The moment they arrived at Grandma Lucy’s, Sophia hurried upstairs. She laid in bed crying, ashamed of herself. Why in the world would she ever deserve someone like Jericho, whose compassion and affection was impossible to recompense, not even a piece of it?
The dusk proceeded, with parades of flashbacks in Sophia’s mind. It was clear to her now that throughout those almost four years of Jericho’s absence, it had turned her heart fonder. There were still those sparks! The forbidden sparks! For they were too young (especially her).
Sophia struggled to let go of all her affection for Jericho. Troubled she turned for it only meant that she was falsehearted with Giovanni.
“I’m sorry… forgive me, please,” Sophia cried at Giovanni’s picture in her cell phone. She ensued dictating herself that she loved Giovanni and at some part of her heart, it was true. But her love and stinging thirst for Jericho were always there, firmly hovering at the very bottom of her heart.
Sophia begged Bea that dinner time to let everyone know that she would not be joining them. More importantly, she asked Bea to remain silent about her encounter with Jericho.
Bea understood it fairly enough and reassured Sophia when Elizabeth suddenly knocked on the door.
“What’s going on?” Elizabeth snooped, witnessing those swollen eyes of her daughter.
“Um, I’ll just go downstairs.” Bea was mindful enough to give Elizabeth a private exchange with Sophia.
Looking at her daughter, Elizabeth craved for the same personal conversation, just like how Sophia bared her heart to Bea.
“Hey.” Elizabeth exerted her best to make Sophia confess why she reddened those ocean-blue eyes.
Eons seemed to follow... for Sophia remained silent, vacantly looking at her hands that never stopped from trembling.
“Sophia, honey…” The light tone of Elizabeth echoed tons of concern but still, there were no signs of responsiveness.
Obviously, Sophia did not want any disclosure. She knew that once she let the cat out of the bag, it would all come badly to her grandma, and beyond doubt, there would be, again, an unending cavalcade of stage shows, involving Jericho. She didn’t want a repeat of the past. For her, the past was only meant to be buried. Too much water had already flowed. Never again.
Sensing her daughter’s slight coldness, Elizabeth thought that it would be best to leave her now. She gasped for air and left with full understanding.
Sophia initiated movements again, just after her mother closed the door. Though she did try, she couldn’t shorten the distance between her and her mother, especially with the rocky highways of her struggle, of those from her childhood. She had grown up learning to depend on Bea.
The night deepened.
Steadfastly, a roar erupted from Sophia’s pit of longing, for Jericho. And she exerted all her paramount efforts to silence it.
Chapter 7
Forget Me Not
The family was all set to leave.
Though it was heartbreaking, Grandma Lucy tried to appear lively before them. Deep inside, she knew it might take years for them to visit Forest Green again.
“I’ll be missing you all.” Grandma Lucy released her sentiments.
“Don’t worry, Gran. We will visit you more often from now on.” Alex attempted to relieve his grandma’s melancholy.
“Yes, Grandma. Alex is right and we will miss you too,” Nadine supplemented as she fetched up her goodbyes.
Sophia, quiet and tearful at the front porch, neared Grandma Lucy and Bea. She bequeathed them her hugs and kisses and joined her family in the car. Yet, crucial discernments and silent cautionings were delivered to Bea through Sophia’s heartfelt stare.
“Okay, before we embark, is there something we forgot?” Philippe asked everyone while starting the engine.
“Nothing, Dad,” Alex and Nadine responded, but for Sophia, she was evidently out of herself. The car moved, and Sophia rolled the window down, wishing to be flown away with the fresh air. She wished for Forest Green memories to be wiped out, once and for all, but the green mountains they passed by reminded her so much of those gigantic white wings.
“Honey, I think we should drop by your daughter’s old school. I wanna see it,” Elizabeth told Philippe.
“Yes, hon! That’s actually a good idea.”
Sophia strongly vetoed it to herself. It would just remind her of the other things she already buried in the past.
“Honey, would you mind instructing me about the way?” Philippe looked at Sophia through the rearview mirror. “You know, the streets are no longer the same, even their names.”
