MATCH MADE FROM HELL

CHAPTER FIVE

Luca arrived at Sophia’s house very early in the morning.

“Ding dong,” the bell rang.

The maid quickly walked and opened the door. Luca walked in. “Where’s Little Miss? I’m on a mission?” He asked as he wandered around Sophia’s house.

“At least have a little respect for your host,”

Sophia responded, walking out of her room.

Luca turned and was amazed by Sophia’s look. She was wearing a long pink dress that defined her waist line. Her makeup was simple, yet she looked stunning. She was well-styled and her hair was adorned with flower clips. Luca kept staring, falling into a deep gaze. He had never been mesmerized by such human beauty.

Hello?

Sophia snapped her fingers at Lucas' face. Luca came back to reality. Sorry ma'am. Luca said, averting his gaze.

“ Any lead on our witch?”

“She’s not a witch.”Lucas snapped.

Luca handed over a folded note to Sophia. “Willow creek in ravens city.” Where’s this? She asked. Her brows furrowed. Do you have a map or something? Luca asked.

“Yes I do have it somewhere…. Here. Yes, I got it!”

She said, searching her shelves. They placed it on a table tracing all the paths and found one leading to Ravens peak.

“ But there’s no route leading to Willow Creek?” Sophia asked with a concerned look.

“Looks like ur map is a little outdated” Luca commented.

“It’s not. Some maps just have hidden routes you can’t see and I’m going to find it.” She said,

Sophia studied the map carefully. Tracing every line she could see. Her brow furrowed in concentration.

“I know it’s here somewhere,” she muttered. Luca just stared at her from a distance, watching her with amusement.

“Lemme guess, still haven’t found it?” He teased her.

Sophia glared at him.

“Just give up already,” Luca added.

“I’ve been studying it for hours, and I feel so close. I’m not giving up now,” Sophia replied

Luca chuckled. “You’re so stubborn.” Sophia took the map outside and raised it above her head.

“Yess!” She exclaimed.

The sunlight reflected on the map, revealing a hidden route to Willow Creek. She dropped it and used her hand to trace it, also leaving marks to remember where it was on the map.

With excitement, Sophia began to pack her things. She sent her maid on a few errands to get essential supplies for the journey. Sophia was full of both excitement and fear. She had never been to Willow Creek and did not know what it held. She did not even know who she was going to meet.

Sophia stuffed the last of her clothes into her bag. She was finally embarking on the journey she’d been planning for months. She would finally have a good night's sleep. No more sleepless nights. No more nightmares.

“Are you sure you want to… You know, embark on this journey?” Luca asked,

“Having second thoughts?” Sophia asked.

“No. I’m just a little bit concerned. You have no idea what’s out there.” Luca said,

“That’s right. I don’t know what is out there, but if I stay here, doing nothing, I’ll keep on having sleepless nights, and I can’t deal with that. What's out there, I'm sure I can deal with it." Sophia replied. "Such confidence!" Luca remarked, "And don't even bother about talking me out of it. My mind is already made up. I'm not backing down now," Sophia snapped.

She zipped up her back and slung it over her shoulder. Her map was tucked in and safe. She glanced through her room, looking, ensuring she hadn’t forgotten anything. She instructed her maid to come with her. As she was about to leave, a small box caught her eye. She quickly pulled it out of the shelf. It was covered with dust. She opened it and saw a little locket her mum had given her before she passed away. She put it on. The locket will guide and protect her through the journey.

*****

Sophia and her maid started their journey

Since it was her first time and she hadn’t had any of this experience, she was always exhausted. She’ll fall asleep like a pregnant lady, while her maid will take care of her as usual. They both usually rent little houses to stay in as they continue the journey.

“Ma’am, wake up. Come and have your bath.”

After she took her bath, she then ate the meal her maid gave her. At night, Sophia sat by the flames. She started into it. The villagers danced and sang around the fire. Her mind wandered. She had also been hearing rumors that she dwelt deep in the forest. What would she look like? Does she have powers? She thought.

“Ma’am, please don’t think too much.” Her maid interrupted her.

“Don’t you think about her also?” I mean, with all these rumors, you must have thought about what she would look like at least,” Sophia said.

"I don't think about it, but they are just rumors. Rumors just define a person in society. They might not really be like that," Het Maud said. That's right.

Sophia rose from the stool. Sophia's determination increased. With a deep breath, she began to walk around. Admiring nature and feeling the night breeze. With deep thought, she did not realize she had walked away into the woods.

As Sophia wandered into the woods, the trees seemed to close around her. She walked for hours, but the darkness seemed impossible for her to gauge the time. “Ahh!” She exclaimed as one of the branches got tangled with her clothes. She struggled for hours until she finally ripped her clothes and broke free, but she fell straight on her back. “Damn it,” as she stood up and dusted her hands and clothes.

As Sophia was about to leave, she heard faint noises. It was coming from a bush not too far from her. At first, she thought it was just some little regular forest animals, but the noises grew louder. As she was about to ignore the noise, she heard branches snap. Sophia’s heart began to pound. She had to find her way out of the forest. Soon she started hearing a low growl. Her senses were on high alert, and she instantly increased her pace. The growl became louder. It was just as if no matter how much she ran, she was still in the same spot, or this creature was very fast.