Lost and Found (A Novel) (3 page)

Hayley groaned as she rubbed her stiff neck. She had fallen asleep on the hard parquet flooring. The first rays of light streamed through the drawn curtains into the dark room. Her eyes searched for the clock on the drawer. It was already half past six in the morning. She heard her mother unlocked the door to her room.

“Time to get up Hayley.” Mrs. Price’s voice traveled through the closed door. It was time for her to prepare breakfast for them. She had been taught to do household chores since she was five years old. Hayley was a fast and independent learner. Three years on, except for the times when she was locked in her room, she did everything from washing clothes to cooking meals. She would have been the pride and joy of any other family, but not her parents. Her capabilities were only seen as a mere convenience.

Within fifteen minutes, she had bathed and finished serving breakfast on the dining table. Hayley returned to her bedroom to get dressed for school before joining her parents at the dining table.

As usual, Hayley had to walk to school. She often watched with envy as other parents dropped their kids in school, hugging them goodbye and watching with fondness as they made their way into the school building. She had once wished her mother would do that but by now, that wish had died, along with all other wishful thinking she had. School was her respite from the torment of her home. She was smart, a straight A student. The teachers loved her. She was well behaved, never giving the school any problem. She could not afford to anyway. Her mother would beat her if she received a call from the school for disciplinary problem.

Hayley was lonely though. She had made many friends when she first started school. She was invited to birthday parties and sleepovers, none of which she was allowed to attend. She could not even invite any friends over to her home. Soon they all grew distant as they form their own cliques of friends without her. The invitations stopped and she became an outcast, unwanted by all. During break, she would sit alone under the tree, eating her packed sandwich and watching the other kids playing in the field.

After school, Hayley walked towards the park, sitting at her favorite bench, enjoying the nature around her. She would stay there for about an hour before heading home and starting on her chores. This was her daily routine. She was a familiar figure in the park and people usually left her alone sitting there, letting her mind wander. That day however, she was surprised when she felt a presence dropping roughly at the other end of her bench. Glancing in that direction, she took in the figure. It was a boy older than her. He appeared to be sulking as he kept jabbing a stick into the ground. His long black fringe fell over his face, hiding it from view. As if sensing that he was being observed, the boy turned towards Hayley. A grey eye stared at Hayley from between his fringe. She could see frustration flickered in his eye.

Judd frowned at the girl in front of him. Her big round crystal eyes watched him curiously. Curly pale blonde hair framed her cute face, slightly dancing in the wind. She made no move to avert her gaze and he was getting irritated. He was not in a good mood and the girl was getting on his nerves. Throwing the stick on the ground, he stomped out of the park, leaving the girl with a bewildered look on her face.

Judd hated his new life. He hated the fact that his mother had remarried. He hated having to move town, leaving his friends behind. He wanted to break free from it all but he couldn’t. He was only fourteen for goodness sake. What could he possibly do alone?

He felt suffocated inside his stepfather’s house. Not that the house was small. It was by no means small. In fact, it was one of the biggest houses in the neighborhood. He had even gotten lost trying to find his way around the place. What he found stifling was his feeling of detachment from the house. He missed his old home where every corner brought back some memories, especially with his late father. Everything felt strange for him here, it was driving him crazy.

Then, there were the people he had to face daily. His mom with her pleading looks for him to be nice and accept his new life. His stepfather with sympathy in his eyes, going all out to please him no matter how rude he had been. Finally, his 28 years old stepsister. She walked around the house with an aura of confidence and bossiness that was getting on his nerves. She had made it clear where he stood the moment he stepped foot in the house, just by staring him down with those icy eyes. If she thought that he would fight with her for her father’s wealth, then she was damn wrong. He could not care less if her father was the richest man on earth. All he wanted was the simple carefree life he had back at home.

There were also helpers crawling all over the house wherever he turned. The only private sanctuary he had was his bedroom but even there felt lifeless to him. He needed a breath of fresh air to clear his mind. His first thought had been the beach around the corner of the house but there were too many people. Walking down the other end of the house, he had stumbled upon the relatively quiet park. Only a few people were strolling around it. He had not noticed the park before in the one week that he had been in the neighborhood.

Absentmindedly, Judd sat on the nearest bench, still fuming about the events in his life. He had not noticed the forlorn figure seating quietly at the other end of the bench. Faintly aware that somebody was watching him, he had turned to face the most beautiful crystal eyes he had ever seen. Her eyes were so clear, he could almost see his soul in it. For an instance, he was trapped in her mesmerizing gaze. It was as if he was looking at a mirage of emotions moving fast from the depths of her eyes before being masked quickly by just plain curiosity. He snapped out of his trance-like stare and saw his reflection staring back at him. It was nothing like the person he knew himself to be. In that moment, he hated what he saw and he hated the girl more for showing it to him. The park had failed to ease his pain and it was all thanks to the girl. Huffing with irritation, he trudged back to where he came from.

That night as Judd lay in bed, he could not erase the image that kept appearing each time he closed his eyes. That of the little girl in the park. There was something about her that was making him uneasy. Her beautiful crystal eyes. It was as if they were calling out to him, but for what? Searching deep within his memory of the incident in the park, realization suddenly dawned on him with a start. The emotions he had seen in her eyes. They were all about despair, pain and helplessness. Not an ounce of happiness could be seen. What could have caused a little girl to be overwhelmed by such emotions? As he drifted off to sleep, he sought solace in the thought that he had seen a fleeting sight of hope just before curiosity filled her eyes.

