Maple Ridge

Chapter 9

Fiona Anderson

"You all need to submit your essays on World War I tomorrow by latest. I won't take late submissions." Mrs. Lowell says. She is the lady I saw on my first day of school in the principal's office, and guess what, she is my history teacher.

All the students sigh and start packing their stuff.

"I am done with being in an all-girls school." I hear the girl behind me sigh. I turn around to see who it is and see that it is Alison.

"You know, there is the boy's school on the other side of the forest." Ava adds.

I see Alison give Ava and look and says, "You really think that I would go into the woods? Who knows what is in there." She shudders as she says this.

I can't help but reply to her, "I have gone there before, and it's perfectly safe."

Ava's eyes widen a little as she says, "You know we can't enter the forest right? It's not allowed!"

"Really? Big shocker." I say with the roll of my eyes, with that I leave the two of them talking in the classroom, eager to reach my dorm and get some rest.

Just as I am leaving the classroom I hear Ava saying something like, 'You still have me." But I am not sure.

I quickly walk through the corridors and out the building into the fields.

I pass the other Dorm buildings and walk towards the last one in the row. I pass the first two and at the entrance of the third year dorm building, I see a little girl, dressed in a white jumpsuit.

I quickly go over to her and tap her on her shoulder. She turns around to see who it is and a smile comes onto her face as she sees me.

"Fiona!! Hi." She says with an even bigger smile. I am getting fond of her really quickly.

"Hey Mila. What are you doing here?" I ask her. I have not seen her near the dorms before.

"I was looking for you." She says with a shy smile.

I laugh and say, "You know I am in the last year right? My dorm is in the next building."

"You are in the last grade!? You look like you are barely 16!" She says, an unbelieving look in her eyes.

"Hey! I don't look that young. I will be 18 in a few months!" I say, acting offended.

"Hehe ok. I forgot what I was finding you for." Mila suddenly says, face palming herself.

"Yes, tell me what it is." I say, curiously.

"Guess." She says with her hands behind my back.

Even though I know what it is I still say, "Mrs. Dixon wants to see me?"

"No"

"Ms. Cabot wants to thank me for finishing my food?" I say jokingly, trying not to laugh.

"No!" she says, with a frustrated expression on her face.

"Ok, then you tell me." I say, giving her shoulder a nudge.

She takes her hands from behind her back and shows me her nails. Today, I see them covered with neon pink polish, with black hearts in the corner.

"Those are so cool! Where did you get the neon pink??" I ask her.

"Mom got it for me!! She went down the city to buy something, and got these for me." Mila says, almost jumping with excitement.

"Good for you Melanie." I say patting her head.

"Ok, bye now. I have got more people to meet." And runs off to the main building.

These past few weeks have been bearable due to Mila. When I am with her, it almost feels like she is my younger sister.

Sessions with Mrs. Dixon have also been amazing. I feel like I have got to know more about mom, than I ever knew when she was alive.

I sometimes feel like even though the Principal asked me to tell her about mom after she was diagnosed, Mrs. Dixon just closes off. She stops talking freely and I just feel like she wants me gone.

Thinking about all this, I reach my room. As soon as I enter I see Alison, Ava and two more girls sitting and chatting.

Well, now I can't have my cosy bed anymore. I think, annoyed.

I pick up 'Little Women' from my side table and once more leave the room. Little Women has literally been my comfort book since forever, and I have been needing it a lot lately.

No matter how much I pretend to be happy and smiling, inside I feel hollow. As if I left a part of me behind, at home.

I haven't even talked to dad yet, and it's been almost 2 weeks now.

I enter the forest, book in one hand and a torch in the other. One day, I went in so deep that I didn't even have enough light to read a book.

I step over broken branches and push away wild bushes. I walk for a long time, not wanting to stop. I would have expected me to be scared of going in alone, but somehow I am not. I have this feeling that I am safe here. I feel safer in the forest than in the school itself sometimes.

Finally, I find a thick, huge banyan tree, larger than any I have seen before. I was right to get the torch, I seriously can't read in this darkness.

I make myself comfortable under the canopy of the tree and open the book.

I read for some time, not even knowing how long. I have almost reached the part where Beth dies. Tears start forming in my eyes as I read more. I have read this book a million times, and every time I can't stop myself from crying.

"Poor Beth. I really liked her." Suddenly I hear a male voice say. I look around to see where it came from, who was here with me? But I can't see anyone around.

"Who is it? Where are you? Show yourself." I say, losing myself in the suspenseful moment.

"I am above you." Once again the voice says and suddenly someone pulls my braid and I jump up in surprise and a shriek leaves my throat.

Just then a boy lands in front of me, just a few feet away.

***

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-S