CHAPTER II

♧THE FIRST BORN♧

"What a view." Dolora uttered sarcastically when they reached the lake.

Clear water, woods surrounding the whole place, there's also boat rides available for those who wants to hop to the other side of the lake.

The water maybe clear and warm but there no such view from where they are standing and that's why Dolora can't stop blubbering about their expedition.

"Well, it's not like Hawaii but the lake water is clean and I guess there's no crocodile or maybe piranha to eat us." Carl joked while looking at the calm water.

"Wow, Dad. Very funny. You almost killed me there, ha-ha-ha." Dolora mumbled sarcastically as she cross her arms above her chest and she just can't stop rolling her eyes. Her eyeballs almost reach the back of her head in too much rolling.

Ezra giggled and clap her hands. "I think you're funny, Daddy." The little girl said showing her little teeth while looking up to her Father.

"And that's why you're my second favorite daughter." He teased and messed her hair. He earned a groan and growl from his other daughters while his only son kept silent and decided not to come with them.

"Whoo!! It's refreshing!" A voice of a woman exclaimed and all of them instantly turned their heads to her, which is their Mother, swimming and playing with water.

"Mom! We don't even know if the water is safe. It maybe sulfuric or it has a very deep dark sink hole! We don't want to search and rescue you in a dark hole." Dolora exaggeratedly told her Mother who's now enjoying the lake water.

"Come on! It feels good!" Amy calls for them and floats.

"Oookay? It looks safe, you're Mom just soaked and swim all by herself at the lake. We should also try at least, yeah? Let's just enjoy the break." Carl uttered to his ladies with a tight smile after he clasped his hands together.

"Ugh! I hate it, Dad. This is my worse of the worsts vacation I ever had with you!" She complained and kick a stone.

"What do you mean?" He raised both of his eyebrows and turn to the little girls. "Ladies, go change your clothes at that tent, please." Ezra and Finley immediately obey, running while giggling to reach the tent.

"I hate this vacation, Dad and you know that. I'll never ever going to enjoy being here." She enunciated while wearing her serious and irritated face.

Carl look at her wife who's floating at the water with her eyes closed. She seemed relax and refreshed. "Well what can I do to stop you from complaining, eldest?" He asked putting his hands on his hips trying to pose like superdad.

"Let's change our vacation place." She answered straight away. "And that's the only way for me to be happy." She added.

"You know we can't, Lor. We already talked about this right? We agreed to each other, so why are you whining?" Carl argued with his daughter.

This is the first time he wanted to have a great time with his family and now this happens.

"I am not whining, I am complaining." She corrected but her Dad just snorted.

"Nuance." He replied and Dolora stamped her foot to the car to get her phone but she groaned loudly as she reached for it. "Where are you going?"

"Away from all of you!" She yelled and run away.

"Dolora!" Carl called his daughter but she didn't look back. "Nice manner you got there, young lady!" Carl added and sway his arms on the air.

She ignored her Father's called and continued walking to the woods. "No signal! Great!" She sarcastically yelled when she checked her phone. She needs signal so at least she can talk to her friends and let out some steam.

Carl shook his head as of his daughter's attitude. "Where did you get that manner of yours lady?" He asked but spilled through the wind.

He took off his shirt and stayed with his shorts for swim, he damped his feet to the water and immediately felt himself destressed.

"Wow." He uttered as soon as the water soaked him.

"Daddyy!!!!" Finley screamed as Ezra is racing her to the water. Both of them are giggling with their hands flipping in the air and their natural almond brown hair is flying with the wind.

"Careful, cuties!" Amy yelled to the two girl who reached the water. "You don't want to shove your face on the ground!"

"I got here first!" Ezra squealed as Finley is kicking her legs to swim close to her Mom.

"No! I do." She barked hugging her Mom's arm.

"I got here first, Ezzy. I'm the winner!" She argued and pushed some water to her.

"No ladies! Mommy got here in the water first." Amy gushed and laughed.

■■■

On the other side, Baxter is lingering at the wood. He hits the stem of the old trees with a thin branch of a tree he picked somewhere from the grass.

"Let them be happy and stay away from them. They'll be happier without me." He mumbled and hit another stem of the trees and walk again and walk and walk.

When he got tired of walking, he sat on a timber lying down on the ground. The dried leaves were around him.

He sighed heavily and look around.

The silent surroundings is too different from his messed up and noisy family that he hears everyday. It annoys him everyday. It irritates him everyday. It makes him feel like he's inside of a no end disco club and when he said everyday, he means it.

He's too absorbed by the peacefulness of everything when a sound of crisping of dead leaves broke it.

