Sierra was quietly sitting at the backseat of Dan’s black sedan. Josh was soundly sleeping beside her, his head resting on her lap while their hands were tightly intertwined.

After thirty minutes of driving on a straight and wide road with moderate traffic, Dan took a left turn and drove on a road where no car was passing. After a hundred meters, he took another left turn. After another hundred meters, he turned right. He took different turns after every hundred meters or so, until he reached a road passing through a woodland.

Sierra was in awe. She could not believe that there was a road wide enough for cars to pass in that dark and thick woodland. She was even more surprised to learn that Josh was living in the very heart of a secluded place. That must be the same woodland where he had taken her yesterday. He just traveled a different route or it must be that Sierra was too busy yelling at him to notice the road he had taken.

It took them nearly an hour to reach the end of that road which was a high-fenced mansion. Its gate automatically opened when the car was only a few meters away from it and automatically closed after Dan stopped the car near the porch. 

Sierra could not see anything around the perimeter of the fence aside from full-grown trees. But at least, above the mansion, she could see the clear blue sky and even the sun. It was illuminating that area well.

“Why is Josh living in this secluded place?” Sierra curiously asked after Renzo opened the backseat door.

"We live in this house," Renzo said, further surprising Sierra. "Can you help me with Josh?"

Using her free hand, Sierra carefully lifted his head from her lap then pushed him gently on Renzo's broad back before asking, "We? Meaning you, Dan, and Josh live in this house?"

"Yes," Renzo briefly replied while securing the position of Josh on his back.

When he finally moved from the car and entered the mansion, Sierra closely followed and made sure that she was securely gripping the hand of her classmate.

"Are you related to one another?" Sierra dropped another question on Renzo as her interest kept on growing.

“Not by blood but by fate,” Dan was the one who answered her question. He rushed after them as soon as he was done parking the car at the front yard.

When they reached the second floor landing after ascending a spacious, green carpeted, and spiral wooden staircase, Renzo and Dan took a left turn, marched through a corridor, and stopped in front of the only door at the end of the hallway.

Dan opened it and inside was a room way bigger than Sierra's apartment.

Beside the entrance was another closed door, probably the bathroom. On the right corner of the room was a king-sized bed with big pillows and thick blanket. On the left corner, opposite the bed was a huge monitor and a couch that was big and soft enough to be a bed. Over the rounded glass center table were different kinds of remote control and a tiny translucent vase filled with various colored wild flowers which she had seen on their way to that mansion.

There was an air conditioner and plenty of lights in that room, but the open window beside the bed was wide enough to ventilate and illuminate the room. Beautiful ruffled curtains were neatly tied at each side of the window. They had the same navy blue color as the bed sheet, blanket, and pillows.

Beautiful glass lamps were sticking out of the walls but since it was broad daylight, Sierra could not see how bright and beautiful they glow.

After Renzo gently tucked Josh in the bed, he sincerely begged Sierra, “I know how much you hate skipping classes, but please, stay with him for now. We’ll talk to your professors.”

“I can't stay here,” Sierra quickly retorted, “I’m not a nurse,” she was about to let go of her classmate's hand but Renzo and Dan hurriedly stopped her.

“Please, keep holding his hand,” they seriously begged that Sierra refrained from letting go of Josh's hand.

“Why?” she curiously asked. “What’s wrong with him? Why is he suddenly like this? Why is my locket glowing every time I touch him today?”

“I’m sorry, Sierra. We don't know the answer to that,” Renzo admitted and he seemed to be telling the truth.

“Today he turns twenty-one,” Dan said, creasing his eyebrows, thinking hard. “That must be one of the reasons he is out of control.”

“Out of control?” Sierra asked in deep confusion.

“I need to be sure about it first,” Dan said, ignoring her question. “I’ll try to brew an effective medicine for him. But until then, you have to stay with him, Sierra.”

“How long will it take?” she was getting impatient once more.

“Dan is an excellent medicine brewer. He will quickly find a medicine for Josh. So please, just wait here, Sierra. Don’t let go of his hand.”

“You are also leaving?” Sierra asked when Renzo was about to follow Dan out of the room.

“You’re friend needs to train for her upcoming competition. It’s both important to us. Please understand.”

"Isn't your friend's condition more important than a competition?" Sierra asked, unable to comprehend Renzo's priority.

"If I can do something to make him feel better, I will stay," Renzo seriously voiced out. "But unfortunately, I can't. My presence here might be a burden to him."

"Why is your presence a burden to him and mine isn't?" Sierra asked, getting more and more impatient and extremely confused.

"Only Josh can answer all your questions, but I think your locket is doing some magic on him. It calms him down," Renzo was curiously staring at her glowing locket. "Where did you get that?"

“Sister Cecil told me that I'm already wearing this before I was taken to their orphanage,” Sierra sighed. "No one can take it off me, even myself," she tried pulling it off her neck but the leather lace was not moving farther than an inch away from her neck. It was as if an invisible force was making it stay there.

Renzo left the door open and, with all his might, tried to pull the glowing locket off Sierra's neck, but it remained where it was and unbroken.

"You can't remember anything from before you arrived at the orphanage?" Renzo asked with awe as he let go of the locket.

"Sister Cecil and everyone from the orphanage told me that whatever it is I can't remember, must be something worth forgetting," Sierra honestly replied.

"You can't tell us anything about that necklace?" Renzo asked with a look of disappointment.

"Sorry," Sierra sighed. She could not force herself to remember. People forget memories that was too much for them to bear. She was living a good life. She was only a few months away from obtaining a college degree. Why ruin her life by remembering something unbearable?

She could not do that to herself.

"It's okay," Renzo said with a pat on her shoulder. "The important thing is your locket helps Josh. Stay with him, Sierra. I'll return soon. I'll bring Ella and Kate with me."

"Okay," Sierra finally allowed Renzo to leave.

“Thank you,” Renzo sincerely uttered before leaving the room.

Again, Sierra had no better option but to sit on the bed since she could not find any chair near her. Fortunately, the bed was wide enough to maintain a safe distance from Josh.

Once comfortably settled on the other side of the bed, Sierra gazed at Josh, thinking hard, trying to come up with an answer to all her questions, but her stomach growled before she could think of any proper explanation.

She skipped her lunch.

Sierra looked around and searched for a clock. She found one at the bedside table. That was the only thing in there. No lamps, pictures, or books.

It was already two in the afternoon.

Her stomach growled louder.

Using her free hand, she opened her bag and pulled the lunchbox out. She also checked her phone that was vibrating.

Kate was calling.

Sierra plugged her earphones and answered the call.

“I’m fine,” she quickly said before Kate could utter a word.

“Sorry, Sierra. We could not come with you,” Kate said, sounding guilty.

“It’s okay. It’s better for you to study. Ella needs to practice for her upcoming match. Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself,” Sierra sincerely told her friend.

“I know,” Kate sighed with relief. “See you later, Sierra.”

“See you later, Kate.”

Sierra ended the call, opened a music app, and listened to ballad songs while having late lunch.

^#######################################^