Erica is an orphan. She was abandoned when she was six because her parents were taken to jail for something she doesn't remember. She is special, because she can communicate with nature
The last thing my mother told me before she got taken away was "Trust the trees. They will guide you." I remember it as if it was yesterday. We were all siting by th fire; papa, mama, and I; when the men came. We lived in a poor village, and i could see they weren't from here by their clothes. "OUT!!!!!" one of them yelled. "Go hide" mama whispered in my ear "And trust the trees. They will guide you. Now, goodbye." I did as i was told, fearing for my life. I got to the middle of the jungle, climber on the highest tree, and cried. I sadly watched as the entire village got taken away, feeling so powerless.
I had been six when this had happened. Since then, life had changed greatly for me. First of, when i was seven, i had finally began to understand what mother had meant by "Trust the trees". It was a strange day, and I kept hearing voices that were not my own in my head. The voices were saying things like "Look, here comes the Daughter of Nature" and "Can she hear us yet?" or even "Bow your head to our Daughter, our Savior, our Hero". I still don't understand that, but at least now I know who was talking. It was the trees, the grass, the bushes, and every little part of nature. I had learned how to block out when they wanted me too or when I wanted quiet, and I knew how to make my ears hear nature from far away. The entire forest was my family, treated as a whole. From the shortest piece of grass to the tallest tree, from the smallest ant to the biggest tiger. All of them were my family and my friends, but Tina, the baby orphan tiger, was my best friend. It was like a connection we had; an unbreakable bond. She was an orphan too, and I just felt too much empathy to let her live alone. Her parents had gotten bit by snakes, but the little one had escaped. Life was peaceful and followed a routine for five years; until I was 11. Then, there was the first earthquake. A complete disaster.
