Marcid

Forty-Two - Ophelia

She didn't know for how long she had been asleep. Ophelia let Raymond carry her for the next two hours. She pretended to be asleep in that period of time; though Konrad must have noticed at some point that she was—and had been—awake. She wasn't sure how long the two had been walking for. Raymond must have been at least a bit exhausted of carrying her at some point. When she took the chance to make it seen that she was awake; Raymond carefully put her back on her feet. She walked next to Konrad, keeping close to him the entire time. She couldn't stand to be anywhere without him. She loved him. He was the first person she had ever loved. Nothing could go between them. Raymond occasionally tried making small talk; cracking jokes, spewing small facts that she and Konrad already knew. It felt nice to hear him talk, anyhow. She saw Raymond as a father. She wondered if Raymond had any kids of his own. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Raymond?" Ophelia said, turning her head to look at Raymond. The three kept walking as the conversation continued flowing.

"What's up, kiddo?"

"Do you have any kids of your own?" She sheepishly smiled. She nearly felt embarrassed to ask such a question. Curiosity was eating at her, though. Raymond nervously chuckled and shook his head. He put his hands in his pockets, looking down at Ophelia.

"Nah. I don't think I could handle a big enough responsibility like that. Taking care of a human life? Sounds like a lot to handle."

"You're doing that right now, aren't you?" She questioned. Konrad slightly leaned against her as they all continued to walk in the what-seemed-to-be infinite forest. He seemed to be getting tired. Did Konrad get any sleep? She felt worry start to gnaw at her. She couldn't help but worry. About Konrad, of course. There was no chance that Zeke and Kory weren't fine. She didn't know where they were. But she sometimes prayed that they were okay. It sounded silly, now that she was thinking about it. It was reasonable to worry about them. She pulled Konrad a bit closer, her arm intertwined with his.

"I guess. But I meant like raising a kid. From birth. Sounds really hard. Don't know how my mom got through with raising me."

"What about your father?" She hadn't realized that she might be getting a bit invasive. Raymond suppressed a frown, though his attempt was futile.

"I never had one." He murmured. He paused for a minute. "But it's fine. I turned out great. You kids turned out amazing without parents. That says a lot. You'll be upstanding citizens by the time you get to see the real world." Raymond smiled widely, nearly showing teeth. Ophelia noticed that he had slight fang-like teeth. How peculiar. She smiled at the thought of being out in the real world. Was it as great as she imagined? Would there be a chance that she would meet some of her family? If she had any. Of course, she had family! Everyone had some sort of family. Would she meet her mother? Did she have a father? Siblings? She already felt emotional by just thinking about it. A big family could be waiting for her. She could meet them soon. In a week, perhaps! Maybe in a couple of days! It could all be over, and she could start searching for her family now. She would have to find Kory and Zeke with Raymond and Konrad, first. Konrad seemed a bit dismissive with searching for Zeke when he was first missing. He almost seemed annoyed at first glance. Was he jealous? She didn't want him to be jealous. She was worried for a friend. Zeke would be fine, anyhow. He seemed capable of being by himself. Perhaps for a while. He always seemed tense without Kory by his side. It nearly reminded Ophelia of herself whenever Konrad was away. She didn't have to worry about that now. Konrad would be with her forever. She would be with him forever. "What did you do in the real world? Did you work?" Ophelia asked, the smile remaining on her lips. She was still curious of what Raymond's life was like. Did he have a wife?

"I was in the Army for a while. Six years."

"Was it fun?"

"Mostly. I got to see the world. The middle eastern parts, at least. It was kind of fun. Other than being shot at."