Follies of Youth

Homecoming (Part I)

Sylvia watched as the trees flitted past her, their leaves swaying to the invisible beat of the cool summer breeze. The sun had risen to the blue skies, its warm light bathing the lands outstretched before her. Fluffy white clouds peppered the skies and Sylvia idly watches them drift through the vast, blue sky, eyes glazed with a mixture of emotions. Arthur threw a quick glance at his niece, it had been years since he had last spoken to her, after Damien and Sylvester's death (the latter being her twin brother) he had shut her out and ignored any means of communication with her. They had been estranged from each other ever since, but now he was the only person she had after her grandmother's death. Being a minor, Sylvia couldn't live by herself until she was eighteen, hence leaving her under his custody - he was the only living relative she had after all.

"Why don't you catch some sleep, Sapph?" he felt a surge of nostalgia hit him as he used the nickname he would always call her when she was still a little kid. Sylvia blinked and turned to look at him, a blank look on her face.

"I'm fine," was her quick response before turning away from him again, her eyes drawn to the passing trees.

The road to the small town of Rosiaco is a quiet one, rarely do you pass cars on your way to the reclusive town. There are no houses or any signs of civilization existing along its roads, only the tall tuart trees, small, lush bushes and occasional wildflowers that bordered the road from left to right, giving it a rather mystical impression whenever people did travel to the reclusive town. Sylvia sunk in her seat, head leaned against the frame of her car window, the scenery was something she appreciated and if only the circumstances were different, she would have been awed by the appeal of the road they're driving on. She would have asked for her uncle to stop at certain spots to take photos, especially on the path where she spied a path that leads into the forest. It would have been fun and exciting but Sylvia has no energy for such things. Her grandmother's recent passing crushed her, Olivia was her role model, her mother figure, her support. She was her everything and losing her so suddenly left a hole in her heart.

The thoughts of her grandmother's passing brought tears to Sylvia's eyes, a soft sob escaping her lips as their memories vividly played in her mind's eye. Her hands furiously swiped at the tears running down her cheeks but it didn't stop them from flowing and soon she found herself sobbing uncontrollably, her body shaking as she tried to stifle the pathetic sounds escaping her lips. Arthur frowned, flicking his right indicator on, he pulled to the side of the road and parked. Ruffling through the pockets of his jeans, Arthur searched for the handkerchief he knew he had kept somewhere. Finally, his fingers met with the soft fabric of the handkerchief and he swiftly took it out of his pocket and offered it to her. Sylvia took it from his hands slowly and started furiously wiping her tears away until the skin of her cheeks turned red and raw. Gently, Arthur took hold of her left wrist and firmly held it in place. The girl gulped and breathed harshly as she tried to compose herself.

"I'm sorry... I," her voice kept breaking and her words were nothing but a stuttering mess as she tried to convey her thoughts. Arthur freed her wrist from his grasp then moved his hand to her shoulder in attempts to console her.

"It's alright to cry, I know how much your grandmother meant to you and losing her so suddenly is very painful..." he gently squeezed her shoulder. He had been in the same predicament as her years ago, and their deaths still haunted him.

She was a mess. Her cheeks are red and raw from her vigorous wiping, snot was dripping from her nose but she couldn't care less about keeping appearances right now. Her tears kept on running down her cheeks and despite her attempts at wiping them away with the palm of her hands, more just kept coming. Removing his seat belt, Arthur twisted around to look for the bottle of water he had kept in the back seat. Finally locating it, he grabbed it, unscrewed the cap and offered it wordlessly to his weeping niece. When she didn't make move to take it, Arthur spoke.