The Lost Daughter

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead, or places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written consent from the author/publisher

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Epilogue

Title Page

The Lost Daughter

By

L. B. Molina

***********

ISBN: 978-0-9917207-1-2

The Lost Daughter

Copyright © 2014 by L. B. Molina

Published at Smashwords

PROLOGUE

I could hear the little girl’s laughter as she run shoeless on the green grass wearing a white sun dress that reached below her knees. On the right far side of the field, the lake with crystal clear water reflected the sun with vivid orange colours while the beautiful Rocky Mountains served as a wall right behind it. It was an astonishing view.

I could hear the colorful birds singing while the white horse rested underneath of a huge tree. Yet the predominant sound was the laughter that surrounded the place with a sense of imaginable happiness, evident on all the living things around the little girl.

Then the white tiger would appear out of nowhere, running to meet the little girl that would throw her arms around his neck for a bear hug. The tiger was three times her size but seemed tamed as a pussy cat. She would raise her head to see a shadow coming towards her but wouldn’t scream when she was lifted into strong arms that carried her away from her paradise, away from her animals, and the little boy that tried desperately to reach her but always failed.

I had been having the same dream forever but had never seen the faces of the little girl, the boy, and the shadow. Yet the sadness I felt was beyond reasonable explanation.

CHAPTER 1

I was lying on my bed pretending not to hear the noises that my mother was making in the kitchen, baking a cake for my birthday. It was easy to visualize the chocolate cake decorated with strawberries and whipping cream set on the centre of the table waiting for me. It had happened once a year every single morning for the past 16 years. And I had to wait in my bedroom until the magic call: Breakfast is ready, honey. Then I would run downstairs feigning surprise and endure the happy birthday song sang out of tune by my mother that would be clapping her hands like a school girl.

I had always enjoyed my predictable birthday celebrations until now. Today I had a pressure on my chest that was making hard to breathe. There was an inexplicable sadness in my heart, a feeling of loss and pain, perhaps caused by loneliness because for the first time since I was born my mother wasn’t enough. I missed people.

My mother was a famous author that no one had ever seen the face. She wrote under the pseudonym Ella Martin with the strict condition of no publicity, something she could get away with it due to the absurd numbers of books she sold worldwide. Being a perfectionist, she liked to live in the places she used as setting for her novels. Thus, I spent my life residing in different countries every two years.

Our homes had a tendency to be located in secluded areas with no neighbours in a radius of at least 10 km making it impossible for me to frequent regular schools and giving the right excuses for my mother to have me homeschooled. Though I met people frequently, I didn’t have one single friend but if it served as a comfort I spoke several languages.

The only technology allowed at my home was a telephone, a TV, and a stereo. I was forbidden to use a computer or any other devices that had access to Internet, something that I didn’t miss and didn’t quite understand how it worked. I guessed that my lack of social life didn’t need social media.

For the past year, we had been living in Tofino, West Coast of Vancouver Island. Our house was located in the Pacific Rim Hwy, perched in the treetops, and invisible to the passersby. From my bedroom window I could see kilometers of forest cover or my backyard as I like to call it. I loved the smell of nature, the only remedy capable of calming my aching heart that lately had been bothering me constantly.

Zara? Are you awake?

My mother’s voice startled me. I focused my mind to the present and got up from bed before answering, I’ll be right down.

I changed quickly to a pair of jogging pants and an old beige t-shirt before hurrying to brush my teeth and splash some water on my face. As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I saw big green eyes staring back at me. My skin was pale white with my blond straight hair falling below my shoulders, an angelic appearance that hid the turmoil going inside me.

Zara? My mother yelled again.

Coming.

I made my way downstairs, meeting my mother in the kitchen decorated with colourful air balloons, the cake on the table and my favourite breakfast: pancakes with hot chocolate.

Happy birthday darling!

I found myself inside my mother’s firm arms and rested my head on her shoulders while savouring the love she felt for me and I for her. My mother’s real name was Elisa Lizula, a red hair with blue eyes and a head shorter than me, a very strong and determined woman who I had learned since an early age to never cross. She was my only friend, the person that I confided everything. Yet, for some unknown reason I’d never mentioned the dream about the happy little girl to her. That was my secret.

Oh my, it’s hard to believe that you’re sixteen already, darling.

She stopped embracing me but kept me at arms’ length, examining my face with a worried expression. As I gazed at her I had a distinct impression that seemed sad. There were tears in her eyes.

What’s wrong mom? Are you upset?

Her expression changed instantly going from troubled to a full smile.

Upset? Where did that come from, darling? I couldn’t be happier…you turned out to be a perfect young woman. She grinned, kissed my cheeks, and let me go before adding, Come, let’s eat before the food gets cold.

I sat down on my chair and dug into my pancakes that were delicious, feeling my mother’s eyes on me from across the table. Something wasn’t right. I could sense the tension emanating from her. I wondered if the aching inside my chest had anything to do with my mother’s mood.