“Um, take a right turn when we get at the crossing and another right turn later, Dad.”
“Okay!” Philippe continued driving, following his daughter’s instructions.
As they passed by certain business establishments and aged houses, familiar faces stirred Sophia’s blood. Two-faced, pointy little headed, and bare-faced people were all recognized by her; the people who once made her feel secluded. No matter how long ago it all was, she could not let loose to wash them away.
But there were still those mysteries why the townspeople always treated Sophia differently, as if she was something close to trouble. Even Jericho couldn’t explain it to Sophia, before. But one thing he told her once was... she was a product of a crime, which became the talk of the town for quite some time, and caused the Vabueretti Plantation to close down and make some people lose their jobs. However, Jericho and Sophia never knew what that felony was. Everybody seemed to be tight-lipped about it.
Soon, they were already approaching Forest Green School. It was empty because it was the town’s Foundation Day, another holiday.
Sophia was surprised to see many changes at her old school. The mahogany trees that crowded the school grounds were already cut off and a wide parking area took over. There used to be only one building but now, there were three. At the other side of the school, many commercial buildings were now erected but before, it was just a vast grassy meadow.
“I can’t believe it changed a lot,” Sophia uttered, unaware that she voiced it a bit loud.
“Really?” her family asked.
“Honey, you had a good school,” Elizabeth hailed.
Sophia slipped out of the car. The flag pole that took her back to the days of her grade school was the only thing that hadn’t changed. Gazing through their nation’s pure white rectangular flag with a bright yellow sun at the center, Sophia had enough of memories.
Her family got their feet out of the car too and eyed Sophia’s old school.
“Honey, we’re not going to stay long here. It will delay us from getting home,” Elizabeth then said, tapping her fingers on the car roof.
Sophia nodded, promising, herself, to look at the surroundings another time, and went back to the car.
The rest followed, and Philippe brought the car back to life.
They passed by a Roman Catholic church, and Sophia saw Michael, one of her concerned classmates before, gathering the dried leaves at the church’s front yard. Then, more reminiscences rushed in like flooding water. She remembered, Michael and Jericho once rescued her from drowning in the lake, during one summer camp. Tightening her grip, she risked a gaze at the other side and blocked all additional memories, before the torrential rain would pour from her eyes. Then, she observed her father, wondering if he had a good childhood, unlike her.
The family already exited Forest Green, and Sophia progressively fell into silence.
Elizabeth reminded Philippe to stop over at a minimart to buy something for their lengthy trip.
In a little while, Nadine began to sing. It was a type of country song that further aggravated Sophia’s sentiments.
Alex joined in and their voices were all over the car, making Sophia, at some point, irritated. Sophia didn’t want, of course, to kill the joy weaving through everyone’s mouths, but she just didn’t find it bearable. Owing to it, she focused her eyes on the pasture land they passed by and sighed it a
ll away.
On their one-hour drive, Philippe, at last, found a grocery store and pulled over.
For Elizabeth, she simply noticed how Sophia remained motionless. Because of it, she asked Sophia what she wanted to buy.
With a very unenergetic voice, Sophia returned a response, “I’m not hungry, Mom.” And though seeing Alex and Nadine readily escape the car, Sophia still didn’t change her mind. “You go ahead and I’ll just... stay here, Mom.”
Elizabeth crumpled her forehead. “Hmm…” She disregarded Sophia’s reason right away. “You didn’t have your dinner last night and breakfast this morning, and do you think I would believe you?”
“Mom, I’m not really hungry.”
“Are you sure?”
“Two hundred percent sure, Mom!” Sophia then exaggerated, to finally end her mom’s grilling.
“I’ll just buy for you, then. I don’t want you to get an ulcer,” Elizabeth said in a smooth voice and got out of the car, too.
On a whim, Sophia put on her earphones and eased herself, through pop music.
After almost half an hour, her family went back to her. She could see how Nadine loaded herself with junk food as if she could munch them, all throughout their entire way home.
