Lost

Lost

"Lila!" I call. "Where are you!" I begin to panic. She is supposed to be in her room playing with toys! "Calm down Chloe", I think to myself. She probably just thinks we're playing hide and seek. "Lila you win come out!" I call. Nothing happens. A horrible thought crosses my mind. I push It away. I won't let anything happen to Lila. Not my sister. I think of mum and dad away in their holiday suite, not worrying about a thing. This angers me so I focus on my sister. "Where would I want to be if I was a curious little preppie?" I think out loud. The answer is not good.

I race out the back door. My eyes scan the environment, flicking across to the entrance of the forest. My worst nightmare just came true. Yes, she was wearing a purple ribbon in her beautiful caramel hair. The same one caught up on a branch in the forest. My heart rate races to one million miles per hour. I slowly walk into the deep, dark forest.

My knees knock together, each step moving me away from the beautiful sunlight. "I should have worn a jumper", I think as I feel myself shuddering in the cold misty air. I tiptoe through, as if any small sound could be my death. The back of my neck prickles. I hold my breath and stay still. There is nothing to be seen, so I continue on my journey. It is like a blanket of darkness has spread across the world. All I can see is the towering fern trees and the misty cloud that escapes from my mouth each time I take a breath. I cannot think of anything except Lila.

I had been left at home for the weekend because my parents decided that they had to go on a romantic holiday and leave Lila and I at home. We could be in a heated pool right now, in a 5 star resort, but instead we are both alone, shaking in complete darkness. I feel my face burning with anger. It is not my fault Lila wondered away, it is my parents fault. They should have been looking after her. They are the so called "responsible" ones. I don't think I've ever seen someone responsible leaving their 5 year old and 10 year old daughters at home alone! I shake my long hair. I need to stay focused.

It begins to rain. My caramel hair changes to a dark brown. I shiver in my mini jeans and
t-shirt. I glance at my watch. It's 8:00 pm. Poor Lila! She would be so tired and scared. I wonder what animals are out there watching me. There could be anything. My brain has gone into survival mode. I could hear a leaf fall off a tree. I turn at every rustle or snap, wondering if a wolf will jump out at me and rip me apart like a piece of paper. I think of my sister, her face drained of colour, staring into the eyes of a wolf. She is so tiny. A tear trickles down my face. I won't let that happen to her.

My ears prick up. I hear something like... like someone calling for help. "Lila!" I cry at the top of my lungs. I race through the wet, soggy ground. I am running so fast I feel like I will burst. "Lila!" I yell again. I trip over a branch and fall. I taste blood but I don't even care. I get back up and start to run in the direction of the voice. My head is throbbing. I raise my hand to my forehead. It is burning with pain. I take my hand down to see blood. This couldn't get any worse.


"Lila!" I yell again. I am running slower now. I look at my watch again. 8:27. I wonder if I will find Lila. I wonder if the voice was Lila. I stop and look around. Every way looks the same. The pain in my head is unbearable. My body feels like ice. I curl up into a ball and I feel like I am going to cry. Everything is so overwhelming.

Just as I begin to drift off I hear it again. The person calling, but it sounds more like crying. I leap up "Lila!" I scream. I sprint in the direction of the sound. I cannot see anything. My only guidance to find whoever is calling is my ears. I trip and stumble across the wet forest ground. I see a huge flash of lightning rip across the sky. Thunder booms in my ears. I struggle to find my watch jammed in my pocket. 9:17pm. There is a deafening boom of thunder. My body jumps and I begin to run faster. I am getting closer to the crying sound. I am determined to find her. I will find her.

I rip the branches away as I storm through the dark. My feet scramble to find a stable piece of ground among the long branches sprawled across the ground. I run as fast as my tired legs can take me. My body is screaming for me to stop and rest but I charge on. I will not stop until I find Lila. "Lila!" I cry. I hear her tiny voice scream just as another lightning bolt flashes. The thunder booms, blocking out my sister. I have to find her. I hear her again. "Chloe!" she calls. "Lila! I'm coming!" I yell back. My eyes scan every direction locking on her tiny figure. I sprint over to her, embracing her tiny shivering body. My eyes fill with tears of both joy and sadness. "You are safe now." I whisper in her tiny ear. I don't care how I'm going to get home. All I care about is my sister, safe in my arms.