Philippe and Elizabeth went upstairs and discovered Nadine’s absence in her room. They opened Sophia’s door and were eased to see the girls peacefully sleeping on the same bed. Philippe held Elizabeth’s hand and let loose the knots squeezing his heart. “We have to be strong for our family,” he said, almost into tears.
Elizabeth agreed and cried on his shoulders, quietly. “We’re going to get through this.”
They eased each other, further, and finally, walked to their room.
Sophia was dreaming at that moment. She was seeing herself in an abandoned garden, surrounded by wonderful butterflies that soon turned into wild crows.
Awakened, Sophia almost leaped out from bed. With sweat soaking her clothes, she went to the bathroom and washed her face.
What a nightmare! She faced herself in the mirror. Then, she went to change her garments, catching a glimpse of her sister who looked like oil in frostiness. She tried to go to sleep again, but she was still bothered by her nightmare. Then, a hint inside of her made her read her diary. Unintentionally, she opened the part… when they visited Forest Green a few months ago.
Dear Diary,
I don’t know what to feel after seeing Jericho. When I saw him, I was delighted but it came to a point that I wished I never saw him that day. I hate myself for everything I’ve done to him. But when I looked at him, everything was refreshed. He is handsome and adorable, as always. I know I did not have to feel that way. I’m with Giovanni now. I know he loves me in ways that I could never imagine. But I don’t know why I felt that way when I saw Jericho.
Oh, please, Diary! Please, don’t tell me that I’m going insane. This is not right but... I wanted to kiss him Yes, Diary, I wanted to kiss him the moment I set eyes on him again. His eyes and lips were very begging. Oh! It reminds me of the night he climbed my grandma’s terrace. His touch... that touch of him that weakened me! And his kiss... that kiss of him that took me to a place I could never describe! It was my very first time. I know I was young. But it was a kiss that I will always treasure.
I am confused, Diary. I am confused. I love Giovanni and I always will. But Jericho, oh, God! I can’t stop thinking of him! Please, tell me what to do, Diary. I know I should not feel this way.
Till then...
Love, Sophia
An unwelcome teardrop fell onto her diary.
Who are you, Jericho? Sophia pondered, squeezing her eyes shut from tears that lingered, overflowing, now.
That was a slice of her heart! It only meant she betrayed Giovanni, and it just shattered her.
She shut those eyes again and struggled to grasp for more air, when suddenly, her diary fell off her lap, its pages turning quickly to the previous marked ones. She picked it up and saw the part saying,
I can’t believe what I saw that night at the lake house. I was frightened. Those beautiful... white feathers! They were astounding. I want to make myself believe that it was not real but it bothers me. At first, I thought that I was kind of mental but I was not. It was real, diary. It was real.
Finishing it, Sophia’s emotions were hurled to nowhere, all of a sudden. Her mind was at war. Wiping away her tears, she almost woke up Nadine, unwittingly. Then, she rushed to hush her sister, and to arrange her blanket that almost fell to the floor.
Chapter 15
The Blood Compact
In Sulabun, Datu Banaak forced his son, Kalib, to train harder.
“If I did not see you, you could have been killed!” Datu Banaak screamed at his son. “You are weak, Kalib! You are weak!” he stressed furiously.
Kalib, ashamed of himself, flew away from the tribe, in blazing anger.
Datu Banaak prepared his army for they would visit the Fegratus. He had been planning to visit their tribe to mislead Datu Saak, that they were invaded by the Kravenas and that they needed his tribe’s help.
Beyond questions, Datu Saak believed the false information and agreed to Datu Banaak’s favor.
As respect and reward for Datu Banaak, Datu Saak prepared a small gathering. Plentiful drinks were served and attractive female Fegratus were splattered all over, to entertain the Sulabuns.
For the two tribes’ union, a blood compact was set between the two spearheads.
Datu Banaak took his bolo, had a small cut on his palm, and dropped his blood into a small goblet, and so did Datu Saak. As their blood mixed in it, they cheered and drank it up to the last drop, signifying a strong bond between their tribes against their enemies—the Kravenas. It was accompanied with flamboyant laughs from both groups.
