The Flower Is Finished

Morning had arrived and birds were chirping in the early light. The weather was bright and the wind blew gently.

We prepared ourselves to continue the journey.

Uncle and Aunt were already able to walk, although they occasionally felt tired. Farel's condition had also improved.

It took about three hours to reach the waterfall where we had first reunited with George.

Michelle was still with us. She had actually refused, but I still wanted to talk to her about why she had come to find me and followed me all the way here.

Uncle and Aunt were walking in front, and Michelle was beside me.

"Can we become partners?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to become my partner?" I asked.

She bit her lip slowly.

"I just want to."

But her answer didn't satisfy me.

I stopped walking and grabbed her right hand.

"Michelle, what really happened?"

"Where is Lira?"

"Did you leave her just so you could become my partner?"

Several questions came out at once.

"Lira… she's fine," she said while looking away.

I took a breath and nodded.

"Yes, you…"

I couldn't continue my words because she clearly didn't want to talk about what really happened.

"If you want to be my partner, I'll accept it," I said.

She smiled faintly.

"Then let's hurry to the place where we promised to meet the others."

She nodded and followed behind me.

When we reached the place where Farel was waiting, it seemed they were already prepared.

They must have noticed that we had disappeared for a moment and were waiting for us.

"Were you talking about something important?" Farel asked.

I shook my head.

"No."

"Don't just talk about my sister."

Before I could say anything, Michelle suddenly interrupted me.

I immediately turned toward her.

"You have a sister?" Farel asked.

Michelle nodded.

"Yes, I have a sister," she replied with a faint smile.

I didn't stop their conversation because Farel seemed curious about Michelle.

"Alright, let's continue our journey," I said to everyone.

They nodded.

Silence accompanied us as we headed toward the waterfall.

No one spoke.

Only the wind moved through the leaves and branches. Birds chirped and the sound of rushing water grew louder.

The path kept climbing upward.

Several times Uncle and Aunt had to stop and rest because the terrain was steep. A few times they almost slipped.

"Are you still strong enough, Uncle? Aunt?" I asked.

My aunt sat on a rock, breathing heavily while holding her knees.

"Yes, I'm fine, Xanders," she said.

But I knew she was exhausted and simply didn't want to trouble us.

"Mother, let me carry you," Farel pleaded.

His mother immediately smacked the back of his head.

"You… I already told you I don't want to be carried. I'd rather walk."

Farel sighed helplessly.

"I'm worried about you."

Mother and son often argued like this, and it made me smile faintly watching Farel trying to persuade her.

"Enough, son. Your mother doesn't want to be carried," Uncle suddenly said.

Farel sighed again.

"Alright. But if you get tired, tell me."

His mother nodded reluctantly.

Michelle, Alex, and I watched them.

"Are they like this every day?" Alex asked while crossing his arms.

"Yes. Every day," I replied.

"If Shasha were here, Farel would probably already have been hit on the head by her."

Alex chuckled.

"Alright, let's continue."

Alex stopped their argument and walked ahead again, acting as our guide and keeping watch in case something attacked Uncle, Aunt, or Farel.

Michelle and I continued walking side by side.

From the side, I noticed Michelle looked similar to me—someone who didn't quite belong to any particular clan.

"Did something happen in the palace?" I asked quietly, making sure Farel couldn't hear us.

"Yes. I found a traitor among us."

My eyes widened.

"Among us?" I said uncertainly.

"Do you remember the soldier who got lost with us in the Forbidden Forest?"

I immediately remembered the person who had once been with me there.

"He is the traitor."

"George?" I asked.

Because the only one I remembered was George bringing several soldiers whose names and faces I didn't know well.

"Think again. Which of George's men betrayed us?" she said.

"Can you just tell me? I don't remember who it was."

"You'll meet him later."

After hearing that answer, I sighed.

I hadn't paid much attention to the people around me.

The journey continued in silence.

Suddenly the clouds turned dark.

Thunder echoed across the forest.

The sunlight disappeared behind thick clouds.

"Is it going to rain again?" Farel asked.

I nodded.

"Isn't it supposed to be the dry season? Why is it raining so often?"

Alex looked up at the sky.

Birds screeched loudly, monkeys shouted through the trees.

Something felt wrong.

"We should move faster," I said.

"I think something isn't right."

Everyone nodded.

We were only a few meters away from the waterfall.

Thunder roared loudly.

Uncle almost slipped, but Alex quickly grabbed the back of his clothes and pulled him to safety.

"Uncle, hold my hand," Michelle said.

She grabbed his hand firmly.

Alex also held his clothes from behind.

Uncle trembled when he saw the steep path ahead. Large rocks lay below. If he fell, he might die instantly.

I held Michelle's arm to support the weight while Uncle gripped her hands tightly.

We all looked at each other.

"Father, I already told you to be careful," Farel said angrily.

Aunt quickly approached and rubbed Uncle's shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"No one is hurt?"

"I told you not to walk too far from us. If Alex hadn't grabbed you, you might have been crushed by the rocks below."

"I was careful, my wife. The ground is just slippery," Uncle explained.

She clicked her tongue.

"Thank you for helping me… all of you. I don't know how to repay your kindness."

He lowered his head toward us.

We immediately stopped him.

"There's no need for that," Farel said while rolling his eyes.

"Yes, Uncle just needs to be careful. The ground is slippery and you were worried, so you almost slipped," Michelle added gently.

Uncle nodded awkwardly.

"Sorry for becoming a burden."

"You're not a burden to the three of us," Alex said calmly.

Hearing that, I suddenly wondered if he liked Shasha.

The way he spoke to Farel's parents looked calm, almost like meeting future in-laws.

"Do you like Shasha?" I whispered to him.

He looked at me.

"Do you like her too?"

I shook my head.

"I think you're lying," he said.

"No. I truly see her as my older sister."

He made an OK sign with his fingers.

"Who is Shasha?" Michelle asked curiously.

"Farel's sister," I replied.

She nodded.

"Isn't that the waterfall?" Farel suddenly shouted while pointing ahead.

I nodded.

"Yes. That's the waterfall. We're almost there."

We only needed to climb one more slope.

Rain began to fall lightly.

We hurried up the last slope.

Suddenly the rain poured down heavily.

We ran with short steps.

"Let's hurry and get there," Alex said while guiding Uncle beside him.

Farel held his mother's hand tightly.

Thank you for sticking with me. This week I'll upload a slightly shorter post, but still around 1,000 words.Thank You