Chapter 2

I ignored the burning gaze on my back and carried on walking. However, the further I got the stronger the feeling to turn around festered in my chest. It was a subtle thought, that I would regret if I didn't take a look. Rarely experiencing such intense and profound feelings, I decided to humour myself.

I held my breath and turned around as quick as a startled rabbit, almost toppling over from the momentum. But only the trees beyond the fence surrounding the camping ground greeted me.

It was nothing but a whim and I wasn't expecting anything. Yet I still couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed. Before I could continue musing on it, Nathan called out to me.

"Aria, you fool. You could've fallen."

Nathan reached out to help me stand steady as he asked, "What're you looking at?"

I glanced at Nathan's squinted eyes scanning the forest, and a strong urge to keep Nathan away burst in my stomach.

Without thinking, I lied. "I thought I heard something."

Nathan turned his probing gaze on me as I continued smoothly without guilt.

"It must've been some small animal, I couldn't find anything. Let's go back and join the others."

Without waiting for Nathan's response, I turned back and carried on my way to the barbeque pit. Nathan jogged up to me and concern had replaced the initial confusion.

"It was probably just a passing animal. This place is relatively safe, but just in case you shouldn't go anywhere alone. If you're going anywhere, especially near the fence, make sure either Linus or I are accompanying you."

Perhaps my unusual urgency to leave the area gave the impression that I'd been spooked. So in his clumsy way, Nathan attempted to assure me. But this was beneficial for me, so I left the misunderstanding be.

"What about Alex and Kaitlin?" I asked.

Nathan snorted. "If anything happens, they would be more preoccupied with each other than protecting you."

As if he had just realised the implication behind his words, Nathan blushed a little but stubbornly stuck to my side.

While Nathan was averting his gaze, I snuck one last glance behind.

A soft breeze blew, and my hair swayed gently with the branches of the trees. An endless green stood behind me. Though there were still only trees behind an old fence, the prickling feeling that something was there pervaded.

It was a pity that I wasn't alone. If I went too close to the forest, Nathan would hinder me and pull me back far away from the fence.

With a slight vengeance, I left the subtle tension between us hanging accompanied by the occasional bird calls .

When we met up with the others, they immediately noticed Nathan's discomfort and my ignorance. They separated Nathan from me, and chattered constantly jumping from one topic to another. Under their combined effort, the atmosphere soon became lively and everyone was enjoying themselves. Without realising, the blue sky started bleeding red and the sun was sinking beneath the horizon.

Linus checked the time and suggested, "Let's move our drinking over to the fire pit."

-----

Flickers of light danced before my eyes. Smoke and alochol heavy in the air. Lively chatter waltzed with slurred words, it was a wonder I could still comprehend what they're saying. Gradually, the chattering died down as everyone appreciated the starry night sky.

With the crackling of burning wood taking over the space, emptiness begun to fill my lungs. The familiar suffocation left me a little light headed, or perhaps it could have been the alcohol this time. A sigh escaped my lips, hoping it would carry away just a little of the desolation leaking out of my heart.

"You know, every time I see the stars in the sky it makes me realise just how small we really are." Kaitlin whispered.

Alex grasped her hand, and gently lifted it to his lips. "But you are the world to me."

Kaitlin giggled, and leaned into Alex's embrace. Nathan's face scrunched, and looked away from the lovebirds. Yet his burning eyes stole glances in my direction.

I ignored his glances and continued staring at the moon. Unlike the sparkling stars, I liked the silent moon better. It was comforting to know that even on the days that I couldn't see it, it is undoubtedly still there. When it passes it'll slowly appear again, growing bigger and bigger. Until it encompasses the sky with it's round body.

As the fire slowly died out, the chilly air broke through the warmth that blanketed us. Linus was knocked out from the alcohol, and Nathan helped him back to his tent. After cleaning up with Kaitlin and Alex, we went back to our own tents to retire for the night.

As I laid down and exhaustion rolled over my body, my eyes blurry from sleep watched in a daze as shadows played across my tent. My last thought that it vaguely resembled a human's figure was brushed off as a figment of my imagination and I fell into a deep sleep.