~The Great Japanese Maple Tree~
The group managed to withstand the horror that his sister, Medea, displayed. Drake debriefed the group, forgetting about the happening so they could proceed to their destination. He briefly reminded them to stay away from his siblings, especially from the witch Medea. The scene repeatedly played to Lez’s mind, for she doesn’t know what the others saw. She knew something was occurring at that moment, but she couldn’t comprehend what it was. She never felt nor saw what others did. What she only heard was the words ‘COWER IN FEAR’, which echoed to her entire head while picturing Medea’s terrifying look.
“Lez?” called once.
“Lez?” called twice.
“Lezlie?!?” Drake broke the chains of anxiety filling Lez’s mind.
“Are you really okay?” Drake asked Lez holding both of her hands, realizing the uneasiness written all over her face.
“Yap! I’m fine,” she quickly answered.
Drake released the tension he felt after he heard her reply.
“We’re here!” Drake presented a magnificent big maple tree in the distance, overlooking a cliff with beautiful scenery, from mountains, trees, river, and more.
Drake looked at Lez’s face, which started to smile as she uttered, “Wow! That is so beautiful.” And she moved forward to the tree. Drake was relieved as he released her hand gently as she walked away towards the tree.
A moment later, the other group arrived. They quickly got off of their cars and rushed towards Lez’s location where the tree was. They all appreciated the fantastic scenery, the fresh air, the calm wind blowing in their cheeks, the blissful shine of the sun as everyone started to lay and sit on the ground.
Drake just watched his joyful friends from a distance, feeling happy and contempt for what he had seen. He smiled as he played his memories with her mom, dad, and siblings having a picnic at the same spot where his friends are now.
“Hey, morons!” Drake called the boys.
“Leave the ladies to rest for a while and come help me carry the things we need,” Drake asked as the boys got up and rushed towards him.
They returned carrying some baskets, coolers, blankets, etc. Lez had a basket and set out a blanket right under the tree. At the same time, Drake carried his camera while taking pictures of his friends as they laughed and played. He took pictures of them as they prepared picnic blankets on the ground while teasing each other. He took a shot as they put some stuff together on the blankets while running and chasing around like a kid playing with their mates. Lastly, taking pictures of his friends’ one by one unsketched.
~ (BGM) The Vamps –Somebody To You ft. Demi Lovato ~
While everyone was busy joking, laughing, flirting with their other pair, Lez saw something that caught her attention. She gently pulled the item and saw a heart-shaped symbol recognizable in front of it with the written word ‘Scott’. The item was hidden under some blankets inside a basket. She began to open it and realized it was a photo album. She saw some pictures of a happy family having a picnic on this same tree where she sits. It’s the same woman from the photographs and portraits from the mansion. It was Drake’s mother, and it's Drake’s family photo album right now at her hand that she’s viewing. ‘Click’ she heard but ignored as she continued to scan the album. She smiled at each and every picture she saw, especially with the cute littlest boy. ‘Click’ ‘Click’ ‘Click’ she heard multiple clicks from a camera and still ignored as she again continued to scan the pictures. There she saw the most adorable photo she saw, little Drake having an embrace with her mother with joy on their faces. ‘Click’ ‘Click’ ‘Click’. She heard more for the third time and turned her head to her right, where she found Drake with his camera. Drake quickly pointed his camera to the mountains and the scenery.
“Drake? What are you doing?” Lez asked.
“Um… taking some pictures of some lovely views, beautiful mountains, and the astonishing scenery,” Drake replied as he continued pointing his camera towards the incredible view.
Lez pouted her lips in disbelief.
“Drake! Come here. I have something to show you.” Lez requested.
“Okay…” Drake accepted her invite.
“What you got there?” Drake asked.
“Come closer, and I’ll show you.” She demanded.
“Ooookay…?” Drake moved closer and sat by her right side.
“Here! Take a look.” Lez handed over the album to Drake.
“Um… get rid of that camera first. Just put it on your side.” Lez requested as the camera hinders the whole photo scanning as drake put it on the ground on his right side.
“It’s… our lost family photo album. Where’d you find it?” Drake asked.
“I found it under those blankets inside a basket,” Lez replied.
Drake smiled. “Nana must’ve kept it and put it inside the basket as I’ve requested some things for the picnic.” Drake continues to scan the pictures
“Look!” Lez pointed the picture by her finger while closing her face an inches away from Drakes. Their eyes met, and lips aligned to a kissing position.
“Isn’t it cute little Drakey?” Lez giggled. She slowly reached and grabbed the camera without Drake noticing it and slowly turned her head, moving away from Drake’s stare.
Drake just smiled and laughed as memories brought back from his head as he continued to scan the album. Drake focuses more on those pictures in front of him.
“Drake?” called Lez.
“Yap?” Drake answered.
“What were you doing earlier?” Lez asked.
