the silent heartbeat

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

We walked farther away from the camping site. I would glance back to see how far we are every minute. And yes, the camp site seemed getting tinier and tinier. We are really far away from them. I hope my friends didn't woke up to find me. I looked at father who was holding my hand.

"A-Are you really...real?" I asked.

He looked at me and smiled. "Yeah. I am real. If I'm not, then I wouldn't be able to hold you, nor you can feel my touch." He said. "In your own perspective, based on what you're actually experiencing right now, do I look like unreal to you?" He asked.

I immediately shook my head. Hmm, I sense something about him. "N-No, dad." There is something strange going on. But maybe its just my own imagination. "Good." He replied.

Don't make a fuss, Constance. This is actually father. He died a long time ago and you wished that you would see him again, so here he is. That's why you shouldn't do something strange. I said to myself.

"Come along, I want to show you something." He said.

"W-What about my friends?"

He looked at me with a smile, but it didn't reached his eyes. It was like he was forcing himself to do so when in fact, judging from his eyes—he wasn't happy at all. "Don't give too much attention to them. They wouldn't wouldn't even care about you. They're just asleep because they're accompanying you in this journey. True to the sense, I wonder why they risked their lives trying to protect you when you can protect yourself fron danger? Hmm, I wonder how they are complaining right now about you."

My eyes furrowed. "C-Complaining about what?"

His smile became wide. "Well, its hard to explain it but if you want a shorter version of it, here it goes: They actually don't want yoy to be their bestfriend nor they really wanted to accompany you on this journey. They're actually thinking about how annoying you are and how burdensome you are for the first day of the mission."

I became silent. Did they actually thought of that? Damn, we only completed two missions and it has been a day, but dad is actually telling that they're thinking like that about me.

I don't know, but why do I feel like what father is saying to me right now is real? My mind is telling me that its real, but my heart says no.

Its clashing.

"And to sum it all, your mission would take about two to three weeks to be exact. Just some couple challenges and solutions, then you can find Oliver." He chuckled.

I was just about to reply to him but he pushed me towards him and kept walking. He doesn't talk anymore. I don't know why. I kept calling him but he doesn't respond nor does he look at me.

Its strange.

But for some reasons, I just let it be.

Father and I walked side by side, moving quietly through the dimly lit landscape as we ventured away from the campsite. My friends were still sound asleep, their gentle breathing blending with the nighttime silence, leaving us undisturbed. We walked in comfortable silence, the stars glistening above, the breeze wrapping around us as we made our way toward a cliff I had seen earlier in the day. It was a little way off but close enough to reach without much effort. Father led the way, and his quiet presence, so familiar and comforting, eased my mind. I was almost convinced he was real—almost.