Lost and Found

Chapter 2 | Stranger Danger

The warmth of her mug heats Julia's hands. Her lavender tea soothes her. The cabin is quiet except for some muffled giggles and sounds she would rather not hear. A warm summer breeze blows through the open window, calling out for her to explore the green forest.

She taps her finger against her mug. After lunch, Olivia was going to help Matt unpack. Either he brought a lot of stuff, or Olivia is giving him a private tour of herself.

Julia tried to take a nap, building up fresh energy for the day. She should've brought earplugs. Not that she's that tired. At least, not like she's used to. It's a lingering tiredness that won't go away. After three o'clock, her energy always drops, and her day is kind of over.

She sighs. At what time does Julia bail? If she goes now, she'll be back before Olivia and Matt even realise Julia went on a hike. Besides, she isn't planning on hiding in her room for the rest of the weekend.

The floorboards creak underneath her feet. Peeking her head around the corner, she sees the living room is clear. Good! Matt and Olivia took their private party to the bedroom. She isn't ready to see them both naked.

Julia puts on her hiking boots and checks the battery of her phone. She should leave Olivia a note in case Olivia and Matt find out there is a world outside of the bed, or the shower, or the couch. Julia narrows her eyes at the couch. Gross.

As she steps outside, the fresh forest air greets her. The sun shines warm on her face. The leaves of the forest trees will give a more pleasant temperature.

She doesn't have to walk far to reach the trail into the forest. In a few steps, she's surrounded by trees, bushes, wildflowers, rocks, and chirping birds. The trees feel taller here in the US, and the plants here are different. The ferns are still the same, though.

Her feet lead her through the beautiful nature. The trail keeps changing. Up, and up, and another up. A little bit down. Another difference from the Netherlands, there are real height differences here.

Enchanted by the pretty flowers, interesting mushrooms, colourful berries, and even some bugs, she repeatedly stops in her tracks. She avoids the twigs of the trees and brushes with her hand over the deep grooves of the bark. Every time Julia sees something new and beautiful, she whips out her phone to take pictures.

One day she'll have a real camera to take with her.

At first, she hated going for a walk. The hikes felt boring and a waste of the little energy she had. Until she stopped and appreciated the little things the forest gave her. Hiking brought some of her happiness back. Breathing in the fresh air while being surrounded by lush nature did her good. It was better than staying locked inside her house. The world grew small when she couldn't do a lot.

With every hike, she got a bit of her energy back. Her mind that wouldn't stop worrying went quiet. Her depressing thoughts disappeared, and some peace returned to her.

Domoor, she curses to herself. Plants and rocks surround her as the trail is no longer guiding her feet. How long has the trail been gone? Turning in circles, she searches for anything looking familiar, but of course, nothing does.

How long has she been walking for? Thirty minutes or so? She stomps her feet. The trail can't just disappear into nothingness.

Domoor! This isn't good. Forests in the US aren't like the woods at home. In the Netherlands, she can walk for thirty minutes and she's out of the woods. People can't even get lost there. She tried. Walking off the trail, exploring other places; one time, she accidentally ended up in someone's back garden. She grins to herself. The guy was so confused when he saw her.