For a moment, I actually felt slightly uneasy. Fortunately, Laurel was here to chat with me.
“I remember we loved camping and hiking when I was still in university. Looking back, I really miss those good old days.” She sighed. “In just the blink of an eye, ten years have whizzed past.”
“You’re right. I can’t believe I’m going to be thirty soon!” Nora sighed. “I feel like I’m still young and free. How did I grow old so fast?”
Gazing at the night sky full of shimmering stars, I took a deep breath. “There’s no need to dwell on the past. People just have to do what they’re supposed to do in due courses like studying, getting married, and giving birth. Our ancestors had lived for thousands of years, yet they followed the same routine. It’s not that they hadn’t thought of living their ideal lives. Perhaps they had experienced the freedom which we all long for, but in the end, they found it even more unbearable than being married and having kids.”
Nodding her head, Nora turned to glance at Tessa. “Tessa, aren’t you into philosophy? What do you think about life?”
Pressing her lips together, the woman looked intently at the night sky for a few seconds before saying indifferently, “Life and death have been fated from the start. It’s an endless cycle of torment.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Nora mumbled and pouted her lips. She then turned to Armond and asked with a sweet smile, “Mr. Murphy, do you have anything to say?”
“No,” Armond replied. His icy gaze was fixed on the night sky.
“Ouch!” All of a sudden, Rachel jumped to her feet with her hands over her stomach, and her face contorted with agony. “My stomach hurts.”
Ashton furrowed his brows. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m having a stomach-ache. Maybe I ate something bad. Excuse me, I need to relieve myself.” Immediately, she scurried away while holding her tummy.
Watching the woman sprinting toward the end of the enormous field, everyone tried to stifle a laugh. There was no undergrowth or trees that could act as a cover across the field, so she had to run further away.
None of them had thought of this issue before camping.
Nora let out a half-suppressed giggle, moving closer to me. “I bet she’ll not be able to enjoy the stargazing tonight.”
“Why did you say so?” Staring at her enigmatic face, I couldn’t help but ask.
The woman flashed me a sly smile and said impishly, “That’s the consequence of acting all high and mighty when she knows nothing at all. I had no other way to vent my frustrations.”
Glancing at her sneaky expression, I made a wild guess. “Did you put something in her food?”
She shrugged noncommittally. “I only added a little chocolate in the glass of milk she drank just now.”
Bewildered, I asked, “Can milk and chocolate cause diarrhoea?”
She nodded her head. “Yes. Don’t worry, she won’t die. She’ll only have the runs.”
I see.
“Look! A shooting star!” someone screamed in delight. In an instant, everyone looked up at the sky.
Sure enough, a few dazzling shooting stars glided through the night sky.
“Hurry and make a wish!” Nora closed her eyes and clasped her hands together at once, wishing solemnly upon the star.
A smile spread across my face. Instinctively, I turned to the other side. I was stunned when I locked eyes with Ashton unexpectedly.
Never had I thought that he was looking at me at the same time. His dark, gleaming eyes appeared slightly distant and aloof.
In a split second, I swiftly averted my gaze. Like Nora, I closed my eyes and acted as though I was making a wish as well. Under his steady gaze, the rhythm of my heartbeat became frantic.
“What did you wish for?” After the shooting stars vanished, Nora asked enthusiastically, staring at me.
“I wish for peace, joy, and health,” I answered impassively.
She gave me a sniff of disapproval. “How boring. Why did you wish for those things? You might as well just wish that you’ll come to your senses.”
Afterward, she looked at Armond and asked curiously, “Mr. Murphy, what did you wish for?”
Glancing at her coldly, the man answered indifferently, “I don’t believe in this.”
Then, he closed his eyes to take a rest.
Finding the two of us lame and unexciting, she clambered over to Laurel and Tessa to ask them the same question.
Staring at the breath-taking starry night sky, I spaced out. I truly loved such an environment. It was so relaxing and soothing. My mind was clear of unwanted thoughts.
With my eyes closed, I drifted off and felt like I was no longer on earth but in heaven.
After a while, someone suddenly spoke. “Ms. Zimmer has been away for quite some time. Why isn’t she back yet?”
Opening my eyes, I glanced around the campsite. Rachel was nowhere to be seen.
In the meantime, Nora was chatting with Laurel. “Don’t worry, she’s so good at playing innocent and pitiful. She’ll be alright even if she runs into any wild animal.”
It was already 11 p.m., and Rachel had been gone for an hour.
Turning to glance at Ashton, I couldn’t help but urge him. “Mr. Fuller, you should check on her. After all, she’s a woman. It’ll be dangerous if she runs into any problem.”
“Yeah, Mr. Fuller. Hurry and look for her.” Everyone followed suit. It was about time to sleep, since we had finished eating and been stargazing for a while.