He instantly turn to see what it is while frowning his forehead.

And when he did, he saw his annoying banshee older sister. He hates her for having an armalite like mouth.

She just can't stop her mouth nagging, complaining and bleating that makes his ears bleed everytime she opens her mouth.

"What are you doing here? You said you'd stay at the car, then why are you here in no where?" She asked continuously.

He secretly rolled his eyes. "I said I don't want to come with you, I didn't say I'll stay in the car." He mumbled, correcting what his sister just said.

Can't she shut her mouth even just for a second? That's the question he's been asking to himself everytime she opens her mouth.

"Whatever." She muttered as she check the signal bar from her phone. "You should go back to the car. Dad will need you there." She ordered and started to walk away from him, away from the lake.

"And where are you going?" Baxter asked that made his sister stop from walking and turned to face him with her annoyed face.

"I need to unwind myself from this stressing vacation and away from this forsaken family." She replied harshly and groaned loudly. "I hate this freaking place, this freaking vacation, these freaking woods, that freaking lake, I freaking hate this messed up family!" She added while motioning her hand in the wind. "And I need to find a freaking signal so I can be entertained."

"Aren't you be the one to stay at the lake with them?" He asked with mocking tone while piecing the leaves from the branches of the timber he's sitting on. "And try telling that to Mom, she will probably smack you on your freaking face." He chided coldly, emphasizing the word freaking she used numerous times a while ago.

"Mom knows how I hate being here and why should I be the one to stay on that freaking lake with them?" She challenge him putting her hands on her hips and raised her left eyebrow.

Here goes her yammer sister. "Because you're u're a lady and the first born?"

"And what's your point?"

"Go back to Mom and Dad. They might need your help with Fin and Ez." He muttered and look away from his carpy sister.

"Baxter, what makes you think I'll follow your? Let me remind you that I'm older than you and I'm the one in charge when it comes to ordering in between us." She explained while pointing her forefinger in between them but Baxter just scoffed and shook his head.

"My point here is that you're a lady and it's inappropriate for you to walk out here in the woods alone. We're new here, you don't know what's in this forest. You don't want to get lost or get eaten by some wild animals here." He warned but then Dolora just shrugged her shoulder.

"I don't care. I don't care about what you're saying and what about you? You're safe walking around here alone 'cause you're a man? Oh! No, you're not yet a man, you're just a 15 year old boy that loves to be a boring jackass and acts like he's the eldest amongst everyone. So don't go tell me what to do, granny." She mocked him before turning away. "And don't tell me again about going back to that freaking lake 'cause all of you are just thinking about yourselves. All of you are so selfish!" She yelled and continue walking away.

He shook his head. "What kind of mind does she have? Bird's brain? She just wanted to get what she wants, that's the real selfishness." He snorted and walk back to the lake.

He warned her but she refused to listen. So he let her. He doesn't care anymore if ever there's something happened to her. She's a one hell of a pesty sister.

"Hey buddy, have you seen your problematic older sister?" His Dad asked him when Carl saw him walking towards the car from the woods.

He just shrugs his shoulder. "She's somewhere." He mumbled didn't even bother looking at his Dad.

"That lady." Carl muttered and now he's being problematic on how he'll find his sassy daughter.

He walked back to his wife who's now drying herself with a towel. As she head towards the wooden table full of their vittles.

"Hey wife, Dolora's being an abrasive lady again." He reported to his wife and she wear her worried face.

She fold the towel into two and hang it to her arm before walking close to her husband. "Why? What happened?"

"She's no where to be found. The last time I saw she her is walking away from all of us. I asked Baxter but he just answered me an enigmatic words of his." He answered and quoted the words of his daughter as he wear his brown sleeveless shirt.

"Carl, I'm worried. She's not yet familiar here in this province. She might get lost." She worriedly says to her husband.

Carl knows that tone of his wife, she's scared and nervous and he doesn't like it. This is supposed to be a happy vacation with the whole of them, not like this.

He sighed and head to the car. "Daddy?" Finley called him and he immediately look down to see his daughter eating a sandwich.

"Yes, angel?" He asked trying to sound okay and sweet, patting her head while giving her a small smile.

"Bax said that Lor is mad, he said that she's in the woods looking for signal for her phone." His daughter stated.

He knew she's telling the truth because she mentioned Baxter's name. He knew that Baxter only talks to his youngest sister, telling the truth or the real story.

He slightly squeezed his daughter's cheek earning an ouch from her. "Thank you, little Angel. Tell your brother to eat something and enjoy too okay? I'll go find your eldest sister." He told her and the little girl nod her head that made her damp hair sway.

