SOPHIA POV
“If you like, don’t eat it. You would starve to death,” Edwin said, smirking, and walked out of the room.
We exchanged glances, and I lost the words to say.
Jackson sighed and dropped his jar. “You shouldn’t have accepted to marry him.”
“He will kill you too if I don’t,” I said, “And he would force me after killing you. I’m just scared.”
“I should have ripped out his bone if he hasn’t bound me here.”
“What should we do to escape before the helicopter gets here?”
“I don’t know,” Jackson said, looking down.
We kept quiet, listening in the quiet room. I looked down too, blood stained the floor. Susan’s blood.
Jackson looked at me. “Edwin is so cruel. Susan shouldn’t have gone against his words.”
“I feel guilty about her death,” I said, shedding tears.
“It isn’t your fault,” he said, “crying won’t help a bit.”
We kept quiet once more, listening for a strange sound coming from outside.
“Is that helicopter?” I asked, exchanging glances with Jackson.
Suddenly, Jackson opened the door and hurried in, untying me from the chair. “Now it is time to leave.”
He holds my hands and forced me out of the room. I looked back. Jackson had untied the rope off his body.
“Leave me alone, am not going anywhere,” I shouted.
“Keep quiet,” he said, slapping me.
I fell, screaming as my mouth bleed.
“What the fuck are you saying? You don’t have any choice, you must follow me.”
“Leave me alone.”
He slapped me again.
Jackson boomed, “Leave her alone now if you don’t want to die.”
We looked back. Edwin widened his eyes in shock as he saw Jackson walking out, unbind except for his hands.
“Who are you? Who did you call yourself?” he looked at his soldiers and says, “give me a sword. I want to behead him.” He pushed me down and my hands get wounded.
Jackson waits in silence, looking at him, frowning like a devil.
Edwin collected the sword and darted to Jackson’s side, attacking. Jackson keeps dodging every single attack. My heart skipped, I screamed as he gave Jackson’s arm a mark with the sword and blood stained Jackson’s body.
Edwin looked at him, smirking.”You think you are smart. I’m going to behead you, now.”
Jackson untied the rope from his hands, with the help of the attacking swords. And then gave Edwin a blow on his head. Edwin fell, looking angry, commanding his soldier not to fight him.
“I will deal with him by myself. Give him a sword too.”
And then his soldier throws a sword at Jackson.
“I don’t need a sword. You are a coward. A goat before the lion.”
Edwin’s eyes turned red, and he roared, “How dare you say that?”
Jackson smiled. “I can fight you with bare hands because you hold a toy.”
Edwin kicked a stone away and off his shirt. And he dropped his sword, too. “I will show you I can fight with a bare hand, too. Don’t you know me? Don’t you know than I am the son of Santiago?”
“Don’t you know me too? Don’t you know that am the son of Reuben?”
“Oh! This is the perfect time to revenge against the son of a friend that killed my father. I killed your father that is stronger than you. So tell me, why I won’t kill you,” he roared, and they fought. Jackson fell as Edwin gave him a hot blow, and blood crawled down from his mouth.
Edwin hurries at him and was hitting his mouth with a rapid blow. And Jackson lost his strength. Edwin picked up a sword and said, “I will behead you with the sword that you called a toy.”
I scream as Edwin raised the sword on high and someone threw an arrow here and the arrow pierced through Edwin’s stomach.
Everyone gets surprised as he fell, bleeding. And all his soldiers and the indigenous people run away as the soldiers of Bowen’s king darted to them. Slaughtering them. They attack them when they haven’t prepared. And they killed the pilot too.
And then Titanic flew to my side. And I hugged it, kissing its peak.
“Sophia,” someone called.
When I looked back, I saw Erica running to me.
Tears dropped from my eyes. I can’t help but cry as she hugged me.
“My daughter,” my father shouted, running to me and then, hugged me tightly to his chest. And here, I feel his heart beating a love with his daughter.
Anabelle, Lucy, Bella, Alice, Benjamin, John, six police officers, and Reuben walked to me, smiling. And they all hugged me.
“We succeed at last,” Lucy said.
“Don’t smile yet, we haven’t succeeded,” I said.
“Why did you say that?” Bella asked.
“We haven’t seen Henry. I’m not happy.”
Everyone exchanged glances. And then laughed.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked, wondering.
And Anabelle sat beside me. “Didn’t I tell you not to go? See what you have caused now.”
“I’m sorry. Have missed Henry a lot. I can’t do without him.”
“It that your weakness?”
“Yes,” I said, “And I love it that way. It isn’t bad to have that weakness for the person one loved.”
“Now that you don’t see your Henry. What are you going to do.”
I looked at her face and takes a glance at all of them in a minute before bursting into tears and everyone laughed.
