Chapter 1: The Missing Page

Claire is staring at the horizon with her head resting on her arms holding on the steel railing of the ship. The wind blew through her long blonde hair.

It's the first time she has ever went alone far from the city where she was born and she would be away from there for a length of time she does not know herself.

As the setting sun paints the sky orange, she sighed and said to herself, "It would have been better if they are here, or if there is at least someone who could see this view with me."

The previous year was probably the most difficult year of her life after losing her grandfather and her parents.

She lost her grandfather to an illness brought by old age. He left them the management of a farm where she is headed right now.

Her parents would have been the ones to take care of the farm but they passed early due a car crash.

Now, her brother Jack is the only family she has left but she cannot drag him along just yet because he still has his school to finish. They decided that she would go to the farm first and that Jack would eventually follow her after he graduates.

"This is hard. Why do these kinds of things had to happen to us?" Claire recalls herself talking to Jack as she packed her things for her trip.

"Yes it is. But we have to move on. If they can still talk to us, I bet they would tell us the same," her brother said.

"Well, you're right. Anyways, what do you want to do with this place after you graduate?" she asked her brother, referring to their house in the city.

"Let's keep it. I think we'd still miss being here so even if we're in the province, we would go here once in a while so it's better that we still have this place where we could stay instead of renting or checking in at hotels don't you think?"

"I agree. I'll be going now. Don't bother accompanying me to the harbor. You still have school stuff to do. You should do well in them so you wouldn't have problems with your grades so you could graduate on time and follow me immediately," smiling, she told her brother.

"I'll definitely go there! I am excited to see the little girl I used to play with when grandpa brought me there! Well, she's not little anymore. She's also grown like us. I'm sure she's very beautiful," Jack said staring at the ceiling, smitten.

"Oh so you haven't forgotten about her! It's been years since we went there and you haven't returned since that last time. You were both very little back then," Claire said.

"Yeah. We've been so busy here in the city but she has remained in my memory ever since. Maybe this is what they call young love? Hehe... I couldn't even think of being in a relationship with any girl aside from her," her brother shared.

"Love at seven (years old)? You're kidding me Jack."

"Hey, maybe I still didn't understand the idea of love way back but as the years passed, I got to know many girls but I realized that I cannot feel special feelings with them because I always remember that girl at grandpa's town. Oh! As for you,"

"What 'as for me?'" Claire asked, with one eyebrow raised.

"I'll be rooting for you to find love there too!"

"Huh? I haven't really thought about that so I don't know what to say."

"I want you to feel a new kind of happiness and whoever that is, I hope he'll bring that happiness to you."

Claire, with one brow still raised, bent her head to the side.

Jack continued, "I know these things are not really sinking in to you right now because you haven't really been in love since you have been focused on your studies. But when you feel it, you'll understand me."

"Whatever you say little brother," Claire patted her Jack's head and messed his hair.

"Hey…"

Claire giggled. "Okay, I really have to go now or I will miss the ship. See you in a year!" She hugged her little brother who returned her embrace.

Claire snapped back to the present. One thing she noted, of course she understood her brother talking about love, but only based on stories she hear from her friends or programs she watched on television. She hasn't had one though, and yes, because she was really focused on her studies back then. But she is also excited for the time when someone would make her feel especially happy, like others say.

She has been reminiscing family events, thinking matters of the heart for only a few minutes. A quarter of the sun can still be seen on the horizon.

She sat on a wooden bench she spotted behind her. She was about to put her hands on the bench on both sides when her right hand felt something that is not wood. She looked down beside her and saw her hand was on top of a piece of paper that was like off-white in color. She picked them and read what was handwritten.

You are the most beautiful person in my life

I wouldn't think of others aside from you

You can make my heart jump when you smile

Being with you is a wish come true

Your hair, your eyes, your nose, your lips, your body

Everything about you is just perfect

Plus you have a very good heart for everybody

It's you I want to care for and protect

You are the most beautiful person in my life

You are beautiful inside and out

Dedicating you my life

Is something I will never doubt

Funny thing is I haven't actually seen you

But I am already like this deeply into you

But I swear to the heavens I will find you

And when it happens, I'll do my best for you

I will find you

Please hold on

I love you

For now, carry on

With one hand holding the paper, Claire lifted her other hand to her chest. She felt her heart beat a little bit faster. It was the first time she felt something like that, and over a poem, she thought.

Then she immediately had the idea that she wants to meet whoever wrote the poem and know him a little more. Wait, "him?" Yes, she was sure a boy wrote it. She nodded with a smile upon noting that the writer is expressing love for someone he hasn't met. She then quietly giggled upon herself for feeling strange over words written by someone she still doesn't know.