He open his bag getting his phone. "She's right, no signal." He whispered to himself looking at the empty bar signal of his phone.

He pivoted and found his wife with the kids in one table eating something but he can see Amy's face is antsy, doubtlessly because of Dolora.

"Hey, I'll go find, Lor. I'll be right back." He caress his wife's cheek before giving his family a kiss.

"Be careful, Carl." She uttered to her husband and Carl nod his head.

"Be good." He adjured to his children and they nod and replied their responce to their Dad and he started to take steps towards the woods.

"Eat more." Amy told her children. "Bax, baby. Come on, move your food. Let's all get full while we're waiting for your Dad and Lor, okay?" She distributed the sandwiches and pour some juice at the plastic cups whole wearing her smile but deep inside, her heart is pumping like drum. She's worried about her daughter.

"When will they go back, Mommy?" Ezra asked her Mother while chewing the lettuce inside her mouth.

"Soon, baby." She answered but even her, she's not sure about it. "And please, don't talk with your mouth's full, okay? It's no good, you're disrespecting the food." She lectured her daughter and she instantly nod her head.

She turn her gaze to her only son just to see him eating quietly. "Bax, you okay?" She asked and he just glance at her. "Is there something wrong?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm fine." He answered with his cold voice. Amy eyed on her only son.

He's not like this before. He's sweet and vocal to what he feels, jolly and cheery but now he's so different. He's being distant, quiet and cold. She hates to see her son being like this, she felt like she's a failure Mother.

He started acting like that when he and his Father talked. She tried asking Carl about it but her husband answered he nothing but he'll make it up with them. Whenever she asks Baxter, he would just answer her nothing and that he's fine.

He stood up from his seat and walks away from them. Amy called his name but he doesn't seem to care and continued walking.

"Baxter! Bax, please come back!" She yelled to her son but he played deaf.

She palm her forehead. "Don't worry about Bax, Mommy. He's okay. He just need some air to breathe." Her youngest daughter told her.

She gave her a small smile and nod her head. "Okay." Amy whispered while caressing her daughter's chubby cheek.

"Mommy, I want more ham." Ezra taps her finger at the table while showing Amy her bread without the fillings.

She reached for it and gave her daughter her request while her mind is clouded by her son and Dolora, add her husband too who's looking for her daughter.

"Oh, please take care of them." She silently prayed as she smile to her daughters.

■■■

"Dolora! Dolora, where are you?" He shouted for the fourth time and she's still no where to be seen.

"God! Please, help me find my daughter." He prayed while looking around.

He kept on leaving a trace so he could find his way back to the lake.

"Dolora!!" He shouted again but the quietness of the woods answered him.

"Where the hell are you?" He mumbled and sweep the dead leaves on his path to know where will he walk through if ever he hoes back with his daughter.

"Dolora! Come on out! It's your Dad!" He yelled once again but then silence answered him. "Please, don't be stubborn now! Don't make me scold you later!"

"Dolora!" He called his daughter for a hundredth time.

Be keep on putting the traces. He glance at his wrist watch and it tells him that it's way passed noon. He's been looking for his daughter for almost half an hour now and he's ill at ease.

He kept on walking, looking around, opening his ears in case his daughter calls him. Sweeping the leaves on the ground, shouting his daughter's name until he heard a scream.

A scream of a woman and it's familiar to him, very familiar.

"Aaahhh!!!!! Heeeelpp!!!"

He didn't hesitate to run the distance. He followed her voice that keeps on screaming in agony.

"Dolora!" He shouted while running. "Dolora!! Dolora, where are you?" He shouted as he stopped to his track, waiting for his daughters responce.

"Daaaadd!!! Dad, heelpp!" She shouted and he run again. Swatting away the branches of the trees until he reached a cliff, a dead end.

"Dolora!" He shouted looking everywhere turning around but she's no where when he turned again he stepped on something and it cracks.

He looked down to it, it's her phone. "Oh, God, no." He leaned down to get, his heart is pumping so loud now. "Dolora!"

"Dad! Help me!" He heard she say, not from behind him, not from his side, not in front of him, not over him but on the cliff.

His eyes are as wide as a saucer when he saw his daughter gripping on a small root of a tree.

"Oh God! Dolora!" He exclaimed and instantly squated to reach Dolora's hand. "Reach, Come on, Lor." He told his daughter as he decided to lay on his stomach to reach his daughter's hand.

"Dad, I'm slipping! I-- I'm slipping! I don't want to fall! I don't want to fall!" She cried as her hand is now slipping on the root. Her hands are now starting to reddened, blood running from her palm to her arms.

"Come on, Lor. Reach for Daddy's hand!" He told his daughter who keep on wiggling her feet, they are just a feet away.