The Fegratus and Sulabuns ultimately spent the rest of the night celebrating their union.
* * *
IN KRAVENA, Abanir was at his chamber, holding the piece of cloth that he got from the lake house.
His hakaro, Rabel, saw it and asked him where he got it.
At first, Abanir was doubtful to reveal the truth but he was eventually swayed.
“Remember the strange creature I told you?” Abanir asked Rabel. “I went back to the place where I saw it and found this.” Abanir poured out with qualms. “I did not intend to take it but I heard a strange sound. I was not able to leave it there and now I have it.”
Alarmed, Rabel could not believe that his raha went back to the place of humans. He was afraid that some of them could have seen him.
“Raha, when you were there... did someone see you?” Rabel inquired carefully.
“No one, Rabel!”
They kept talking when Sesa Sanaya suddenly overheard them and curiously listened in, to their conversation.
“Rabel, I am still amazed by that strange creature. It’s very pleasing to the eyes,” admitted Abanir, floating.
“What strange creature?” Sesa Sanaya, without any warning, intervened.
“Sanaya, have you been listening to our conversation?” Abanir was suddenly startled.
“Tell me, sayong! What was that creature?” Sesa Sanaya flooded more of her curiosity. “And what is that... that piece you are holding?” She referred to the bizarre fabric and inspected it thoroughly. “It’s strange!”
“This is nothing, sayang!” Abanir speedily answered, tense that Sesa Sanaya might tell it to their ilo.
“With all due respect, my Sesa, it’s late and I think you need to go to sleep now. Reyna Kaya might be looking for you,” Rabel interceded.
“Ilo will know of this,” Sesa Sanaya warned them, before leaving.
The two looked at each other and Abanir was worried that Datu Ilak would find it out.
At the back of Rabel’s mind, he knew that Datu Ilak might already know about it, but that he chose to remain silent.
Abanir hid the piece of cloth in his dulsabang and covered it with nests, with his thoughts on the strange creature.
Rabel ogled him for a bit.
“Tomorrow, Rabel, help me with my training!” Abanir requested but he did not hear any response. He then turned around to face his hakaro but to his surprise, Rabel was already snoring. “Oh, Rabel! You are such a very sleepy hakaro!”
Accordingly, Abanir went to his bed of nests and found himself unable to fall asleep. Through the bamboo-made windows, his smitten eyes were concentrated on the glittery sky, until it seemed to completely bare the innocent face of the strange creature.
Chapter 16
Unbending
When Bea returned to Forest Green, she earnestly took good care of everything there. She made sure that things were the same even in Grandma Lucy’s absence.
She was gardening the manor’s front yard one early morning when a sound of footsteps distracted her from behind. It was Jericho, and Bea was startled to see him.
“Oh, Jericho! What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry I shocked you! I’m here to ask about Sophia. I heard about what happened. How is she?” Jericho asked determinedly.
“Sophia is fine now but… she lost her memory.” Bea slumped her gaze downwards, for she couldn’t bear to be seen in tears.
“I kno
w.” Jericho managed to reply, his voice sounding like he’d gone through fires and oceans.
Bea found it difficult to stop a tear from dropping, and for a while, they shared a stinging silence.
Desperate enough to see Sophia, Jericho finally had the nerve to ask Bea something, something that—by no doubt—could not be tolerated by her.
“Bea…” Jericho dared, his eyes trying to show courage.
“Yes…?”
“I know this is too much but…” A light in Jericho’s eyes, at once, reflected the depths of his yearning, of his forbidden love for Sophia, and Bea plainly felt it.
Still on exposed bundle of nerves, Jericho dared to man up and asked, “Can I get Sophia’s city address?”
Bea’s face immediately crumpled. “Jericho, whatever it is you’re planning... it will only distract Sophia. She’s sick and she needs some space at the moment,” Bea admitted boldly.
Jericho, though very much frustrated, agreed to what Bea said. “In that case, I have to go now. Thanks, anyway,” he said in a low tone.
