Mysterious adventures in the shadow of trees

Chapter 13: New Friend

-Sofia-

I pulled my phone out but raised an eyebrow. It still had power even after all this time!

A text came through from Scarlett: Where are you?

I texted back: I just found a cottage-looking thing and am outside of it now.

The text message was delivered.

No way. Could this be? How can a cottage have WIFI?

The sun began to set, and I couldn't bear to sleep against a tree trunk with however many species of bugs there were climbing all over me.

I wonder if I had ever eaten one by accident...

Know-it-all: What are you thinking? Focus!

Me: Okay, you're right. You're right.

I knocked on the door to the cottage again and saw that the door was ajar. Humming spiraled through the doorway. It sounded like a girl around my age!

What would she be doing out here?

She heard my knock and walked to the door to greet me. "Hi there! You must be Sofia, right?"

Wait, how does she know my name? I'm not popular in school. Is she spying on me? Is this, like, her secret mission or job? Is she working undercover for...someone?

"Yes, how'd you know that?"

"I'm your neighbor!"

"In the woods? I don't have a cottage built-," I began.

"Oh, no, no. I meant back at home with our parents," she clarified, chuckling.

"Ohh, okay. That makes a lot more sense! Why are you here?"

"After your parents told me you went missing in the woods, I decided to come live here as a mini vacation until I found you!"

"Right...so can you please bring me home?"

"You know what? I would but after spending a few nights out here, I've learned how to survive well. I bet you're still trying to partition your granola bar from the picnic, right?"

"How'd you know? Are you spying on me, creep?"

"No! No! I'm just recalling what your parents told me about what you brought. Anyway, why are you here?"

I guess I didn't really converse with my neighbor in the past because I didn't touch grass.

"We were having a family picnic, but my dad lost his wallet. Therefore, I decided to come back here and look for it. I didn't realize I'd get lost and for so many days," I elucidated. "I suppose it's for the best though. I mean, my parents always want me off my electronics, and the only two times I've checked my phone out here was to attempt to text my family, specifically my sister, Scarlett."

"My parents say the same thing! I haven't checked my phone the entire time I've been out here. Wanna learn how?"

"Sure!"

My eyes focused on her outfit. It looked like she used various leaves to create a dress! No wonder I was confused as to who she was! She didn't look like a city girl at all! If someone asked me where I thought she was from, I'd say from the woods!

"Hey, by the way, how'd you make your outfit?"

"Oh, just some leaves and pine needles. Wanna learn?"

I nodded.

"Perfect! I just made soup from the warmth of the campfire. I hope you're hungry!"

My stomach growled, causing us both to laugh as she gently dragged me into a chair facing a wooden table. I took a glance at the soup to make sure it was soup and, without much thinking, held the bowl up to my face and chucked it all in.

I was around halfway down when she finished pouring herself a bowl of soup. "Uh, you're not gonna use a spoon?"

I paused. "Nope!" Then, I continued drinking it.

The warmth of her cottage made me feel at home. My house was big, but because I spent most of my time in my room, this cottage was bigger than that.

"Oh shoot, let me close the door. We don't want any mosquitos breaking in, don't we?" the girl said. After closing it, she turned around, looking at me up and down.

I suddenly grew self-conscious of how messy my face looked after drinking soup. "Can I have a piece of paper, please?"

"I don't use paper. I use clean, fallen leaves. I just washed them, don't worry," she said as she handed me a few.

Wow, I'm really living in the wild now.

"You have a ton of mosquito bites on your legs," she pointed out.

I didn't see them because I was so in my head! "Well, they're itchy now that you've mentioned it."

"No worries. I have made a special concoction to treat those. No allergies?"

"Nope! What's in that green-looking paste?"

"Oh, some leaves and other...secret ingredients. Don't worry. You'll live."

I nodded slowly.

"Gosh, so many cuts! What have you been up to these past few days?"

"I'm not sure. I just thought some animal was trying to give me sticks at night but ended up scratching my legs."

"Gosh, you're a mess. Here's some aloe gel."

She gave me a container as I applied it to the cuts.

"Alright, go use this bucket of water to give yourself a quick shower and go to bed. I'll start teaching you more starting tomorrow."

"Thank you so much! You're so generous! I never got your name."

"Amanda."