite easy to teach piano today,” Alex, who was hidden when he bent down to get cherry tomatoes from the fridge, meddled.
“Nadine just learned to play the piano. Only the basics, but not that bad,” Philippe supplemented.
Lost in the Wilderness - The Forest of Evergreen Book 1 Page 14
