Lia sat on her window seat, overlooking the huge garden of the mansion, watching as drizzle fell lightly on the ground. Her eyes, a gentle blue, never left the serene sight in front of her.

There was a knock at the door, and she replied to it in a soft voice, "Come in". Opening the door slightly a neatly-dressed woman looked inside. Stepping in, she said, "Ma'am, Mr. Cliff is back. He wants to talk to you."

"Okay, I'll be there."

"I'll inform him."

Once the woman, who was one of the many caretakers of the house, shut the door, Lia deftly dropped to the floor, and taking a shawl from the closet, wrapped it around her.

She made her way downstairs to her father's office where he sat in a majestic leather chair, hands folded. He smiled as she entered, all the worry and stress vanishing from his face.

He stood up as she neared him, and hugged her tightly, "Lia, I missed you, darling." He had just come back from a 3-days business trip, from Seattle and had looked forward to meeting his daughter ever since he had landed.

Smiling, Lia hugged him back and said, "Dad, how have you been?"

"Good, listen, I know you don't like gatherings all that much, but I have arranged a very nice birthday bash for you, tomorrow. It is not everyday that my little girl turns 14!"

Lia looked into her father's eyes, and with a stern look, says, "Aw, Dad, you spoil me too much. I already had a birthday bash when I turned 13!"

"Ah, yes, but you are growing up fast now, and I couldn't refrain myself", her father laughed. "Now, go to Rosa and tell her to pick a gown for your party tomorrow. You must look perfect!"

"Okay, I will…" she shook her head, and then after giving him another quick hug, went to talk to her stylist. Her father had always doted on her a lot ever since she was young. Her mother had died giving birth to her, after having a very rough pregnancy, and raising Lia single-handedly, he had always been worried that Lia needed to be taken care of especially well, since she did not have a mother. However, Lia did not feel lonely, she was matured from a very young age, and understood a lot of things about society and psychology. She liked peace, and did not like gatherings all that much, even though she wasn't an introvert. In fact, she knew how to deal with comments and public in a proper way, something even grown people fail at times.

Despite all that, she felt troubled. She had been getting calls, not a normal kind, but something like a spirit... divine, and unnatural. It was as if a particular thing was calling out to her, trying to get her attention. Lia knew that she was special, she had faced other-worldly encounters before, but this time, she didn't have an idea where to look for it. She had even met the spirit of her mother once, when she was just 6. Her mother had given her powers, something magical, and told her that she was destined to be someone great, that her mother was herself a sea spirit. Back then, she was confused by a lot of things, but slowly through her magic, she had started to be connected to the other world of magic and fantasy.

As Lia trudged up the stairs to the second floor, she thought out loud, "I hope Dad cares to invite a few kids of my age this time. Most of the time that he conducts gatherings, his business partners and other such people come to plead for collaborations, and any time they bring their sons or daughters, they end up arranging their marriage to strengthen their alliances. Even though it will be my birthday, the majority of the people will be middle-aged businessmen." Lia disliked such hypocrisy in the society.

She had reached her stylist's room. Lia knocked on the door three times and then opened it. Rosa was sitting on her revolving chair, with a fashion magazine open on her lap. Seeing the visitor, she smiled and stood up.

Lia approached her and said, "Hi Rosa! Dad said he is hosting a party tomorrow, so he sent me to see what preparations you have made for my outfit."

"Oh, yes... I was thinking of something, a bit modest, but styled in East-Asian design. Kind of like a 'hanfu'. I have arranged for two colours, one magenta and one light purple. There was one for royal green, but I decided to save it for your 15th birthday. You will look too mature to others if you wear that tomorrow." Rosa said, showing her the designs from her notebook.

"I'll take the light purple, I like it's cut."

Rosa smiled and said eagerly, "Excellent choice! I am sure it will look fabulous on you."

Lia nodded, and started to look at the hairstyle which had been arranged. After 10 minutes, Lia went back to her room to attend her online Spanish class. She noticed, as she shut her laptop 2 hours later, that the rain had stopped and that the sun had began to set. She quickly went up to the rooftop balcony to witness it.

That night, Lia faced trouble sleeping. It was not because of her excitement for tomorrow, but the fact that she kept feeling that something was calling out to her, again. These signals had become more frequent over time. However, that night, she felt frustrated, because every time she sat up and tried to voluntarily listen for it, she couldn't hear anything. "Why is this happening?" she asked herself, distressed. It was like a phantom, disappearing just when she became alert, confusing her.

After a sleepless night, she woke up to a grand breakfast laid out just beside the bed, and her father sitting on the foot of the bed.

"Happy birthday princess! Congratulations!", he said with a big smile. "We made you a special breakfast for you, your favorite pancakes and raspberry and cream. Finish it quickly, and then I will drive you to Megapark for as many joyrides as you want!"

"Thank you so much Dad", Lia said rubbing her eyes. "The food looks so good!"

"Darling...", Mr. Cliff said, concern slowly spreading on his face. "Didn't you get any sleep last night? You look a bit tired..."

Lia gave a small smile, "It's nothing much, probably because I haven't washed my face yet, I'll go freshen up and meet you downstairs for breakfast, okay?"

"Alright... take your time... I'll be downstairs.", saying this, he stood up and gave Lia a hug, and then left her room.

Lia had a lot of fun that day. She was taken to Megapark, which was one of the best amusement parks in that area and rode 4 exciting joyrides before returning home, where she enjoyed a hearty lunch along with ice-cream.

In the evening, about an hour before the party officially started, Lia stood in Rosa's room, gazing thoughtfully at the giant mirror on the wall as three of the stylist's assistants prepared her outfit. They were busy wrapping the hanfu elegantly around her, and perfecting her hair. Lia, however, was lost in her own thoughts.

She was reminiscing about the time she had first met the spirit of her mother. She had been taken to the very beach her parents had met. There, in a moment where she was unsupervised, the waves tried to draw her in to the depths. However, strangely, she was not afraid. Maybe... she had heard the call then too? It had all been like a flash, and there she was, around a kilometer under the sea. A strange white light had greeted her. A gentle one, something she felt comfortable with. Then, she had heard the voice of her mother. Of course, she had never heard it before, but her instincts, rooted inside her, seemed to tell so. Lia remembered the entire conversation, even though it had been years. It had explained to her, how she was special, and how the spirit wanted to give her the powers to be a leader. Her mother had given her two things as a parting gift: a seashell, and a pearl.

Lia had shown those to her father the very next day, and Mr. Cliff had promptly made her a necklace and a ring from the respective items. Now, she kept them carefully in a box, they were the source of her power.

After Lia had been dressed, and her make-up was completed, she stepped out to take in some fresh air; and also to check if she was comfortable walking in her outfit.

And then, she heard it. Once again.

Lia froze in her tracks, the sound was distinct, musical, but subtly desperate. She turned her face, trying to locate the source of it.

It seemed... to come... from the balcony?

She deftly picked up the hem of her dress and swiftly ran to the balcony, afraid that she won't make it on time.

Standing at the edge, clasping the railing, she wildly looked around, searching, searching for the call that had been haunting her for weeks.

Once again, she heard the call.

She knew now, the direction from which it came from. Moving her head a little to the right, she gazed at the distance.

Nothing there, that might call out to her. Just a lot of estates, maybe a couple of cottages around the countryside... and then...

Lia furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, trying to think...

There were a couple of farms too... she had visited them once, although... it was miles away. Farms, and the...

The forest.

Lia gasped, she knew it then. Of course, it had to be the forest! The foliage there was beautiful, otherworldly. She decided that very moment, that she would go the very next day to see why in the world was the forest so desperate to call for her.