"I'm hungry, Thomas." Finch grumbled as she pouted her lips. They were now sitting under the big oak tree on the other side of the forest, far from where her oasis was located. Her stomach growled loudly.
Thomas, who was sitting next to her crossing his legs uncomfortably due to the wet ground, looked at her with concern. He did not bring anything from his home because his mother started to get suspicious of him selling the bread or the fruits to others, so he could have the money for himself. Usually, Thomas would bring Finch some foods that she could eat for he had been feeling nothing but concerned about her wellbeing.
"I told you, we need to go back to your house." Said Thomas who was more persistent than before. "I can make something."
Finch shook her head petulantly, refusing his offer. "Not now. I don't wanna go back yet."
Then suddenly an idea flashed on his mind, the one that made him grin just from thinking about it. The broad smile on his face got wider and wider. His eyes were lit with joy as if he just got a new toy. He had been knowing her for a while yet he never had a thought to invite her to the house, afraid of the questions that his mother would bombard him. But this time was different: it was like a perfect moment to bring her to the village. His mother could adopt her. It should be easy. He thought.
He got up from his sitting position, only to put his knees on the ground while he rested his hands on both knees as he leaned forward to view her face closer. Finch narrowed her eyes at him before hearing him spoke, "Do you want to go to the village? We can go to my house. My mother would be happy to see you. She cooks a lot of food."
He was too busy with his own mind that he failed to notice Finch's horrified expression. Her eyes were widened in fear. "No!" She shrieked in horror.
Thomas leaned away from her out of surprised of Finch's sudden change of emotion. The smile on his face faltered, replaced with confused expression. He studied her face that now looked frightened. Her lips were trembling as her eyes started to get watery.
"What happened?" He asked, whispering to her. "What's wrong, Finch?"
She shook her head vigorously. Her tears ran down her cheek as she was sobbing. Her voice was shaking as she spoke, "I don't want to go to the village, Thomas. I wanna stay in the forest."
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." Thomas cooed her, trying to calm her down. His hands were reaching out to Finch's shoulder, rubbing her gently. "We don't have to go to the village. We can stay here."
"But I want to see others." She admitted, still sobbing. Her voice was low. "Why don't they come back here?" She had to refer to all of the boys that come to play hide and seek with her, when really she only refer to Edmond.
Hearing this, Thomas' left eyebrow lifted up. He did not know she wanted to see others as well. She must be that lonely to expect them to come back to the forest.
"They're not allowed to go to the forest by their parents." Thomas told her. "Not all of us can go out of the house freely like William and I do."
So Edmond must be not allowed to come to the forest either by his parents. Was his mother as scary as Mosley?
Finch wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hands. She did not like to keep crying, not when she had a company that she enjoyed. She concentrated on what Thomas said now. Her watery eyes tried to focus on him.
"But William did not come today." She tilted her head to the side as she was wondering if that was cause for William's absence. "Is he not allowed to come anymore?"
Thomas shook his head. His hand patted her head consolingly. He did not like seeing Finch being sad. She was the happiest girl he had ever met and it made him happy to see her cheerful character, wandering around the forest by herself. He did not understand why she seemed to be a little bit emotional today. Maybe because he came so late and William did not come along with him, he guessed. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about him. He'll come back. He's just busy today."
"Busy?"
"Yes." He nodded at her. Then he chuckled as he thought about William. "His father had assigned him a governess. He's stuck at home today. Studying."
"What's that?" Asked Finch curiously.
"What?"
"Governess."
"You don't know what governess is?" Thomas widened his eyes, surprised that she did not know about it. But then he had been more surprised that she knew half of the world, even when she lived in the forest. Who taught her about things? Thomas wondered. He never really questioned it before. It was such a mystery of how the girl like Finch could live in the forest by herself. She looked like the normal girl in the village, except for her characters and her choice of clothes. She did not seem to be bothered by the rain that pour down all year round or the darkness of the forest in the night.
Thomas was a few months older than William and others. He often heard the stories or the news from either his parents or another adults about abandoned babies that were left in some places. Could Finch be one of them? He was curious about where she really come from. She might not be an educated child — neither was he — but she was well informed about everything. She could articulate things better than other children at her age.
After hearing no response from Finch, Thomas explained what governess was to her, using the most basic simple words. When he finished, he gauged Finch's expression. "Do you get it now?"
Finch curled her lips up, showing her dislike towards the idea of having governess. Her eyes darted away from him to the the green forest in front of her. She then uttered in more steady voice, "Governess won't let you play."
Thomas bursted out laughing. His laugh was echoing in the whole forest. Finch smiled. Thomas noticed the change of expression on her face, which was happier. He awarded her with another smile.
"How come you don't have a governess? You must be smart to not have your parents assign one for you." She complimented him genuinely.
"I believe I am smart." He agreed. He was feeling smug now. "I don't need one. I can play as much as I want."
"Really?"
"Really." He laughed and she giggled.
To Finch, it was like she had known Thomas for a very long time. She could talk and listen to him all day long, knowing that she would be just happy to have his company. It might be the effect of being with no one else but Mosley for nearly a decade. She had grown up in isolation, believing that she would have to spend her life time in the forest by herself. Who knew that the destiny had its own plan.
But it was not the kind of plan that would free her from the forest. The thought of what she was going to turn to be if she did leave the forest, pricked her heart. She ran her hands onto her long blonde hair, grasping them loosely.
"Will you tell me why you were sad?" Thomas pleaded as he noticed the sadness behind her protruding eyes.
But Finch refused to tell him and put a smile of her face, asking him different questions about how the girls in the village looked like.