A day after.
My head was burning. It didn't hurt, but it burned. Did I go through the fire last night? Perhaps. But last night seemed so unreal to me. I was in the Mountain Village where I was born, where I used to be so innocent and could dance around with my mother. And the grandma I had known was still here, protecting and leading the village.
I got up.
It was the same room I woke up in the first day. I couldn't remember how I got back here. Where was Jodai? Where did he sleep? I saw no one, only the new cloth folded nicely next to my mattress. I would love to have a bath, even if it was a little bit cold here.
I stood up and walked around the room. I found the bathroom but there was no water in the tank. The faucet didn't work so I opened this door and that door, there was no water that was kept inside this room. I looked out the window outside, the sky was still dark. I thought it was supposed to be in the morning or did I sleep two nights in the row again?
When I opened the door, not a single person was outside. The wind was a little chilly, so I got back inside, wore the coat from last night, and carried the new clothes and a towel with me.
I stepped out of the room, and the wind blew through me like it wanted to say welcome back lazy head. I bit my lips and walked ahead. If I remember, with a very tiny brain cell, there was a river or a lake behind the village near the forest. I could wash myself there. I walked past the bonfire that was already extinguished.
I danced and jumped like I dreamt about, like the past memory.
I wondered where Jodai was. I remembered I danced around the bonfire with Cratis almost all night, we danced until our legs couldn't even move. And then we went out to drink again with Jodai. Did he dance last night?
Yes, I dragged him in. And there was a girl, probably around my age or older. She was dancing with him.
Who was it?
Maybe, Jodai went with her after, he might sleep at her place...Did he sleep with her!?
"It's okay. He can do that. He's a guy, and she's a girl."
I talked myself out of it and shook my head.
Actually, I really didn't know much about his personal life.
*Sigh.
"It's okay. It's okay. It's normal."
I talked to myself again.
Finally, I reached the destination by dozing off once again. My body must remember the way to the lake better than my brain. I turned and looked around; there was no sign of seeing a single human out there. So, I put the new clothes under the tree and then took off my clothes and threw them around the roots.
I walked toward the lake. I let my toes bathe first to taste the temperature of the water.
Cold..
But it wouldn't be cold anymore after the body had adjusted to the water.
"So, heh"
"Splash!!"
I jumped into it.
"Fu…c...k…"
I shakingly cursed it out.
I stayed there at the same place and froze. I let my body adjust for a second, maybe a minute, maybe longer.
I tried to distract myself by looking around the scenery, the view in front of me. The blue, dark sky with no clouds floating around over my head. The horizon of the finish line of this lake was a wildflower field. It would look beautiful if I could see it but it still looked mesmerizing from here even if it was under the darkness.
My body started to feel numb. Then, I decided to swim straight ahead to where the horizon was.
-10:00 am-
"Splash! Splash! Spash!"
"Ha...Ha...Ha..."
"Thug."
"Zephyra..."
"Phew...euk-euk-euk Phew...euk-euk-euk Phew..."
"Wake up!... Don't do this to me..."
"Phew...euk-euk-euk"
"Cough, Cough!"
"Zephyra...Fuck! I thought you were.."
"Haa…"
I breathed the air out messily like I didn't know how to breathe.
"Ah!"
He hugged me.
"Don't fucking do something like this again, you hear me!"
"Ha...Jodai?"
"...You scared me."
"Jodai, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. Who do you think I am?"
"..."
"Don't answer it…"
"..."
I hugged him back, touched the back of his hair, and patted him.
"Fuck, Zephyra. I should be the one to do that..."
"Why are you cursing me so much..?"
"Cause you make me crazy all the fucking time..."
"Thank you.."
"..."
"Where were you last night?"
I asked.
"Ha?"
"Were you with that girl?"
"..."
"Don't answer it.."
"..."
"And let me go.. I can't breathe."
I told him and pushed him away.
"... I'm sorry."
He told me.
"!!!"
Then his eyes widened.
"Shit, my clothes."
"!!"
He quickly covered my body with his coat.
"...I wasn't."
"Hm?"
I was confused.
"I wasn't with that girl.."
He answered.
"..."
He used his hands to put them under my body.
"What are you doing?"
"Back to the village, Zephyra."
"I'll walk."
"!!"
Then he brought me up without listening to my words.
"Please, hold that coat properly."
"...Okay."