Lost & Found

Only Trees Above Us Know

Lisa’s POV

    I woke up and was surprised by how much sunlight was coming through my window. Usually the blinds were closed at night. My vision cleared and I realized that I wasn’t in my room. Panicking, I tried to remember what happened last night.

    I wracked my brain, looking for answers. I found a photo album. I couldn’t sleep. I came up here in the middle of the night. There was a strange girl. Then it all came back to me.

    I sighed, relieved that I hadn't been kidnapped or something. I looked around for Lauren but she was nowhere to be seen. She must’ve gone home already. Maybe I’ll catch her up here later.

   I shakily got up and went down the ladder. My limbs were trembling and stiff from sleeping on the wood last night. When I reached the bottom, I heard rustling over by another tree and was positive it wasn’t me.

    "Hello? Is someone there?" Or something. "Lauren? Is that you? If it is, this isn’t funny."

    I called out in every direction, desperately hoping it wasn’t some sort of wild animal. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and whipped to face that direction.

    "Who’s there?" I yelled into nothingness. "Come out! I saw you!"

    I tensed up, expecting the worst.

    "Hey, Lisie," Alyssa said with a shy wave, stepping out from behind the foliage.

    "Alyssa!" I said, running to her. I gave her a hug. "What are you doing here? Do Mom and Dad know you’re out here? Why are you out here? You could’ve gotten hurt."

    "I’m okay, Lisa," she assured me, smiling and pushing me away.

    "Are you sure?" I asked, still worried.

    "Yes, I’m fine, Lisa. You don’t need to worry."

    "It’s my job to worry," I said.

   "You sound like Mom," Alyssa giggled.

    "Yeah, yeah, now answer the questions."

    "I followed you out here. I wanted to know where you were going. I didn’t want you to know I was out here so I climbed a different tree and slept up there."

   "You forgot a question."

    "I don’t think I did," she contradicted, trailing off.

    "Do Mom and Dad know you’re out here?"

   Pouting, Alyssa groaned and responded, "No, but they don’t know you’re out here either, do they?"

    "I’m twenty-two, and an adult," I retorted. "They don't control what I do anymore." I crouched to her eye level. "You, on the other hand, should not be sneaking out of the house or going into the woods alone."

   Before she had a chance to respond, I started walking back towards the house. Alyssa wasn't far behind and talked all the way home about how she felt like Katniss Everdeen last night, sleeping in trees and spending the night in the woods. I couldn’t help but continuously ask if she was positive she hadn’t gotten hurt. She always said she was sure but I kept asking.

    She was my baby sister. Ashley was too but it was different for her. I knew that Ashley could handle herself in just about any situation. She was a stubborn, scrappy hothead in contrast with sweet, quiet Alyssa. It felt like Alyssa needed the extra protection from the world.

    A few years ago, we were camping and the five-year-old twins went to get sticks to make s’mores later. Ashley showed up half an hour later with enough sticks for everyone in the park to make a s’more. She said that Alyssa was right behind her. When she didn’t come back for a while, I went to go find her. I walked for a long time, calling her name more frantically every time she didn't call back. I finally found her on the ground, sniffling with red, puffy eyes.

    She told me that she thought she had seen a wolf. She ran away but tripped and hurt her ankle. She was afraid that the wolf was following her and that it would attack her. I gave her a tight hug and she clung to my body. I never wanted to let her go, afraid that a wolf really would come and attack her in front of me.

    I did my best to soothe her and whispered calming and reassuring words in her ear while stroking her hair. She just cried into my shoulder for what seemed like an eternity. I needed to go get Troy or our parents but she begged me not to go. Either way, I was too scared to leave her alone like this. So, we sat there until she stopped crying and, when she finally did, I took her back to camp.

    No one ever really found out how she hurt her ankle. We told them all that she tripped and fell but nothing else. I don't even think Alyssa told Ashley.

    We canceled the camping trip early and, after a hastily-made doctor's appointment, learned Alyssa had only sprained her ankle. I knew, though, how easily it could have gone differently. After that, I vowed to myself that I would always protect her and Ashley to the best of my ability for as long as they’d let me. When Carter was born a couple years later, I made the same silent promise to him.

    Even now I can still see traces of that fragile little girl from years ago. I looked down at Alyssa who was walking beside me and saw her from that day. Scared and limping with tangled, dusty brown hair and red, puffy eyes. I swallowed hard at the image.

   We got to the house and Alyssa pretended to be sick so she could stay home. I couldn’t stay because I had work today. I kissed her forehead gently before leaving. As I got into my car, another image flashed in my mind. This time, however, it wasn’t the short, blue-eyed, brown-haired girl.

    This time, the girl was taller with darker brown hair. She had dark chocolate brown orbs similar to my own. And this girl wasn’t smiling. Her eyes held the same vulnerable, young fragility that Alyssa’s held. She probably couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen probably. The girl looked extremely familiar but I was not able to put my finger on a name.

    I pushed the image to the back of my mind and focused my mind on my route to work.