Now, they were on the go again. Sophia stuck at being serene until they finally reached Orlando, at past eight in the evening. They were all tired, and none of them had eaten dinner. Instead, they went straight to their bedrooms and slept their tiredness away.
Chapter 8
The Melodies of Yesterdays
Sophia’s driving to school was shadowed with guilt. Later today, Giovanni would come to her with all his loving splendor, and she barely knew what to do anymore. Giovanni was the type of boyfriend that every girl could ask for, but it was Jericho who kept on pulling her back.
Making her way to the locker, Giovanni suddenly appeared before her, with a box wrapped in red and laced with a white ribbon.
“For you,” he said, smiling.
Her face on fire, Sophia tried to return the same smile, but it felt like her heart would fracture at any moment. The more Giovanni persisted, the more it killed her, and it just didn’t feel right anymore. “Thank you. I’ll open it later.” She slid another smile and quickly avoided Giovanni’s stare.
Then Zarah joined them with a rushing announcement. “Hey, you guys, have you heard of the good news?”
“Good news?” The two bestowed her with a puzzled look.
“Ms. Garcia has a leg injury! I heard the principal couldn’t find a substitute. Thank God! It’s not time for St. Thomas on Critical Thinking!” Zarah was obviously swarming with relief.
“Yeah, we understand you hate logic.” Giovanni passed her a mocking, friendly smile.
“And philosophy too,” Sophia incorporated, making Zarah the center of their ridicule.
“Hey, you guys! You know I’m not into those kind of things.” Zarah made fun of herself, too, and poked Sophia about Forest Green.
“How’s Forest Green? Did you have fun?” Zarah asked, and Giovanni listened in with interest.
A negative energy surrounded Sophia for a moment, thinking of words that would echo enjoyment and cover up the name Jericho. There was no way that his name would ever be mentioned, especially with Giovanni’s presence. And so, she brightened up her face and said, “It was fine,” adding more and more liveliness to her voice.
“That’s good. And Alex?” Zarah’s face immediately turned serious. She was aware of Alex’s Waterloo for girls. “Don’t tell me, he spent some time with some girls there!”
“Of course, not! My brother will always be loyal to you,” Sophia defended her brother but the word loyal somewhat slid a lump on her throat.
“Yeah, where is that guy, by the way?” Giovanni, finally said some words.
“In his Social Science class, maybe.”
Zarah’s assumption went wrong when Alex hastily joined them.
“Giovanni, I saw this posted. Battle of the Bands, bro! What do you say?” Alex handed Giovanni a flyer that was almost torn apart.
“Cool, bro! This will be a lot of fun!” Giovanni agreed laughing, giving Alex a high-five.
“Wow! That’s interesting!” The two girls slipped in, with glee too.
“Practice at the house, bro!” Alex offered, exceedingly excited. After a long wait, another award would add up to the hundred of trophies their band had received since grade school.
“Yeah, at the garage,” Sophia uttered and they all laughed at it.
When school was over that day, Alex and Giovanni waited for Sophia and Zarah at the parking lot, along with the rest of their band.
“So, what do you think of the song?” Shall we compose one?” Alex asked the guys.
“Yeah! More points if we have our own song,” Giovanni put forward.
“All right! So, what would be the theme of the song?” Rambo, their arrogant bass guitarist, asked.
“About heartbreak, perhaps?” Alex proposed.
“Heartbreak? Dude, come on!” they grumbled sniggering.
“Come on! It’s what girls want to listen to.”
“Whatever, dude!”
“Hey, Rambo! Jasmine just dumped you, right? I guess you would be the perfect one to write the lyrics!” Alex hit back.
“Wait a minute, dude! No! I don’t write down my heartbreaks!” Rambo shrugged more arrogance.
Their banter was fettered as soon as Sophia and Zarah came to them, endowing them a grin of curiosity because the guys were laughing out loud.
“Okay, the princesses are already here!” Alex clogged the giggling, and at the same time, asked everyone to already get into their cars.
They arrived at the Vabueretti residence in almost an hour, and rushed straight to the garage. All their musical instruments were still there, after several months of no-rehearsals for causing an earsplitting noise throughout the entire neighborhood. They initiated playing them yet again, and echoed the same loud noise that would definitely irritate the folks around.
