Chapter 5: The Unknown Feeling

The next morning, everyone packed up and continued the trek. The sun had risen bright and clear, casting a warm sheen over the chilly morning. The forest came alive with tall, green trees stretching into the sky, their leaves shimmering in light. Birds chirped like gentle bells above, and the wind carried the scent of dew-kissed earth.

Jeena walked quietly among them, breathing deeply, her chest rising with the rhythm of nature itself.

Jeena (thoughts):

It's been so long since I've smelled the forest like this... The scent of damp earth, the crunch of gravel underfoot, the cool breeze brushing my cheeks. These tiny moments feel more alive than my whole life has ever felt. I close my eyes and breathe this all in, like I'm finally inhaling life itself.

⛰️🌲After few hours,

After several hours, they arrived at a waterfall. Crystal water thundered down the rock face, splashing cool mist into the air. Some of the travelers, lighthearted and carefree, waded in to play and bathe beneath it, laughing under the sun.

But Jeena stayed behind.

She hesitated, watching them. Something in her heart resisted sharing this sacred moment with strangers. Feeling restless, she approached Lama.

"I'll just walk around a little," she said quietly.

Lama nodded. "Don't go too far. We'll be leaving soon."

🍃After a few steps of walk,

Jeena (wandering alone):

Ahh… finally, some silence. I just want to consume this beauty , drink it into my soul.

She looked up through the branches, where the sky spread wide and blue, framed by leaves and sun.

I don't know how much time I have left... I don't even know if I'll remember this later. Is my mind recording these moments? Will they flash before my eyes someday, or vanish like smoke? I don't know anything but I would still choose to live every tiny moments within this time.

She sat down against the trunk of a broad tree, pulled a chocolate bar from her bag, and took a slow bite.

Even this..., even chocolate.., I'll miss when I'm gone.

Goshh, how will I miss when I'm dead.., she laughs at herself sarcastically.

Her mind drifted, trying to summon memories of joy: playing in the woods with her older sister, moments with her parents.

But nothing came clearly.

Just one blurry memory of her mother's back, walking away, holding her sister's hand.

That was it.

Her heart felt heavy. Her breath was caught in her throat.

"Mumma…" she whispered, voice cracking. "I was the younger one. Why didn't you take me too? Why only her? Wasn't I your daughter…?" Her words dissolved into sobs. "Please, just once... just once...,

I wanna see you mom before I die..,

Please let me see you again."

She wept bitterly, clutching her knees. The pain stabbed her chest sharply, breathless.

She couldn't hold it more. She laid back on the forest floor, staring at the sky, her vision blurring.

Is this it? Is this how it ends, alone under the trees?

In the area of waterfall...

Hào Ràn noticed Jeena's absence. His brows furrowed. He was so concerned, he asked Lama for her and followed the direction she'd gone.

By now, most of them in the group had finished bathing. The sun hung high while in the noon.

⛅Where Jeena laid,

The sound from bush came as someone was coming crunching the dry leaves.

Meanwhile, Jeena lay weakly in the leaves. She coughed, and something wet hit her palm. She stared.

Blood.

It was blood from her mouth.

Her eyelids drooped, the world dimming. Just before darkness overtook her, a figure appeared through the blur..,

It was Hào Ràn.

Was he real?

He knelt beside her, checking for her heartbeat. It was faint.

Too faint.

His fingers trembled as he began CPR, pressing rhythmically on her chest, His voice was sharp with panic.

"Jeena, breathe, please..., breathe!"

Sunlight glinted off his skin. His soft pink lips moved in urgency. Jeena saw him through tears and half-consciousness, so close, so vivid.

And then warmth.

He tilted her head gently and gave her his breath.

Her lungs breathed in. Life returned in a gasp.

Lama's voice echoed nearby, shouting her name. Hào Ràn glanced at her bloodied lips and gently wiped them with his thumb. Then his own lips quietly, without a word.

Lama rushed over.

"What happened? Why is Jeena lying down?"

Jeena was fully conscious by the time but she didn't want to face everyone and explain just after she nearly died so, she just acted to sleep.

"She's fine," Hào Ràn replied calmly. "I think she's just exhausted. She didn't sleep last night. I saw her up actually."

Lama nodded. "If you've checked her, I'll trust that. Thanks, doc. But we've got to move, the sun will set soon."

"I'll carry her," Hào Ràn said without hesitation.

Lama picked up her backpack. Hào Ràn knelt down, gently lifted Jeena onto his back.

She stirred slightly, resting her cheek against his shoulder, warmth seeping from his skin into her own cold breath.

Hào Ràn (softly):

"Miss Lî… I know you're awake. Will you tell me what's going on?"

But her head simply nestled closer, her body relaxing. Her breathing evened out.

Hào Ràn (whisper):

"…Alright then. Rest. I have a feeling I know."

HÀO RÀN'S POV

Her breath was soft against my neck. She felt so light on my back, not in weight, but in something deeper… like she'd been carrying too much alone for too long.

I turned slightly, just to glimpse her face.

So close.

So quiet.

So innocent and still.

She looked peaceful, yet I couldn't forget how she looked moments ago..,lying motionless, with blood on her lips.

I'm a doctor. I've seen near-death more times than I can count. I don't panic. But something in me cracked wide open when I saw her like that.

Was it worry?

Or something more?

The closer I moved to give her breath, the more my own chest ached. Her half-closed eyes, glistening with tears, had this quiet resignation… like she didn't want to be saved. Like she'd already said goodbye.

That haunted me.

Even now, with her breathing behind me, I don't know what I'm feeling.

I just know, it's something I've never felt before.

Is it love?

No… that's too soon. I barely know her.

But this ache inside me, this unnamed pull toward a girl with secrets in her silence…

It's something.

It's… the unknown feeling.

•••••

TO BE CONTINUED…