Anger swirled in me and stayed still, and I shouted, “What the hell are you laughing at? Why are you laughing at me? You are making a jest of me? I don’t even trust you guys. Don’t understand why you are laughing. I tell you guys am missing someone,” I stood up and continue, “I tell you guys that am missing someone. I’m missing the part of my life. And you here laughing. What the fuck. This is nonsense.”
I pointed to Edwin’s dead body. “The one that caused trouble had died.” And I looked at the police. “You are wicked. Too wicked. You laughed after chasing Henry into the river. You caused all this.”
Lucy walked to me and I shouted, “Don’t touch me. Never touch me. When you know you won’t help me find Henry. Why did you save my life? Why?”
Bella holds me and gazed into my eyes and boomed, “Why? Why are you looking into my eyes? Leave me alone. Or else I will slap you.”
My father walked towards me and say, “Sophia, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. We tried all our best. We must go home now.”
“Home? I should follow you home? I’m not going home. You guys are wicked. Devil’s children. You guys had already concluded. You have already planned. You don’t want me to marry Henry. This is what you can’t accept too. Can someone tell you not to marry a girl you love?”
“Sophia,” My father said, “Relax. Everything will be fine.”
“I know, It can’t. It won’t. It’s impossible. I’m not following you guys. Leave me alone. I will look for Henry. I won’t go home until I saw him.”
I stood up and walked away into the forest back and Anabelle ran to me, saying, “don’t go please, don’t cause another trouble.”
I look back and say, “If you dare to touch me, I will slap your face. Leave me alone and go back.” I walked away from him and Titanic flies to me, doing the same sign it shows me when I am in the pit. “I don’t understand what you are saying. You are not a magnificent bird too. You will write to others and show me a sign that I can’t understand. Leave me alone. I don’t need your help.”
I burst into tears, not caring who saw my tears, and then walked away from Titanic and it flies to my back. But this time it looks down, writing some words on the ground. I stood, reading it in my mind, “How sweet is it to shed a tear which someone you love would kiss? Look at your back. Look at your back. Please.”
I looked back, and I saw Anabelle crying. What does Titanic mean?
Here and now, Anabelle said, “I missed you.” She removed foams out her chest and hair from her head.
Here and now, something takes all my attention. And my world; my heart changed through my eyes. And dried leaves, falling like snow. Healing my heart.
Anabelle turned out to be Henry. And his words flow in the head. “Just sit down and relax. I will do the cooking for you . . . . Sophia, please don’t leave me alone. We would look for Henry tomorrow morning. I won’t sleep until you sleep .. .. I won’t eat until you eat.”
I sighed, and my tears lost their backbone. Henry sighed, and he can’t help but cry too.
Something vigor. Something powerful lifted my legs as if on its own and I ran to him and then hugged him. I pounded his chest, slowing. “Why? Why? What took you so long? Why don’t you confess to me in time? What if Titanic didn’t stop me?” And my tears fell like pebbles on his neck.
And his soft voice, which I has thirst and long to hear, swirled in my ears, “Now that you are in my arms. I won’t let you go again. Had suffered in missing you.”
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Here and now, in Edwin’s helicopter. And we were flying. Flying over trees. Flying below glistening water. But on Henry’s chest, I’m flying in love. And the rest clapped their hands as I smiled.
Lucy raised her hands and said, “Don’t touch me. Never touch me. When you know you won’t help me find Henry. Why did you save my life? Why?” Demonstrating how I acted back then, and we all laughed.
My father said, “Home? I should follow you home? I’m not going home. You guys are wicked. Devil’s children. You guys had already concluded. You have already planned. You don’t want me to marry Henry. This is what you can’t accept too. Can someone tell you not to marry a girl you love?” And we all laughed again.
One of the police says, “You are wicked. Too wicked. You laughed after chasing Henry into the river. You caused all this.” And we laughed again and again.
I feel shy. Looking at their faces, Reuben smiled, Alice and Jackson were staring at themselves, smiling too. Bella looked at me with critical eyes and boomed, “Why? Why are you looking into my eyes? Leave me alone. Or else I will slap you.”
And we all laughed again.
I looked at Erica, who sat near her Benjamin. I missed her a lot. I missed how we play and fight in the room and in her car.
Titanic flies in with a flower on its peak and dropped it in my hands.
“Thank you, dear,” I said, rubbing its hairs. “You are a wonderful bird.”
“I’m hungry,” Lucy shouted, “I would soon faint.”
We laughed and Alice said, “Anabelle, follow me into the kitchen. I need your help.”
Henry looked at her and say, “Nay, leave me alone. Go called Lucy or Bella. I’m on my period.”
And we burst into laughter.
And here, here, Henry looked at my face as I lifted my head from his chest. He is as pretty as an angel from paradise.
And here, and now. We kissed. And my heart speaks. In silence.