"I don't want to fall, Dad. Help me!" She shouted, she glancing down. It's kinda foggy down there and it's a long long way down if she fall.

"Don't look down. Stop moving and reach for my hand!" He ordered but she didn't obey, the root she's holding on is now cracking.

She screamed. "Daaaddd!!!" Tears are now falling down to her cheeks. "Dad! I love you, Mom and my siblings! Please save me! I don't wanna die" She cried again.

"I know, I know. We love you too so please, reach!" He pleaded and trying all his best to lean more downward. "Dolora, please!" He yelled, he's busy listening to the loud pump of his heart and his daughter's scream when a familiar rope slashed from his side.

He turn his head to see where it came from, Baxter, who's now laying on his stomach too. "Come on, annoying sister, grab the rope." He told his sister.

Dolora is hesitant to reach, she's scared. She have a lot of what ifs in her mind. If she let go one of her hand from the root she's gripping on, she might fall. If she didn't reach for the rope the root will crack and she'll also fall.

"Come on!" He yelled to his sister.

"Okay! Okay!" She yelled. "Oh men, I'm so scared." She mumbled and tried to reach the rope but when she is about to reach the rope the root got busted.

Carl is frozen to the ground looking at his daughter falling down calling for him. It's like everything around him is in slow motion. His breathing stops at the moment, he's not thinking right now.

Until...

"Dad! Pull!" The voice of his son woke him up.

"What the--?" He uttered when he recovered, he saw his son grasping on the rope with his left hand while his right hand is gripping on Dolora's arm.

"Okay-- okay." He blanked out but immediately pulled the rope to get his son and daughter away from that forsaken cliff.

He pulled and pulled. He didn't cared about the weight. All what he's just to save them and he did. "Dad!" Dolora shouted and ran close to his Dad, wrapping her arms around him.

He immediately hug her back, closing his eyes. "It's okay now, you're okay." He mumbled through her daughter's ear.

She's trembling in fear, crying frightness. "Someone pushes me to the cliff." She reported as she sobbed in fear.

"It's okay, it's okay." He comforts his daughter yet his mind is troubled by what she just said. Someone pushes her to the cliff. And who the hell is that idiot to kill someone they don't even know?

He got scared that he might lose his daughter. "It's alright, I'm here, you're safe now."

■■■

"Don't walk around alone again you hear me?" He strictly ordered to his eldest.

She nod her head and sniffs. "I'm sorry, I was just too bored and burned up. I won't do it again." She promised in apologetic tone.

Amy placed her hand on her forehead, looking stressed. Carl sighed. "Okay, just rest now. Your palm is still healing. We'll stay here for good." He uttered and kissed the forehead of his daughter.

He turned to his wife who's eyes are teary.

"Where are the kids?" He asked to his wife before standing up.

Dolora adjust herself on her bed to lay comfortably.

"They're in their room." Amy answered in her low tone.

"Come on." He guided Amy out of Dolora's room with his hand at her back. "Where's Baxter?" He asked when he closed the door.

"He's at the hammock. Being the quiet him again." She replied with full of sadness.

"He saved Dolora." He told his wife and Amy's reaction is full of awe. "I was just there looking at them and shock but he-- he grab her. They're in between danger and the fall but he didn't thought of it."

"Oh, my baby." She mumbled as her hand covers her mouth while sniffing.

"I'll go talk to him." He hugged her and she nodded.

"I'll go check the girls." She pulled out from the hug and go the last room.

He exhaled and head downstairs looking for his son, he found him sitting at the hammock and sat beside him.

"Thank you, son." He told his son who's sitting quietly. "I thought-- I thought I'm going to lose her but then you saved her." He added and chuckled. "You really are stronger than me." He joked and pat his son's shoulder.

"I warned her but she didn't listen." He mumbled, Carl almost didn't hear it.

"At least you're there to save her. You're wonderful, son." He told him and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, kiddo." He whispered hugging him tighter.

"You don't have to thank me." He mumbled and pulled out from his Dad's hug.

"Still, you're a hero." Carl punched his son's shoulder teasingly.

"I'm not a hero." I'm no one. He wanted to add.

He didn't want to pull that stunt but he's not that heartless not to help. She's still his sister even if she always makes his ear drum breaks. He hates her but she needed help so he helped but that's just it.

He didn't care enough. He doesn't but his conscience did.

Although, there are so many things had happen. His kind also asks who pushes her to the cliff. Someone who trips?

He doesn't know but he wants to find out. Not of curiousity but to investigate.

Not just for his sister but to anyone who might also be somebody that they might trip with.