“I think they need some refreshments,” Sophia spoke to Zarah, feeling like they needed to leave the guys.
“Aha,” Zarah nodded, and they went to the kitchen.
Alex, at a snap of a second, remembered he used to write a song before. He ran the lyrics through his mind and quickly wrote them down on a white paper, including the guitar chords.
Then, his bandmates read the lyrics as they listened to him with his acoustic guitar.
Everyone liked it. Quick as a flash, they began playing his song.
Sophia and Zarah were, of course, very supportive to the guys, but throughout every strumming of guitar and crooning of every lyric, Sophia couldn’tby farforget those pleasing melodies of yesterdays, of how Jericho sang before her, along with the songs he wrote for her. Though she did try, the ghosts of Forest Green just kept on haunting her.
Chapter 9
The Battle of Kravena
In the prosperous Tribe of Kravena, the tribe members abounded with activities, preparing for tonight’s merriment. The mang-aanis had a bountiful harvest of sinapoy for that season and Datu Ilak announced a grand night of thanksgiving.
Abanir was outside the palasyon, of his own accord, to help the workers.
“Abanir, my son! Why are you helping the hakaros?” Reyna Kaya asked him, seeing how he exerted all his muscles carrying a bulky pile of firewood into the fireplace. “You’re supposed to be preparing your speech,” she proceeded.
“Ila, I have nothing else to do so I decided to help them,” Abanir said humbly. “Besides, for tonight’s speech, I’ll speak from what comes from my heart. No need for flowery words,” he smiled. “I am enjoying the hakaros’ company, by the way. They are very friendly.”
Reyna Kaya’s face brightened. “I am glad you care for your fellow Kravena, my son, although you’re not supposed to be doing that.” Reyna Kaya’s eyes unexpectedly oozed with tears, couldn’t help but remember the old days of her slavery. “
I’ll leave you now,” she managed to whisper before memories could engulf her.
Abanir forced a grin, self-questioning why his mother turned emotional, when a female Kravena in her finery passed by in front of him, trying to get his attention.
“Oh, Tiyana!” greeted Abanir, quite startled to see her one foot away from him.
“My Raha, a pleasant day!” Tiyana bowed her head down with all her poise. “It is my pleasure to perform tonight! Thank you for choosing me!”
Abanir was put to a sudden halt. He never chose her, but since she was the daughter of the datu’s top kansilo, he decided to accommodate her, well. “Oh, yes! Splendid! Such a delight to hear your sweet, amazing, awe-inspiring voice.” Abanir gestured while speaking. He knew she had a huge admiration on him.
A drum roll was heard from Tiyana’s chest. It was too loud that finally turned Abanir uneasy. However, Tiyana continued her intentions, to own all of the raha’s attention.
“Thank you, my Raha. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.” Tiyana flashed a widening smile.
His look going distant, Abanir arranged every piece of firewood and endeavored listening to every detail of Tiyana’s preparation for the thanksgiving.
Tiyana, somehow, discerned the raha’s detached guise, so she left graciously and began feeling that their tête-à-tête was out of his interest.
The thanksgiving venue was all set, and it was now late afternoon. The place was roofed with coconut leaves, and bamboos served as the framework. The seats and tables were freshly prepared from acacia trunks, while a few of sweet-smelling orchids were hung above them.
Abanir was indulging himself with the sight when Rabel hastily approached him, badly shaking, reporting about the presence of two Sulabuns at the Samo River, the boundary of Kravena and Fegratu.
On a whim, Abanir flew to the river to confirm it. He saw not only two Sulabuns, and it was now the sign that their long-time fear had finally arrived. Then, he went back to Kravena faster than a whirlwind.
Datu Banaak had been planning to attack Kravena. He could no longer wait to devastate the tribe and put it under his territory. When he learned of the Kravenas’ thanksgiving, he assumed it to be the perfect night for their attack.
Lost in the Wilderness - The Forest of Evergreen Book 1 Page 9