The next day, Violet was shoved out of the house by his grandfather himself. He wanted to be mad at him for doing that, but she couldn't seem to find the heart to do so.
"You should explore the forest, Violet," his grandfather had said. "The sun is out and the breeze is nice. It is nice for you to explore."
Violet can show a bad attitude to anyone, but she found it hard to do for his grandfather.
"Maybe because he is old," Violet reasoned to herself.
Violet is out in the forest now. She remembered it being called Suzuki Forest to follow the name of a man who was said to be the last man who can talk and interact with the spirits in the forest.
All hogwash is what Violet thought about it. For all she knew, that Suzuki might have just made the people believe that he can talk and interact with spirits so as for popularity. Everyone dies for attention is what Violet always believed.
"How deep in the forest have I gotten?" Violet asked as he took off her headphones and rested it on her neck. She then took a look around.
Chills went up to her spine. Nothing around here is familiar. It is just endless rows of bushes and tall trees.
Violet definitely realized it.
"I'm lost," Violet said with fear.
Violet went inside the forest in the morning. Hours passed and it is already sundown, but it seems that she happened to just wander deeper into the forest. She already finished her protein bar before lunch and now she is getting very hungry. She tried shouting for help, but she realized that no one would hear her. She thought better and kept silent to conserve energy. She tried looking for a signal on her phone, but there are just no receptions in the forest. The poor girl couldn't call anybody for help.
With her knees trembling, stomach grumbling, eyes heavy, feet sore and bruised, Violet eventually lay down under the shade of a tall tree.
"Grandfather knows that I am still not back. He must be worried," she thought as her eyelids start to close. "He must have had the men and the women in the village out searching for me by noon. If I don't move here, one of them might eventually find me. Ugh, I am never going back here again even if it kills me if this will happen again."
Back in the Grandfather Seto's house, one of the female villagers went to visit him with his son.
"Greetings, Rosa," Grandfather Seto greeted the female villager.
"Greetings, Grandfather Seto. How have you been?" Rosa asked cheerfully.
"Never been better!" Grandfather Seto exclaimed. "My granddaughter came to visit me! She just arrived yesterday."
"Goodness, so the rumors were true!" Rosa gushed.
"May I know what exactly are the rumors, Rosa?" Grandfather Seto asked with a smile.
Rosa touched her cheeks in embarrassment upon the mention of the rumor. "Oh, it is just that a beautiful, young maiden happened to be here with you. The men in the village said that she is your granddaughter, Grandfather Seto."
"Ah, yes, indeed," Grandfather Seto agreed with a nod. "A beautiful, young maiden, that one is."
"Which is why I came here with my son, you see," Rosa said. "I was about to give you a portion of the fresh fruits my husband picked from the forest and introduce my son to you and your granddaughter, too!"
Rosa handed the basket of fruits to Grandfather Seto with great care.
"Thank you, Rosa. You are so kind," Grandfather Seto said.
"It is not a problem. Not at all!" Rosa gushed. Then, she started to look around. "So, where is your granddaughter, anyway? I haven't seen her around."
"She has been at Suzuki Forest, wandering around," Grandfather Seto said with a smile.
"Oh? When will she be back?" Rosa asked.
"I believe that she will be back in a few hours. After all, she hasn't been able to eat lunch yet. Hopefully, she won't be late for dinner," Grandfather Seto said confidently.
Rosa felt disturbed. "Grandfather Seto, with all due respect, don't you think that the lady might have already gone lost in the forest? Suzuki Forest is a vast and dangerous forest. Surely, you have heard the myths and rumors of the said forest. Besides, you said she hasn't been able to come back for lunch!"
Grandfather Seto waved his hand to show that it is nothing to worry about. "Don't worry. Everything is going well. I already asked someone to go and fetch her for me. She will be fine."
This seemed to convince Rosa. She just silently nodded as a response. Grandfather Seto, then noticed the teenager beside Rosa.
"Is he your son, Rosa?" Grandfather Seto asked politely.
"Why, yes!" Rosa said with a laugh. "What do you think? Quite the charmer, am I right? He got it from his Dad, obviously."
"Mom, please. You are embarrassing me," the lad said.
Rosa just laughed as a response.
Grandfather Seto took a good look at the boy. The boy is fairly tall with blonde hair that swayed in the breeze. He's got charming blue eyes and a good physique. He doesn't look a day over 19 and looks smart in his light blue polo shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers.
"What is your name, boy?" Grandfather Seto asked with a smile.
The boy gave the old man a kind and warm smile then answered, "Good Sir, my name is Lucien."
Grandfather Seto nodded, "Lucien... a fitting name for a smart-looking lass. I am sure that my granddaughter will be thrilled to meet someone almost her age."