In a trice, the air grew thicker with apprehension. Denoting constrained, I turned rigid. Only after my mother's hand touched my shoulder, I managed to stir and started shaking my head.

"Why can't you come with me?" I inquired.

Worry fused into my shock. I'd never set foot in the jungle, so I didn't know how to navigate my way around. Furthermore, the night added up a disadvantage to my vision.

As she remained resonant in thoughts, I called to her. "Ma, I can't do this, I just can't—"

"You can!" Suddenly she interjected, I was stunned when she cupped my face and looked me straight in the eye. "And you must. I won't always be by your side. You are stronger than you think."

For a second, her head turned away to look around, like she was on alert. She let go of my face and grabbed the bag I put next to my feet, almost shoving it to me.

"There is a compass in the bag, just go North East and continue to follow the map. Get through the fence before sunrise and trek to the barn," she hustled. Her words came out in such a rush that I only finished exhaling two breaths along the way.

Before I could even respond, she gripped the door handle and flung it open. The night air blew in instantly, slapping my face.

"Now go," her hand slightly nudged me to get off the car, I couldn't speak nor react. I was beyond stunned with everything but one of my feet landed unwillingly on the grass. As I was about to stand up, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. Before I knew it, my body was pulled and wrapped in my mother's arms.

"I love you honey. Always know I love you," she whispered while she caressed the back of my head. I heard her sniffle, she was crying.

Then it all went too quick for me to process; she ripped herself off of me, pushed me off the car, and drove away in a blink. Way too fast that even my tears took seconds longer to make a successful run down my cheeks.

Realisation finally took its position in my head moments later; my mother had left me, this was happening, and it was real. I hugged the backpack firmly and trudged to where she had pointed a while ago.

The dried leaves under my feet crackled with each step I took. Tears continued to stream down from my eyes as I pushed myself deeper into the abyss of teeming woods. The aimless wander was driven by emotion.

At the time, I knew sadness was steering me to nowhere, but I was in the state of uncaring where I would end up to. Until I stumbled and fell onto the ground, halting my senseless direction. I pursed my lips and cried silently, anger and disappointment building up in my chest due to the awful fate that I encountered.

Rage was trying to draw itself to Alfie, blaming everything on him. For a moment, I recalled how serene my life was before he appeared. Yet the more his image flashed in my mind, the more calmness managed to overpower me.

It's not his fault.

It took me some time later to get a grip, brushing dirt off my dress and pulling myself to my feet. I fished out my phone from my pockets and switched on the torch, noticing the overgrown trees around me. The sounds of nature filled up my senses in a peaceful lull, the night breeze grazed my skin gently, and the sky cleared up for the stars to glimmer on the horizon. It was as if the earth was making itself serene for me.

I opened my backpack, examining the things my mother put in it. There was a compass attached to a necklace which I instantly put on, a torch, a small knife, a map, some food and packed first aid kit. I scrambled inside its compartment and found a folded envelope. It contained my birth certificate and a deed to a plot of land.

The date imprinted on both official papers stole my attention instantly. It was the year of my birth, which oddly was 2318. It was 20 years ahead of my mine.

Looking at the two gave me a bad feeling. Added the thought that those documents were given to me and not kept by my mother. But I knew time wasn't siding with me so I had to push the matter aside.

By observation the map and my surrounding, I finally pinpointed my location at a perched river. I followed the path along the stream until I got to a clearing; where my mother said she left Alfie.

I looked around for him, but he was nowhere in sight. I thought there was a cottage, something, or anything where it would make more sense he was left there. I continued looking while my heart rate was rising with each ticking second.

After hours past by, with exasperated breaths, dress drenched with sweats, and face dampened by tears, I stopped by a tree. I put my hands on it, supporting myself from falling. I was truly exhausted, worried and my knees were on the verge of buckling when a hand suddenly caught me.

"Charis..."

That low-deep voice, it couldn't be anybody else, it was my Alfie. However, when my eyes landed on him, he was somehow different. I saw something odd about his eyes, it was green. Small hue lines almost looked like roots were visible on his iris. It was beautiful and I was mesmerized.

But after he blinked, it turned back into brown, and I was snapped back to reality. I stabled myself and looked away.

"Where were you?" I asked him.

Without his reply, I had to shift my eyes back to him and tried my hardest not to gawk at his face. At first, he looked confused, but he eventually pointed to somewhere. There sat my potted Dracaena with a small torch lying next to it.

"Ma left you there?" I asked with disbelief.

Surprisingly, he nodded. If we weren't in the middle of a runaway mission, it would probably be a crazy idea of just leaving him with a pot plant in the jungle. But judging by the situation, expecting something better would be bogus too. We were simply jumping into everything.

Suddenly I heard his stomach grumbled. I took out a packet of sandwich from my bag. After unwrapping it, I looked at my wristwatch; midnight was approaching.

"You must be hungry. Here" —I held out the sandwich to him which he took instantly— "Eat while we walk okay?"

Without a word, he nodded.

After catching up with my breath, we were on the move. I was relying entirely on the compass as my guide, putting faith on my newly navigating skill.

Once we entered the thick forest, I kept looking back, worried if Alfie, who was busy munching on the sandwich would fall behind.

Hours passed by, and I was getting tired, my dress made the situation worse as it kept tangling with the bushes. Probably I was losing my focus out of fatigue because when I looked back, Alfie was gone.

"Alfie?" I called.

Calmly, I spun around to look for him. It wasn't until I perceived a particular sound panic got a hold of me. Even under my heavy breathing, I could distinguish the sound getting louder. It was from an animal; a bark.

My panic level kept rising as I pushed my way through the thick shrub. I didn't realise I was walking straight towards a steep slope and suddenly the jungle floor below me unfastened.

I was falling like a rolling log.

On my descent, I could feel the obstacles scraping my skin and bumping with my body as gravity contithe nued to pull me. Yet pain wasn't the one eager to reach the finishing line, it was memories ahead in the race. I could see my mother's face, my friends and then my Alfie.

The last thing in my mind was despicable fear before I felt a sudden hit on my head and it hindered my thoughts entirely. My misty vision became cloudy before it turned to pitch black.

Apprehension left stranded.

To be continued...

***

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