Bea’s guilt instantly consumed her. She was the one who witnessed the two since childhood, and it felt more agonizing to let it all just slip away. “Okay! I’ll give you her address.” She stopped Jericho from leaving. “But promise me that you will be careful when you talk to her, okay?” she grinned, and asked him for a pen and a piece of paper.
Jericho’s face impulsively brightened up and he quickly hugged Bea. “Thank you,” he almost cried. Then, he hurried to his car to get what she asked of him.
Right after, without any delay, Jericho left in high spirits and set for Orlando.
* * *
IN ORLANDO CITY, at the Vabueretti residence, Philippe and Elizabeth were already back at home together with Alex. The couple had been at the precinct to settle their son’s release.
Alex dashed straight to his room, ignoring the people around. He simply had no face to show to anyone.
“Mom, is he gonna be okay?” Nadine asked her parents as she reached them, at the doorway.
“Yes, dear. Your brother will be fine.” Elizabeth managed to speak, her eyes puffed-up and her nose totally clogged. Then, she opened her drooping arms to cuddle Nadine. She needed to be strong.
“Mom, where is Sophia?” Philippe asked Grandma Lucy when she reached them at the living room.
“She’s in her room. By the way, dinner is ready.” Discomfort resonated through Grandma Lucy’s voice as she looked at her son and daughter-in-law.
“Sweetie, call your sister and we will have our dinner,” Elizabeth ordered Nadine, distracting Philippe’s small talk with his mom.
“No, sweetie. Just stay here. I’ll go and talk to your sister.” Philippe hampered Nadine’s forward motion to the stairs.
“All right, Dad,” Nadine concurred and hurried to jump into her mother’s shoulders again.
On the second floor, Philippe was surprised by Sophia’s sudden exit from her room. He could perceive those swollen eyes, as Sophia began to walk down. “Dinner’s ready,” he offered.
Sophia, pretending she was all right, hesitated, but the concerned tone of her father was too much to resist. She agreed, unspeaking, as she walked down the stairs with her father.
Five cuisines were served before them as they gathered around the table. The feeling of awkwardness crept through Sophia as she settled her back against her chair. They were about to eat when Nadine prompted them all to pray, first.
Amazed, Grandma Lucy asked Nadine to lead the prayer.
When Nadine had said the last words of the prayer, Alex, all of a sudden, came into sight. With all sincerity, he begged for their forgiveness.
“I’m sorry I caused you some trouble,” he said, with his eyeballs rolled down.
As every eye on the table watched him, Alex further explained his misbehavior. “I’m sorry. I just can’t help but... blame myself for everything that’s happened.” His voice sounded even more mortified and remorseful.
Not a second passed by that his parents hadn’t comforted him. They convinced him, hard, that none of it was his fault.
“Yes, Alex. Please, do not blame yourself,” Grandma Lucy reinforced, just now.
But for Sophia, she appeared static, in deep thoughts, after everything she heard from them.
Relieved by everyone’s positive response, Alex sat on his chair and leaned back agreeably.
The dinner progressed and in the middle of it, Sophia asked them if she could go out the next day. “I want to visit Giovanni’s grave,” she expressed, with her long and thick eyelashes slanted down.
“Sure, honey. We will accompany you tomorrow.” Elizabeth put on a smile.
Then, Sophia bowed her head down as if seeking for more clarity. Not consuming half of the steamed salmon fish on her plate, she excused herself and went back upstairs.
Alex followed her.
“I’ll come with you tomorrow if you don’t mind,” he offered, hoping to have a fine conversation with his sister, but his gaze failed to meet Sophia’s.
Sophia nodded with a grateful smile. “Yes, you may come.”
“All right, then!” Alex’s face brightened. And he went back to the dining area to finish his meal.
“When will this end?” Nadine flung some sentiments. “Everyone’s so dramatic for such a long time now,” she expressed, almost into tears.
“Honey, please be patient. Please, try to understand our family’s situation, okay?” Elizabeth begged. She understood Nadine very well, but it was too much to ask her, for her young mind to understand. And so, Elizabeth attempted to cheer up Nadine by palming her daughter’s cute, ponytailed hair, asking what she wanted to do later, to make her feel cherished, too.