It was already getting dark so she rose from seat and headed back to her cabin. As she walked, she held the sheet of paper onto her chest.

She stopped at her cabin's door and dug to the keys in her pocket to open it. She went in and locked the door again. She sat on her bed and placed the piece of paper on the small table beside it.

Then, she grabbed her bag to search for the packed meal her brother prepared for her. That pasta dinner just made her miss Jack already. They loved to cook. Even after their parents left, they liked to cook meals instead of dining out or having their food delivered.

After eating, Claire washed herself, changed to sleeping clothes, and lied down her bed, ready to sleep.

Facing her table, she stared at the piece of paper. She cannot explain what she was feeling as she looked at it. The written words seemed to be rising from the paper and flying to her face. She then turned to her left and looked at the starry night sky through her cabin window.

Carry on.

She soon fell into deep slumber.

oOo

The next day, she was awakened by the sound of a bird knocking its tiny beak onto the glass of her window.

She got up and stretched her arms. Then she leaned on her window.

"Hello there, little one!" she greeted. Then the bird flew away leaving the sight of the crystal blue waters meeting a blue sky with fluffy clouds in front of her eyes. She immediately felt excited and went out of the bed, took a bath and put on her orange sleeves with plaid print and wore jumpers over it.

She was ready to have her breakfast at the Starboard ship's diner but before she left, she scanned her cabin with her eyes to see if everything was in place. As her eyes traveled, they fell on the off-white colored piece of paper resting on the table beside her bed. She picked it and folded it to fit in the pocket in front of her jumper.

For breakfast, Claire had bread and butter, coffee and apple. After she was done eating, she wiped her mouth with the table napkin and rose. As she walked towards the diner's door, she noticed a boy with mid-length hair, who just closed a booklet with pages that had a color familiar to what she found earlier.

The boy walked to exit the diner while she was frozen upon realizing that the papers in the boy's booklet are the same as the paper inside her jumper's pocket. She blinked her eyes as if getting back to reality and chased the boy.

"Uhm, excuse me," she softly said as she approached the boy. The boy turned. Her blue eyes met his brown ones.

"Uh..hi," the boy said. "How can I help you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you've been looking for this?" Claire put out the folded off-white paper from her pocket and handed it to him.

"Oh yeah it's mine. How did you know?" The boy motioned for them to take a seat at the wooden bench where she sat yesterday.

"I just noticed you when you fixed your things at the diner and thought the papers in your stuff looked similar to this. But, I hope you don't mind…I read it and… folded it." She shyly looked away from the boy.

"Oh.. not at all. It's me who should hope that you don't mind what I wrote. It's a little bit cheesy and ridiculous." He grinned then also shyly looked away from her.

There was a little moment of silence until they both laughed.

"Alright, anyway, thank you so much for giving this back to me."

She looked away from the boy again. "And your poem isn't ridiculous too." She then turned her head up and traveled her eyes through the sky where a flock of birds passed. "You are inspired by love and you expressed them through writing, and you're good in that."

The boy looked at her while she is still enjoying the sight of the flying creatures. He felt there are also flying stuff inside him, butterflies in his stomach.

"Uh, um, thanks..." the boy feels his face is turning red. Thankfully, Claire didn't notice him because her eyes were entertained by the view above.

"So you write for a living?" Claire asked, in effort to manage her shyness.

"No. It's just my sort of pastime. I'm actually on this trip to find something to do for a living, how about you?"

"Oh, well, I am headed to a town to manage my family's business. The town's called Mineral Town."

"Oh, so we're both on the way for sources of income." They both chuckled.

"Yes, I need to take care of our family's business because I have to help my brother finish school. We lost our grandfather, then our mom and dad last year."

"I am sorry to hear that." The boy didn't speak for a few seconds but then faced her, "You are amazing. You are very brave and kind. I know your folks are very proud of you right now."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"Maintenance! Dear passengers, please proceed back to your cabins. Our staff will be making rounds to do the morning cleaning of your places. Thank you." That was the ship radio.

"I guess we should head back now. I'll see you again sometime!" Claire said as she stood up.

"Yeah. Thanks again for this," the boy said, holding the folded paper.

"Oh! And just believe in your heart, you will find her," she whispered to his ear. Then, she ran back to her cabin.

The boy felt a certain kind of electricity travel his spine as he felt her breath in his ear. He watched her as she walked away and softly spoke, "I think I already did."