Day Fifty-Seven…
~~*****~~
At that crucial moment, Nathan had never expected that he would feel some kind of worry toward Phantomflake when he witnessed how she fell off the cliff together with the wild boar. Though he was still shocked by the turn of events, he managed to stand up and dashed toward the edge of the cliff.
He needed to find out what happened to Jane. She couldn't die like this! Never again!
With large strides, Nathan reached the edge of the cliff with a pounding heart. How could he explain this to Abigail if something bad happened to her sister? Furthermore, he couldn't let her die just yet.
Nathan looked down, feeling so nervous. He didn't know why his heart was thumping so hard against his chest. Then his eyes widened in both shock and relief when he saw Jane clinging to the branch of the tree.
Jane tried her best to grab the branches, but her hands were slipping away. The rain made them slippery. Before she could ask for help, a hand held her right hand. She looked up only to see Nathan's face.
She was taken aback for a moment. Did she just see a hint of worry in his eyes? Or perhaps, she just imagined it because it disappeared in just a split second. Nathan was now staring at her with an angry look on his face.
'Eh? Why is he mad at me? I just saved him.' Jane lamented to herself.
"What are you waiting for? Pull yourself up!" Nathan's deep cold voice echoed in the area, snapping her out of her deep thought.
Jane could only grab his hands and crawled herself up. Nathan also pulled her to reach the top of the cliff. The both of them were panting and slumped their body to the ground. Nathan was in a sitting position while Jane was lying her back on the ground, facing the sky.
She let the rain fall on her face as she closed her eyes. She almost died a while ago. She never thought Nathan would help her up. But surprisingly, he rescued her despite the resentment he felt toward her.
Then a small curve appeared from the corners of her lips as she smiled happily. 'He saved me. Nathan saved me…' Jane wanted to savor this moment.
But Nathan spoke up only to ruin her moment. "Are you crazy?! Do you want your sister to hate me? Why did you do that?! I don't need your help. I can protect myself!" Nathan burst out, scolding her.
Jane opened her eyes, arching her eyebrow. She sat up and faced Nathan while glaring at him. He wasn't grateful to her at all!
'Tsk. The audacity of this guy!' Jane pursed her lips, feeling annoyed.
"I saved you because I wanted to! Because I'm worried about you. All I can think of a while ago was to keep you safe. I don't have any ill intent!" Jane punched Nathan's chest as she couldn't hold her anger and frustration.
Jane stood up and distanced herself from him. When Nathan looked at her, he noticed several bruises and cuts on her hands and face. Her clothes were also in a messy state.
'Doesn't she feel cold at all?' Nathan wondered to himself. She was wearing thin clothes as compared to him. He was wearing his jacket.
"There is no time to waste. We shouldn't argue. We should find Ethan." Jane said in her firm tone.
Then Nathan realized that Jane was not supposed to be there. "Why are you here? You should be staying with your sister."
"Don't worry about her. Aiden and Cherry are with her." Jane promptly responded. "Stop thinking about my sister. You should focus on searching for your son!" She also scolded Nathan.
Jane turned around without waiting for Nathan. She became more worried about Ethan. If they encountered a wild boar, Ethan might also encounter one. They had to find him as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Nathan just found himself following Jane. She was right. They must find Ethan first. He was the one in danger, not Abigail. The two continued their journey, exploring the mountain to find Ethan under the pouring rain.
*****
[ At the Mountain Resort… ]
Aiden kept pacing back and forth across the room. He hadn't heard anything from Nathan and Jane. Cherry and Abigail were also getting worried about them since the rain continued pouring. The weather was getting worse every second.
It did not take long when Stephen and Dave arrived at the resort. They returned as soon as they heard the news that Ethan went missing.
Stephen: "What is the update?"
Dave: "What happened here?"
Both men asked Aiden in unison. He just shook his head. "Jane and Nathan left to find Ethan. An hour had passed but we hadn't received any news from them. Should we contact the police so that they could help us with this search?"
Aiden didn't know what to do. He felt somehow responsible for this. He was the one who organized this trip. He won't forgive himself if something bad would happen to Ethan.
"Yes, we should inform them!" Dave suggested.
"I'll go and find them!" Stephen made his decision. He was concerned about Jane. How could she go to the woods without considering her health? She wasn't fit enough to explore this mountain area.
"I'll come with you!" Dave volunteered to accompany Stephen. He was the police and it was his duty to find a missing person.
"Okay. I want to come but Jane ordered me to stay here to watch over Abigail. I can't disobey her," Aiden said, scratching the back of his head while smiling sheepishly.
"Don't worry. We can handle this. Just call the police to ask for back up," Dave replied.
Aiden could only bob his head in agreement. 'Damn, I'm afraid that our vacation trip will end up a catastrophe!'
Dave and Stephen were about to leave when someone suddenly showed up. The three men were flabbergasted when they saw the little kid who went missing. Ethan was holding a tiny umbrella, walking towards them.
"Ethan!!!" Aiden was the first one who reacted, running in his direction. Upon reaching the young boy's spot, he immediately hugged the boy and carried him in his arms.
"Where have you been? Everyone is worrying about you!" Aiden said exasperatedly. He didn't know if he should scold the boy or feel relieved because he returned, safe and sound.
"Uncle. Put me down," Ethan complained. Aiden immediately released Ethan.
"I wanted to explore the mountain but it started to rain so I decided to go back," Ethan nonchalantly said as if he didn't stir the whole resort when he suddenly went missing. Then he looked around searching for someone.
"Where is Miss Jane?" he innocently asked them. "And my Dad?" he added.
"They went to look for you. You made them worried sick! Don't you know that! I told you not to create trouble. Don't leave the area without an adult's supervision." Aiden began lecturing the young boy.
Stephen approached them, motioning for Aiden to stay quiet. "Ethan, come. We need to talk."
Ethan blinked his eyes before nodding his head. For some unknown reason, his Uncle Stephen looked scary at this moment.
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