The balloon of excitement in Orion's chest had already begun to deflate. Newfound blisters lined his feet, his shins and thighs screamed in agony, and a stitch had developed on his right side, forcing him to press a hand underneath his ribcage to reduce the discomfort. He walked hunched over, each painful step taking him further and further away from the neighbourhood he was familiar with, from his home.

He looked over at Barbara, a silent cry for help in his eyes, but her mind was elsewhere. Her pace was as sprightly as it had been in the beginning of their journey. She stopped only once, when Orion had to rush behind a tree to relieve himself. He drank too much water in a short period of time—all that walking had left him severely dehydrated—and no matter how much he tried to hold it for the sake of prudery, his bladder had been on the verge of bursting. It was a matter of life or death.

Orion didn't know for how long he had been walking, but it felt like years, and there was no finish-line in sight. "How much longer?" he asked for the millionth time, forcing down the shred of pride that had wedged itself in his throat. More and more cars sped by, their bright headlights illuminating their way along the road.

An abrupt honk ripped through the air, startling Orion into tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face. He groaned. Now everything hurt, and exhaustion prevented him from doing anything about it.

"Are you okay?" Came Barbara's shrill voice moments later, her arms hooked underneath his armpits in the attempt to pull him up.

"No, I'm not." Orion mumbled, letting his body become a deadweight. No amount of huffing and puffing would get him off the ground, and Barbara soon gave up, collapsing on the pavement beside him. He could feel her glare drilling two holes into his head, trying to see what the hell he was thinking.

"Why are you being like this? We're almost there!"

"Almost where? We've been walking for ages!" It was unusual for him to raise his voice, but enough was enough. If he wasn't given an answer, he would walk straight back home. It wouldn't be that difficult. They had taken five rights and three lefts or was it five lefts and three rights? His brows furrowed together and he blew a hair strand out of his eye. The situation was hopeless.

"It won't be a surprise if I tell you."

"No, no more surprises. Tell me right now or I'm leaving!" Orion pushed himself up using his stick-thin arms, then crossed them once he had rearranged his limbs into a more comfortable position. He scrunched his face up into a look of pure resolution—nothing other than the truth would make him follow Barbara, and that was final. She watched him, her expression unreadable.

The two then proceeded to stare at each for the next full minute, in silence, as neither of them wanted to give in to the other. A second after that, Barbara threw her hands in the air and puffed up her cheeks.

"Alright, you win. I won't tell what our destination is, but I'll tell you where we have to go to get there."

Orion blinked, surprised. The tables have turned, I won! The smidgen of pride at the bottom of his stomach inflated into exponential proportions, causing his chest to swell up. It took everything in his power for him not to jump up and not do a tiny victory jig in place. Instead, he wrinkled his nose, allowing the unfamiliar emotion of arrogance to seep through the pores of his skin. "That's feasible," he said, recalling the word from his English textbook. As an after-thought, along with a shrug, he added, "I guess."

Barbara's face broke into a grin, and she clambered up to her feet. "All we have to do is walk to the nearest subdivision exit road, turn left at the highway, walk for another twenty minutes, and then we're practically there!"

All Orion heard was 'highway'—everything else was technical gibberish.

"Are you nuts?" he screamed, now also standing,"Do you want to get us killed?"

Barbara guffawed, one-handedly clutching both backpack straps in an 'X' across her chest.

"What's so funny? Why are you laughing at me?" Orion was beyond irritated now. His hands shook at his sides, both from the cold and the anger.

"I'm...not—" She repeated those two words thrice, unable to even formulate a full sentence.

"You are crazy," Orion muttered incredulously, shaking his head, "I'm going home." Without a moment's hesitation, he turned on his heel and began walking back, his feet slapping against the pavement.

"Am I crazy for trying to add some excitement to your life?" Barbara called out after him. Her question resonated deep within his core, even going as far as stopping him in his tracks. You are. Orion was stuck in the vicious cycle of self-deprecation, which was almost impossible to break out of. She tried to help him break out of it on countless occasions, but he considered himself self-sufficient enough to not accept love and a helping hand from anyone. After all, that was the mentality with which he was raised.

"You're my best friend, Orion. I can't just stand on the sideline and watch you miss out on life like that. When was the last time you left your house on your own terms?"

Orion remained rooted in place, unable to speak, unable to breathe. The last time was...never. Whenever he wanted to go somewhere, he had to ask for parental consent, which was usually never given to him. That's why he spent most of his free time at home, cooped up in his room with his nose in a book. But could he count his impromptu trips at the ice-cream parlour?

Orion dragged both hands down his face, confusion plaguing his mind again. Another internal battle raged; what was the right thing to do?

"What I'm about to show you is going to blow you away. Do you trust me?"

Orion swallowed the lump in his throat. Of course I do, he wanted to say, loud and clear to remove all shadow of doubt. So what was holding him back?

He inclined his head then turned, only to find Barbara's face inches from his. His mouth went dry and his heart rate skyrocketed; at this short of a distance, his senses got doused in her sweet tropical scent, leaving him dazed and slightly flustered.

"I don't believe you. Say it out loud." The sides of her rosy lips curled into a smile. Orion momentarily forgot what she had said.

"Yes, I trust you." He took a shaky a breath, wishing that his raging hormones would die down.

"Great!" She drew back her face, and the air grew cold again. "Let's go before somebody catches us."

Twenty minutes later, the two threaded along the highway, keeping to the minuscule gap between the railing and the white line. Orion soon realised that they were leaving town; it was the first time he had done so and the mere thought propelled his heart into a crazed gallop.

Shen must've felt like this too.

Orion stole a glance at the night sky—hoping to see a star sparkle brightly as a symbol of their brotherly connection—but all he saw was a polluted darkness. The flame of happiness inside his chest got snuffed out by disappointment, and his shoulders slumped.

"Just a couple more minutes and we'll get off the road!" Barbara yelled over the ruckus, and a flashlight materialised in her hand. After he yelled back an 'okay', she flicked it on, and a circle of light began bouncing along the railing. Orion followed it with a curious gaze, until Barbara abruptly stopped in her tracks. He almost bumped into her, having gotten used to the constancy of their walking.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to look over her shoulder to see what she had spotlighted.

"We're here."

Orion looked up, and his mouth dried. The urban landscape had thinned out and gotten replaced by a timberland, a wall of obscurity which ran parallel to the road. He couldn't distinguish one tree from the other; the forest was so densely packed it seemed impenetrable. This was the stuff of nightmares: one step into the other side, and you would disappear without leaving a trace.

Before Orion could allow the horrifying imagery to settle itself in his mind, his eyes went to Barbara. But she had already climbed over, and was now drumming her fingers against her backpack straps. Orion remained rooted in place, his body an unmovable block of ice. "Are you sure this is the right place?" His voice was small, barely a squeak.

Barbara pointed the flashlight at the railing and tossed her head. Orion dragged himself over, avoiding eye-contact, and looked down. A yellow smiley-face stared back at him, with crosses for eyes and a large, misshapen grin. Underneath, there was a caption that read, 'Don't worry, be happy!'.

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I put it there," Barbara said without skipping a beat, "Now come on, let's go before someone sees us." 

She turned off her flashlight and vanished down the side of the steep gully, without another word.