Lost Lila

I was very little when he found me, wandering through the woods, crying, calling out for my lost sister. Playing the day before, I had gotten lost in the rain. I slipped down a muddy hill and lay there, clutching my little teddy, nursing wounds I'd received in the fall.

The sun shone brightly now, but I still had no idea where I was, or where my sister was. Then I saw him. Sitting on a stump surrounded by a small little clump of wildflowers, fashioning a crown out of them. It was perfect, a full band of foliage that glistened in the morning sun.

"Hello?", I called out cautiously. He turned and I could see his face. Pale, with gray eyes, soft cheekbones and a thin nose. His eyes alighted on my face, and he smiled in a way that made some of my worries ease.

"Hello," he said, his voice smooth and soft, giving off the impression that there was nothing wrong in the world. I sniffed.

"I'm lost," I whimpered, my mood suddenly darkening once more. "I got separated from my sister, and I don't know where she is, I don't know where I am and . . . and . . ." My words were lost in the tears that I could no longer control. The man stood up- he was much taller than he first seemed- and walked over towards me. He leaned down he, gently took my hand and led me to the stump. He sat me down, then sat next to me, holding me close. I cried into his black cloak while he whispered soft condolences and wiped away my tears. When I calmed down again, he started talking. At first, just the expected "everything is going to be okay," and "don't worry," but slowly it grew into something I couldn't describe. Like a story, but not, a truth and a lie. I became more and more drowsy and the sunlight, the forest, and the flowers started to blur in color, both duller and more vivid at the same time. I began to lose track of what was the man's voice and my own thoughts. They felt like one and the same. I began to drift off into sleep and in my head, I heard his voice echoing: sweet girl, clever girl.

Caroline walked down the sidewalk. It was a warm autumn day, and the sun streamed through the vibrant leaves and twinkled off of cars. It was a pleasant day, but Caroline was in no mood to enjoy it. Once again, the memories of her traumatic childhood haunted her. She thought about the day ahead of her. She had tests in almost all her classes, she had a meeting with a therapist she couldn't stand, and then a lovely dinner with the parents who still partly blamed her. Yep, today could not get any better.

When she walked up to school a familiar figure leapt out of the bushes.

"BOO!" Blake yelled, laughing. Caroline just stared at him.

"Not now Blake," she said. Blake stopped laughing and walked beside her. Ahead, Magister Highschool, loomed glaring down at them. Yess, come children, it seemed to hiss with its vacant windows. But it always looked like that when Caroline was in a bad mood.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked, shaking leaves from his hair.

"Nothing," Caroline said.

"That's a lie and you know it. Come on, you know you need to vent," Caroline sighed.

"Are you always so annoying?"

"Not always. Just most of the time,"

"Look, I'm just having a rough day, okay."

"It's 8 in the morning,"

"I know so what does that tell you about the rest of the day?"

"It can only get better!" Blake said with a thumbs up. Caroline blinked at him.

"You know, for someone who is on the worst soccer team in the world, you are way too optimistic." For Blake, soccer was just as essential for life as food and water, and Magister High was about as bad as you could get. He shrugged. "Why complain then," he said.