CHAPTER 3: PRESENT YEAR

The sound of birds chirping filled the air with a melody so soothing it could ebb away all your pain. Caelie closed her eyes, tilting her face upwards, basking in the warmth of the morning sun. Her hands outstretched as if embracing the gentle breeze that was swirling around her. She wanted to enjoy the moment, forgetting the memories of her past life that were weighing her down. She needed this bit of blissful ignorance to keep her sanity.

A quiet chuckle of amusement broke through Caelie’s reverie. Slowly opening her eyes, Caelie turned towards the owner of the chuckle, breaking into a huge grin at the sight of the gentle crinkly face that was beaming at her.

“For a moment there, I thought you were an angel sent to take me away.” Annetta chuckled again at her own joke. Caelie did not see the humor in it though as she frowned at her.

“Don’t say such things Annetta. You know I don’t like it.”

Annetta shook her head and walked back inside the house slowly with the aid of her walking stick. She knew Caelie was upset. Caelie only called her Annetta whenever she wanted to show her disapproval. Annetta loved Caelie like the daughter she never had. No child should have to go through what Caelie had. She would have given her all to protect Caelie and ensure that she never had to endure those torments ever again but age was fast catching up on her. She could sense that her time would be up soon. She wasn’t worried about dying. At her age, she had long accepted that death was a natural process of life. What Annetta was worried about was that Caelie would crumble when she was no longer around and there would be no one to catch her.

Caelie had refused to let anyone into her life, not even a close friend. She had kept everyone at bay, just maintaining a cordial relationship. Annetta understood why Caelie had seen the need to build a protective layer around her. The horrors she had gone through had turned her into a cautious person, unable to trust anyone fully for fear of being hurt again. The only other person Caelie was close to was Wilburn, Annetta’s best friend and neighbor, but he too was growing old.

Annetta sighed as she took a seat at her favorite armchair beside the fireplace. Caelie had followed her into the house and was standing opposite her, still frowning with her arms crossed.

“You know it’s inevitable Caelie.”

“No, you are still strong. Just look at you Ann. You still insist on doing all the chores by yourself even though I had suggested numerous times for you to hire someone. Nothing’s going to happen.” Caelie tried to reason. Annetta could hear the desperation in her voice, tearing her already fragile heart further.

“Maybe not now, but I can’t live forever Caelie. That’s just the way life is.” Annetta said softly.

Caelie huffed and looked away. Deep down she knew that Annetta was right but she could not bring herself to accept the fact. Annetta was the only person close to a family that she had. It pained her to see the pleading look in Annetta’s eyes. She would be left alone again without Annetta and she didn’t think she was strong enough to accept that fact.

Annetta watched Caelie as she battled with her inner fears. Sorrow tugged at her heart as she watched the defeated look on Caelie’s face.

“So tell me, how did your first week as an intern go? Met any good looking man yet?” Annetta said casually, smiling as she noticed Caelie’s face considerably brightened at the change in topic.

“You know I’m not out to look for any man Ann.” Caelie gave a disapproving look before continuing. “It was great though. The magazine is everything I had envisioned it to be. Elise Kerbs is a great editor. She can be very fierce and demanding but she is also a cool boss. I like working for her. Except for one irritating man who hates me, the other people are very friendly and helpful.” Caelie gushed out, her face scrunching up in disdain at the mention of Wynne.

“Oh?” Annetta raised an eyebrow knowingly. “Hate often turns to love you know.”

Caelie rolled her eyes and pretended to gag. Trust Annetta to only pick up the part about the man out of all the things she said. She smiled as Annetta laughed at her reaction, glad that the tense atmosphere brought on by the previous topic was gone.

“Seems like your colleagues are a bunch of nice people. I hope you could make a good friend out of one or two of them. How about you introduce them to me?”

“Nah...we are only colleagues during these 6 months. Of course, if I’m offered a permanent position at Mirage then, we would be colleagues for a longer period. Otherwise, we would just go our separate ways.” Caelie shrugged her shoulders.

“There’s no harm in being friends with some of them rather than just remaining as colleagues. Who said your relationship had to stop after your stint there? Try to learn to let other people in my dear. Do you want to end up being alone all your life?”

“Who said I’m alone? I have you and Uncle Wilburn. That’s good enough.” Caelie huffed indignantly.

“Just having two old people in your life is not going to do you much good. You need to mix around more with people your age.”

“You are not old. Maybe a bit wrinkly in the face but otherwise you don’t look like you have aged at all. And Uncle Wilburn is still as handsome and as fit as a fiddle.” Caelie nodded her head vehemently as if to strengthen her point.

“Enough of your flattering. Go and set up the table so we can eat.” Annetta hit her playfully with her stick as Caelie skipped happily to the kitchen. Annetta sighed again. There was no getting through to that stubborn girl. Perhaps Wilburn could talk some sense into her. She would call him tomorrow about this. For now, she would let the matter drop.

Annetta had gone for a nap after the meal. These days, afternoon naps were a regular routine for her. Caelie had left her in her room before stepping into her old bedroom. She stood against the window, staring absentmindedly at the scenery outside. She loved the peace and abundance of nature that surrounded Annetta’s house, which was tucked away in the countryside. Even though it was a long ride away from the city area where Caelie now stayed, she never failed to make it back here every weekend. In the distance she could see Wilburn’s house. Looking around, she caught sight of the old man raking leaves outside his house. Caelie smiled. That man was a workhorse. He was always busy doing something around the house. As if sensing that he was being watched, Wilburn turned up towards the direction of her window, squinting his eyes from the glaring sun. He waved as he saw Caelie watching from the window. Caelie waved back before making her way over to her bed.