“Just taking pictures of some lovely views, beautiful mountains, and the astonishing sceneries.” As he reached for his camera on his side and realized it was not there by his side. He slowly lowered down the album just enough to see Lez scanning the camera with her pictures in it.
“Yeah? Views? Mountains? Sceneries?” Lez clarified as Drake slowly lifted back the album just enough to view her face.
“Yeah! Lovely! Beautiful! Astonishing!” Drake affirmed as he saw Lez’s reaction, as she smiled more as he spoke those words.
Lez smiled as she started to tilt and placed her head onto Drake's left shoulder.
“Uuuuhhhh!!! It’s like watching a movie.” Mike uttered, disrupting the two’s uprising romance as the group in a prone position, lying in the ground with blankets in silence, watched them the whole time.
“You morons!” Drake reached for a blanket from the basket and threw it into Mike’s face as they cackled.
“Okay! Let’s prepare our food from the baskets.” Drake commanded as they grabbed some sandwiches, pies, cakes, salads, and some wine.
Drake picked some bouquet inside the basket, grabbed a piece of pie on a plate, and put it under the maple tree facing the fantastic scenery.
“What is that for Drake?” Lez asked.
“It’s for my mom. Those are Azaleas, her favorite flower. I always bring some of those for her every year together with her favorite food, a blueberry apple pie onto her favorite place, this Great Japanese Maple Tree.” Drake closed his eyes. “I love you, mom, wherever you are.”
They joined the group and grabbed some food and wine, then went back to where they were before, right below the maple tree in the same position.
“How about you Lez? What’s your story? I would love to know you more if you may?” Drake politely asked for he also wanted to know Lez’s backstory.
Lez paused for a moment and looked up to the sky.
“There’s nothing special about me. I am just an ordinary person, with ordinary life, family, and a familiar feeling. I am just a day-to-day person that you can meet in your ordinary day.” Lez elaborated her story, never realizing that she slowly laid down her body to the covered ground and put her head onto Drake’s lap. Drake slowly grabbed her right hand by his left and rested it by her belly as she continued to speak.
“Well, except for our travel from time to time. I could never understand the reason why we have to change places. I don’t know the real reason why I have to leave my friends. Mother would always say that father needs to travel for his job, but deep inside, I kind of realized that it’s not for that reason.” Tears started to fall from Lez’s eyes. “Whenever I start to have a wonderful life, whenever I started to create such good friends, whenever I started on getting to know you, that’s when we started to leave.” She poured her entire emotion, her entire years of regrets, anger, misery, and passion in that brief moment as she expressed the hidden self that she wanted to reveal.
“Whatever that hell of reason, I don’t ever want to lose you.” Drake lifted Lez’s body as he wrapped her in his warm embrace.
“You don’t need to worry. I will always be here by your side.” Drake sincerely promised.
Lez looked up, turning her face towards Drake. And as their eyes met, she slowly closed her eyes and waited. Drake slowly closes the distance of their lips as time slows down for the both of them. He watched her sweet lovely face brightened by the gleaming afternoon sun. Her soft red lips and rosy white cheeks made him want to kiss her right at that moment. He gently touched those lips and cheeks with his fingers. But even before he could close his eyes, his body started not to move, as if there was a contradicting force that would not allow him to kiss her.
“This?!? Again?!?” Drake asked himself.
This situation will be the second attempt and fail.
“Uuuuuhhhh!!! Lovebirds.” Becca uttered as the group lay in a prone position on the covered ground, watching the two like their watching a movie the whole time, disrupting AGAIN the romance they had.
Lez just smiled at Drake, more like pissed as their friends who interrupted their most intimate moment. She got herself up and picked the piece of cloth that Drake threw at Mike earlier and threw it to Becca as they all laughed. The group continued to tease the two as they laughed and cackled for the entire minute.
On the other hand, Drake stood up and just wondered what was really happening with a blank face.
“Let’s pack it up!” Drake commanded as the group stopped the teasing and started to clean up.
Lez picked up the album and realized Someone had inscribed something on its back.
“Drake!” Lez called.
“Yap! What is it?” Drake asked.
“Look!” have you seen this before?” she asked.
“Let me have a look.” Drake read the writing.
‘When Key and Lock crosses its path,
The Door may open and unleash its wrath.
When Lock fails and starts to fall,
The devil cometh to kill them all.’
“What could it mean?” Lez further asked.
“I don’t know. I never saw this writing before.” Drake answered.
“There's a writing below,” Lez said as she wiped something that covered the writing and read,
‘To prevent the Key and Lock to cross,
This mighty spell will come across.
When Key and Lock will meet at last
Three days this spell will ever last.’
“That’s weird,” Lez uttered.
“I wonder what it means. This devil word is creepy. Maybe Nana knows about this or Clem. We should ask them, and then maybe we'll have our answers. Maybe there’s a connection between this and my mother’s mysterious death,” Drake implied.
Off they went back to the mansion.
END OF CHAPTER 5