Zara? The tone of her voice made me look at her immediately with my fork half way to my mouth. We are moving to India.

I lowered my hand, resting my fork on the plate, looking for clues at her face. She hadn’t finished her new book yet. We were in Tofino for less than a year and we usually moved after two years have passed. Until this moment she hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving and my intuition was telling me that she was hiding something from me, something responsible for her change of heart.

I don’t wanna move to India. I kind of like it here, I said very softly.

You don’t have any say in the matter, Zara. We have to go.

What are you running away from?

My question was supposed to be a joke but my mother turned as pale as a ghost as if someone had punched her in the stomach. I also noticed a slight trembling on her hands as she gazed past me, lost in her thoughts. She took such a long time to answer me back that I’d believed she’d forgotten that was there.

Zara, darling, please don’t make a big deal out of this. You now that we don’t live permanently anywhere. I need to be part of the place I am writing about. That’s my profession.

I know mom but…. we practically have just moved here. I puffed. Have you ever wondered if I like to be moving around constantly, home schooled without friends, always alone? Have you ever thought about me? What I want?

It was the first time I had voiced my feelings and I saw the storm brewing in her eyes for my mother hated to be contradicted. She was used to my submission and acceptance of her decisions but for some unknown reason I didn’t wanna go to another place. From all the cities we had lived in, Tofino was the one that felt like home. The combination of ocean, forest, and mountains made the place unique, giving me the opportunity to explore nature at its best. Besides, we had been there for less than a year and we didn’t relocate before the two years were up.

I am not asking for your opinion Zara. I am informing that we’ll be departing in a week.

I gasped. A week? Why are you doing this to me? WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU? For the first time in my life I raised my voice surprising both of us.

You have never yelled at me before.

I’m sorry mom, I didn’t mean to… She cut me off.

We have to go Zara, please believe me. She sounded defeated.

Why?

We just have.

This is not good enough, mom. If you don’t tell me the reason you’ve decided to drag us to India, I won’t follow you this time.

Now I’d done it. The sweet obedient Zara was showing her real self. I couldn’t believe that I had just threatened my mother. And judging by her bewildered expression neither could she. It seemed that the day where we would disagree had finally arrived. We wanted different paths to our lives and I was not willing to be the one to compromise this time.

Zara, you have no choice. Her voice was cold as ice.

Neither do you. I challenged her.

I stood up but before leaving I said, Thanks for the amazing party.

I left the kitchen without even glancing at her direction. I was angry. Angry with the woman I loved but that insisted in keeping me hidden from the world as if I was a criminal. Only a blind person wouldn’t realize that I had grown up and with growing up came dreams, desires, yearning for settling down. I was tired of moving around the globe. I wanted to meet people, make friends, go to a regular high school, attend University, date a gorgeous boy, and have neighbours. A pet could also be a possibility.

Lately the loneliness was suffocating me. My mother as my only friend was no longer enough. When we’d moved to Tofino I’d felt happy. I’d found a sense of freedom never felt before. It had taken long for me to realize that the happy feelings were consequence of being surrounded by nature. And secretly I’d convinced myself that I would never depart, that I would make it my permanent home. The absurdity of the situation was that I had not included my mother in the equation and it had turned out that the place I had chose as home was the place that she wanted to stay less than any other place.

I put my running shoes on and found myself outside, in the backyard, facing the forest that started a few meters from the house. The tall trees were uncharted territory. I had promised my mother never to go there because the place was inhabited by bears, foxes, wolves and other less dangerous animals. Thus I stood close to the forest listening and breathing slowly, letting the sounds of the forest calm my nerves and bring peace to my heart. My eyes were closed, my arms rested straight beside my body, and my head faced the forest that seemed to be calling for me, inviting me to go in. I felt a breeze touched my cheek as if someone was caressing my face with very gentle fingers until I heard a voice whisper in my ear: Zara.

My eyes popped open. The hair prickled at the back of my neck. I could swear that someone was there with me. Yet as I checked my surroundings I was alone. Not even my mother had been outside looking for me, something that I knew she wouldn’t do. It was typical of Elisa to wait for me to return home and apologize for my disobedience. But this time she was in for a treat.

I looked at the sun that had started to come out of the clouds, displaying a blue sky. I smiled. Nothing could make me happier than a beautiful day. I glanced at the forest again, feeling the pulling to go in and my feet started moving towards the trees on their own accord. I kept walking until I found myself at the borderline. Behind me was the house and in front of me was the unknown calling.

In my consciousness, I heard my mother saying stay away from the forest Zara. It’s full of dangers. In front of me I saw the beauty of the trees and as if by magic a path that I hadn’t noticed before appeared right in front of me, an invitation to explore. I walked slowly to its beginning to see that it was wider than I had first imagined. The sunlight was able to penetrate and illuminate the trail.

"Don’t be afraid, Zara. No harm will come to you." I wasn’t sure if I had thought it or if someone had spoken the words in my brain. But that was the push I needed to make my decision. I ignored the years of advice received from my mother about the perils of the forests and followed my instinct. I stepped into the woods.

