Chapter 4: Who Is Jessica?

Vanessa sits by the table, and her mother comes to sit next to her by the table, as they talked for a while, as Vanessa asked many questions about her father's past, her mother did not mind answering those questions until Vanessa accidentally said the name ‘Jessica’, Vanessa could see her mother's mood change instantly, ‘I have no idea who that is’ she replied to Vanessa, who clearly noticed that she did know her, ‘but there was this woman nearby the forest who told me she knew Rick’, this would strike a nerve on Maria, ‘I told you never to go to the forest, it is dangerous there!’, Vanessa looks at her mother, ‘there is nothing dangerous there, except a woman who knew Rick! Her name was Jessica-‘, before Vanessa could say anything else Maria stood up, ‘I forbid you to go in that forest ever again and to talk to that woman, that witch! she is dangerous, she will try to destroy our whole family just like last time’, without giving Vanessa the chance to respond she walks to the kitchen.

Sometime later, Vanessa stands in front of their house, she had not talked to her mother in a few hours, she decided to go for a walk after she came back her mother was waiting outside in front of the house, she asked where Vanessa went, Vanessa tells her she went for a bit of a walk, her mother instantly began about the forest again, that she was not allowed to go in there at all, especially to that woman Jessica, Vanessa nodded at her mother, holding one of her hands behind her back fingers crossed.

The day went by pretty quickly, as both Vanessa and Maria went to bed, Vanessa was still thinking about Jessica in the forest, maybe she could help find her father? She thought about it for hours laying on her bed as it became dark outside fairly quick, as she dozed off into dreamland.

The next morning she woke up fairly early, she got dressed and went down the stairs, passing her mother's room there was nobody there, maybe she was downstairs she thought, as she went down the stairs, Vanessa looked at the table, there was nobody, she went to the kitchen peeked inside, she was not there either, Vanessa wondered where her mother might have gone to, as she realized her mother told her a few days ago that she needed to start early in the coming weeks, so she probably went to her work already, and thought to let me sleep, since I do not really need to go anywhere, Vanessa yawns, as she takes a piece of bread from the kitchen she walks over to the table sitting down on one of the chairs, as she looks at the third chair, she whispers to herself, ‘I know you are out there, dad... I will find you someday', as she jumps off her chair, she runs outside locking the door behind her as she lays the key under the doormat like they usually do before running into the forest.

Vanessa entered the forest, she kept looking around for hours upon hours, but she could not find Jessica anywhere, where did she go? She was here yesterday, Vanessa kept on going through the forest, as she notice a few men sitting around a fire, as a hand appears behind her slowly coming toward her, getting closer and closer, before grabbing her pulling her back into a bush, ‘Shhh!’, it was Jessica, she looked worried, Vanessa who almost yelled it out from being grabbed from behind looked at Jessica, who kept shushing her to keep quiet, as she whispered, ‘these men are dangerous, they are bandits, we should not try to get their attention’, as Jessica points the other direction Vanessa follows her, as they both try to make no noise at all, they head the other direction of where the bandits were, as Jessica was sure they were far enough, she looked at Vanessa, ‘So.. why were you spying on bandits in the forest?’, Vanessa replies, ‘I was looking for you, those bandits were just there’, Jessica shakes her head, ‘it is dangerous to walk around the forest alone, especially around this time, bandits love staying in the forests around this time, since there is a lot of wild life, of course not nearby the village like where we are at now, but a bit further, there is enough for a decent group of bandits to keep up camp for at least a few weeks, maybe even a few months at best’.

Jessica points a bit further as Vanessa follows her closely, ‘we are almost here’, Vanessa was a bit confused because she already passed this way and there was nothing here before, Jessica cant help but smile at Vanessa on her face, ‘you will see soon enough’, as she grabs something from the ground, *Zoof* as a rope unties a ladder drops down from the tree, ‘as I told you, I live in the trees… literally, but they need to be camouflaged very well or the bandits might find it, but over the years they were never able to find any of my tree houses’, she starts to climb the ladder telling Vanessa to follow her up to the tree house, as both reach the top of the tree, she notices a door, Jessica opens the door as Vanessa looks inside, Jessica goes back to the ladder pulling it up, as she covers it with leaves, from within the house there was a clear view all around the tree, while from the outside there was not even a clue of there being a treehouse there at all.

To be Continued.