4 THE BOOK.

Felicity went outside after taking a last glance of her room. The sun simmered dimly for some reason, perhaps it too was mourning her departure. The birds were not out yet and the breeze stopped blowing as Soo. As she stepped out. Everything, was silent. In her hand, was a book left behind by her mother.

Bruce was waiting for her outside. His eyes were red and puffy. Felicity assumed it was because he had pulled another all nighter. He did not move toward her but stared at nothing in particular. He did not notice her until she stood right next to him.

“We don’t want to keep her waiting, now do we?” he said, still looking at nothing in particular.

He walked into the black a state carriage and waited for her to do the same. When they drove off, she decided to read the book again. It was her favorite after all. And she felt like her mother was with her every time she read it. On the first page, she noticed something she never had. It was hand written and the handwriting was foreign.

“Dear Felicity,

The road ahead is not an easy one. Things will constantly change. And some, are not what they seem.

With lots of love, 

Mommy.”

All this time she had had the book but she had never noticed the handwritten message on the first page. Her day might not have started well, but now, she felt like she could handle anything. A genuine smile spread on her face. Felicity sat back comfortably and began reading the contents of the book. This was much better than starting a conversation with someone she felt she did not know anymore.

Without a care in the world, she turned to her favorite page:

I got out of bed at dawn. Ja had not slept at all. It has been a night of thinking all through. My world had come tumbling down and I could do nothing about it. The day before had been nothing but chaos between my family and I. I headed for my bedroom window, opened the curtains 1nd the window too. I sat on the windowsill as my mind wondered to fantasies beyond.

The birds chirped happily in the trees. Some trees swayed from right to left as a silent breeze passed slowly.

“Mmh, I thought I told you.” The raspy voice of my mother brought me back. “You are no longer welcome here.” She bellowed.

“Pack your bags and GET OUT!” she demanded and left banging my door as she left.

I was an orphan who thought she had finally found a home after being adopted at the age of eight. Life had been great so far, that was until I attained the age of fifteen. Suddenly, the world became a war zone as boys took interest to how much I had grown. Even though I stood my ground and everyone of them, my family did not buy it.

Since my brother, Wick, had had a crush on me since time immemorial. He made unbearable for me here ever since I rejected him like all the others. Not wasting further time, I took my suitcase out of my wardrobe and began. Memories trickled through my mind like the last grains of sand rolling down the sloping edges of and hourglass.

My heart was palpitating within my chest as I stared into the most wonderful forest green eyes I had ever set my eyes on. Our conversation had started off with comfortable silence and now it was this…

“Bianca, will you be my girlfriend?” Brethen asked.

My mind begged me to say yet since it had been my dream to go out with him. And I accepted without batting an eye. My life became brighter. The moments I spend with him were spectacular. However, things never stay at one point forever.

It was on my seventeenth birthday, when Brethen asked my parents of he could take me for a walk in the neighborhood. Once he was given the green light, we walked happily conversing on the contemporary issues around the continent.

Nevertheless, my instincts were screaming for attention. I constantly had the feeling that someone was watching me. I brushed the thought away and got back to the moment. We occasionally held hands as we walked to out favorite spot. We sat down and watched the sunset. Brethen then took me home where we bid each other goodbye.

As I entered, I could tell that all was not well. Mother held her waist and rhythmically tapped her right foot on the marble floor. Father looked at me coldly while Wick sat on the chair and sent me a wicked smile. Without warning, mother hit me with a cooking stick she had been hiding all the time, calling me all sorts of names.

Later, I found out Wick had been feeding them with lies about my relationship with Brethen. They now thought that he and I did more than just walk and talk.

I heaved a sigh, carried my suitcase and walked myself out. Never had I thought my life would come to this. None of them even bothered to say goodbye. Wick thought I was going to beg him to let me stay but I wasn’t going to stoop so low and ask him for help.

Brethen had not come to see me since. The love we shared had been real for me which made me wonder, what was it was for him. Just then I heard him call my name.

“Bianca.”

Felicity’s reading came to a sudden stop when the carried halted in its tracks. She looked outside. The scenery had changed. There were fewer houses and more vegetation. More people walked on the roadside. More smiles radiated on their faces unlike in the city where everyone was so busy with their own lives to take a look at what was around them. This was not the case here.

The people on the sidewalk took their time to greet each other and to know how the other was doing. The youngsters could stop and take the load off an elder and escorts the to their destination. Felicity knew where they were headed and she was beyond excited. She wanted to admire more of the country life when the carriage came to a stop.

“We’re here.” Bruce said.