#3—Chapter 20
I love it. I love it. I love it. This was so much fun. We’d been through the Flower Dome. I took countless pictures of all the flowers and plants, not to mention a few selfies of myself, and now we were entering Cloud Forest.
The first sight that greeted me was of the gigantic waterfall, at least three stories high. The sight was speculator.
Just when I tried to find more adjectives to describe this man-made waterfall, a fine mist shot out of nowhere. Now the waterfall was even more magnificent. It was mesmerizing. The mist made it look like the waterfall was on a cloud. No wonder they named this place Cloud Forest.
A perfect opportunity like this wasn’t going to come twice. I’d better capture all the memories I could for future storage. I found a nice vacant spot and took a selfie of myself in front of the misty waterfall.
Giovanni was some distance away, leaning against the railing, watching me. He was giving me space to do my own thing, and I was grateful for that, but now I needed him here, in the picture with me. I waved at him.
“Boss, come take a selfie with me, quick, before the mist disappears.”
“No. You go ahead. I’m good here.”
Playing nice just didn’t work for him. He needed to be dragged here. And so, I did just that, dragging him to my perfect spot, and before he knew it, I plastered my cheek next to his, and snap! The picture was taken.
I laughed at the image of Giovanni’s squashed cheek next to mine. Both of our faces literally filled the whole screen, with just a small amount of waterfall showing in the background. It was a great picture. I was happy with it. But Giovanni had a totally different opinion.
“That’s an awful picture of me, Jay. Delete it.”
“No. You look cute in it. I’ll cherish it forever.” I teased him, pinching his cheek.
“Delete it, Jay.” He swatted my hand away and tried to snatch the phone off my other hand. Too bad my reflexes were better. I moved and escaped into the oncoming large crowd, laughing to my heart’s content.
There were many people here. It would take him a while to find me, enough time for me to admire his picture. He looked so hot and cute in it. Maybe I shouldn’t tease him too much. I should go find him and make up for running away like this. I lifted my up gaze to search for him…
When I saw her.
Just a quick glimpse, walking past me.
My heart pounded.
Dark brunette hair, so similar to mine. A beautiful smile that would make any guy fall for her.
My sister. Amelia!
I dashed after her, following that beautiful slim figure from behind. But there were just too many people between us. I shouted her name to try and stop her. “Amelia!”
The figure paused.
Oh my God. It was Amelia. She paused. Oh, dear Ma up in heaven, it was Amelia.
At last, I had found her. Those important questions that had been pounding in my head would now have answers. I’d get to know where Pa is. I’d get to know why he had left me with that three-million-dollar debt. And most of all, I’d get to know why she had left me without saying goodbye.
I wedged in between people to try to get closer to her, but there were still too many people between us. I didn’t give up though, squeezing my way through.
Just a bit more. I could see her back now. Just a little bit more. If only she’d turn around. I wanted to see her face.
“Amelia! Amelia. It’s me. Jenny. Your sister,” I shouted. But she didn’t turn around.
Suddenly, some big bulky guys from somewhere blocked my path. They were like brick walls; I couldn’t bulldoze through. I prayed my sister was still on the other side. Finally, when they broke apart, she still stood there, as if waiting for me. I was so happy, I rushed to hug her from behind.
“Amelia. Amelia. It’s me. I missed you so much.” I wept into her back. “Why did you leave me? Why did Pa leave me? I missed you guys so much.” I just couldn’t stop my tear ducts from producing salty water.
I hugged her so tight, I didn’t want to let her go. But something was wrong. She felt wrong. She didn’t behave like her usual self. She wasn’t touchy like before.
She turned her face slowly to meet me.
My heart dropped.
She’s not her.
“Did you lose your sister?”
She’s not my sister.
“You should go to the front desk to ask for help.”
She’s not Amelia.
“They can make an announcement there.”
“It’s okay.” I told her. “I’m sorry for mistaking you as my sister,” I apologized.
She nodded her head and left. I stood there feeling empty and lost.
What happened? Was the event that transpired just a product of my imagination, an illusion that I had conjured up because I missed my sister too much? I highly doubted I could mistake her for someone else.
It must be an illusion. If I think about it carefully, why would my sister, who had disappeared in America, be here in Singapore, and of all places at Garden by the Bay, a destination site for tourists.Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
Pa was already in debt, and if she were to be with him, they would be poor, and Singapore was such an expensive city to live in. So there’s no way that was her. I concluded that this was an illusion.
Still, the feeling of despair had taken root in my heart, and before I could process it, bile crept up my throat, and nausea overtook me. I felt faint, my knees going weak. I flung about, trying to grab hold of the railing, when a hand caught me from behind, stabilizing me from the fall.
“Jay!”
“Boss.” When I knew it was him, I wrapped my arms around him, taking comfort in his warmth. He was my security blanket. He was my safety net.
“What the hell, Jay! You almost fell!” he yelled at me, but the strength of his hold and the strong comfort of his warmth told me he cared for my safety. “What’s wrong, Jay? Are you unwell?”
“I feel a bit sick. That height scares me,” I told him, holding him tightly.
“Come on, let’s you get out of here.” He took my hand and led me out of Cloud Forest.