Nadine’s eyes revealed more tears. “It’s just that... we used to be so happy and now—” Nadine faltered.
On the spur of the moment, with great effort, everybody on the table put all their attention to Nadine and yearned to soothe her muddled young mind.
Chapter 17
The Visit
Nothing served to comfort Sophia as they made their way to the cemetery. Her hands were shaking, her thoughts were somewhere else, as she sat silently beside Alex at the back seat, while their parents were in front of the car. Nobody dared to make a noise, and there was the sudden need for Nadine’s talkativeness. But Nadine was at home, left to accompany Grandma Lucy, while they were away.
It was past nine in the morning when they reached the cemetery, and they were surprised to see a car parked near Giovanni’s grave.
Giovanni’s ex-girlfriend, Loren, was also there to visit, but when she saw the family coming, she dashed to leave. Her then-unsuitability for Giovanni had been more obvious when she saw the gorgeous Sophia gliding out of the car.
Loren and Giovanni were star-crossed lovers until Sophia walked into St. Thomas Academy, with an aura that she had yet to explore the world. Loren knew that she and Sophia were exact polar opposites. She knew she could never live up to Sophia’s beauty and kindness. Not even close. So, she just let Giovanni fall into Sophia’s allure. But unfortunately for Loren, Alex saw her and chased her. And this, Loren hated.
“Loren, hey!” Alex yelled, while pursuing her. “I haven’t seen you at school for months. Where have you been?”
Loren turned, with no intention of answering his query, but Alex lingered, waiting.
“We’re here to visit Giovanni’s grave,” Alex talked again, with conspicuous grief in his eyes.
“Yes, I see,” Loren finally spoke, letting her breath out with rustling impatience.
“I wonder if you want to join us,” Alex dared.
“I have to go, Alex.” Loren swiftly ended their small talk, and left without looking back.
From afar, Sophia saw her, as if she was absconding from anything dangerous. She wished she’d remembered Loren so she could be more confident to say hi, but nothing, so far, really served as a hint. (Sophia never intended to take Giovanni away from Loren. In fact, she never k
new about the two of them, never knew if there were other girls in Giovanni’s past. All she had in mind before was... she loved Jericho so much that she needed to forget him. And that was the time that Giovanni popped in, at Alex’s recommendations, too.)
Sophia approached her brother and asked who the girl was.
“She’s Loren, our band’s former lead singer. She’s here to visit Giovanni’s grave,” Alex said in detail, with no intention of spilling out that she was actually Giovanni’s ex-girlfriend. He knew that Sophia was not yet ready to know more of Giovanni or his past.
Still wondering why Loren left in a cold-blooded way, Sophia watched Loren’s back until the latter finally left, with her car.
Alex sat down beside Giovanni’s grave, and began reminiscing, in agonizing silence. The more the memories rushed in, the more they seemed to kill him. He tried so hard to ignore the pain, but his conscience demanded to be felt. He was worn into shreds, forcing to gather himself back again, and carry on. Then he looked up at the cloudless blue sky and blinked back those unwanted tears.
Sophia, holding a bouquet of flowers, joined her brother. Slowly, she knelt down, placed the bouquet beside Giovanni’s engraved name, and turned even more quiet.
Philippe and Elizabeth remained standing, watching how Sophia traced Giovanni’s name on the asphalt tablet. It reminded them so much of Giovanni, of how he had always been polite everytime he would ask Sophia out. He’d always been thoughtful, and always had something to offer on the table everytime he would join the family for a meal.
The Vabuerettis spent one more hour at the cemetery, accompanied with prayers and small laughs, as they recollected more of Giovanni’s blissful memoirs with them.
Sophia stayed silent, listening to every word her family was sharing.
“I think we should go now,” Philippe suggested suddenly.
Elizabeth looked at her daughter, discerning she was ready to leave, but she could feel the hushed agony in Sophia.
“Sophia.” Elizabeth put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, sending Sophia the comfort she needed.
Lost in the Wilderness - The Forest of Evergreen Book 1 Page 12