CHAPTER 2

The path was dry, full of old leaves, wide enough to walk no more than three people side by side. I started walking and instantly changed to jogging, listening to the birds singing. I felt the signs of life around me as my blood boiled in my veins. It was reinvigorating. No longer angry, I let peace invade my soul cleaning any last vestiges of my argument with my mother. It was like the forest and I were one and the aching that had afflicted me in the morning vanished.

I didn’t know how long I’d been running when I found a clearing. I sat on a broken trunk inhaling fast while admiring the beauty of the place. The ground was covered with dark green grass. Wild flowers and shrubs were everywhere. I lifted my head and closed my eyes to savour the warmth of the sun coming through the trees, happy to be there. Then I felt something hit my forehead. I reopened my eyes and removed a fallen leaf from my nose. I was about to throw it on the floor when I glanced up and saw a shadow of what appeared to be a man facing me.

Who is there? I sounded scared.

I should ask you the same question. I couldn’t see his face but I hadn’t missed the sarcasm in his tone.

What are you doing up there?

I was napping until you disturbed my rest.

On a tree?

Do you have a problem with that?

Before I had a chance to answer back, he startled me by jumping right in front of my face causing my heart to skip several beats. He wasn’t a man but a boy, maybe older than me, with curly ink black hair, blue eyes, pale white skin like mine, and very tall. He was gorgeous!

Ahhh…. you better close your mouth before the flies get in.

And he was also conceited.

What is a girl doing here by herself, a place where Mademoiselles wouldn’t venture alone? Oh, don’t answer it. Let me guess. Fought with the boyfriend?

Handsome and repulsive, a nasty combination if you asked me. My desire was to turn around and ignore his question but curiosity took the better of me.

I did not.

Did what?

Do you always answer questions with questions? Then I felt my cheeks getting hot when I realized that I had spoken the next words out loud, gosh you are annoying.

The boy was staring at me with an amused expression but his eyes were intense, searching, analyzing; making me feel uncomfortable but not afraid. Somehow I knew he meant no harm. I gazed back at him unable to break contact, admiring the perfection of his face. He really was beautiful. Then I heard my subconscious warning me to get a grip of myself because I was looking pathetic. I shook my head and said, I’m sorry. I didn’t have the intention of bothering you. I’ll leave now. I saw his eyes flickered with surprise.

Aren’t you going to tell me your name?

Suddenly his voice became soft, almost pleading, and I felt my lips moving as if they were in automatic pilot. Zara.

Zara, he repeated. Unusual but beautiful. Then he smiled making his whole face glowed before saying, My name is Andes.

Your name is not very common either.

No, it’s not. He smiled again.

I couldn’t take my eyes of him. It was like a magnet pulling me towards this beautiful stranger with a strange name like mine. He wore faded blue jeans, red fitted t-shirt, and running shoes, nothing special about his wardrobe but his presence was compelling, fascinating enough to make any girl swoon and terrifying for a girl like me without social skills.

Why are you staring at me?

I blinked feeling exposed. I just didn’t know how to deal with him. I had never been left alone with anyone except for my mother and my tutor. Everyone else that had crossed my path had been politely chased away by my mother who kept me on a tight rope. As far as a boy was concern, I didn’t remember ever talking to one. I looked at him I decided that honesty was my best option.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. The truth is that I wasn’t expecting to encounter anyone in the forest, other than maybe, certain animals. Also, I’m not very good with meeting people.

You are shy. He lifted the corner of his lip on a half smile.

I don’t know. May be I am.

I see. He gazed at me with those big blue eyes as if deciding on what to do then asked, Do you want to tell me why you are here by yourself?

A fight with my mother. As I said it, I noticed how upset I was with the whole argument thing. My mother was the last person I wanted to hurt and I knew I’d done just that.

I’m sure it will work out. Andes dismissed it with a wave of his hand while inspecting my face. You look thirsty, are you? Talk about a change of topic.

Now that you mentioned it, my mouth is dry. But I don’t have any water with me.

There is a stream about a kilometer or so from here. I can take you there.

Zara, Zara. Making small talk to a complete stranger can be considered harmless but following him to godknowswhere is something else. You may find yourself in trouble.

You can trust me. I would never harm you.

Had I spoken out loud again? I was sure I hadn’t but it seemed like he’d guessed my thoughts. That was freaking!

I don’t know you, Andes. How can I be sure that you won’t hurt me?

Because… I give you my word. He was dead serious.

And that was sufficient for me to follow him deep into the forest, going up and down hill, looking for the water that was going to quench my thirst. Andes walked with the assurance of someone who knew where to go. His pace was firm and smooth. I followed behind sometimes tripping on the trees roots because we no longer walked on the open path. Not once I doubt that he would take me back to the way home. Instead I used the advantage of having his back to me to admire his physic, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and firm buttocks. He sure was a vision to behold.

Ops… I bumped right onto his back that was as hard as a rock.

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