Valarie shouted again and before she finished her sentence, Sophia ran towards the door. A young woman of sixteen, sweet and fresh in the innocence of time, this was going to be the last summer of what she had known. Little did she know that knocking on the door would be the start of her shattering. world and stripping her of everything she knew and believed in, at a time when life was just beginning and the challenges of who you will become and what you want are exposed to the elements. Sophia was the only daughter of Valarie and Samuel, because nature had shown them no favor, and she had become precious in their eyes. The heart of Valarie's womb had been so traumatized that it no longer bore fruit. His pain had sealed his stomach. He was not ready to face this pain again and so allowed the soil of his womb to remain barren. Sophia stumbled as she ran towards the door; it was her laughter and cries that woke Samuel from his sleep, rubbing his eyes and chin. The paper fell to the floor as he stretched the sleep from his body. “Sophia!” Sophie! he called. She could always get his attention and his immediate response. Their relationship was unusual. She made him smile but her eyes told another story, a frightening pain. She brought out the gentleness in him, the tender part of his heart that Valarie had refused to touch, to approach. As they loved Sophia, she was the essence that held them together. Without her, their lives would have been so different, and yet there were elements within her that separated them, kept them trapped in the misery of time passing. Sophia had a strong resemblance to Valarie. She was really beautiful and energetic. A child who flourishes......middle of paper......the next morning. Valarie shrugged again, pushing aside her thoughts about who and what this unexpected presence could be. It is strange how little things can disturb a soul; things that to others would mean nothing, but when your life is ruled by the past, deceit and lies, well, it has a much greater meaning than a simple knock on a door. It has a way of stirring things up, bringing back fear and disturbing souls. When Sophia came down the stairs, her first response was to ask if Mr. Pepper had returned. Samuel displayed sophisticated restraint, not wanting to appear disturbed in the slightest. He didn't answer. » Sophia asked again. "Has Mr. Pepper come back?" She waited for a response, looking at her father. Samuel muttered something under his breath. Sophia didn't bother questioning him further because it was clear he wasn't interested..