That night, after everything the forest had done to us, none of us could fall asleep easily.
Well, yeah, you may wonder how are we sleeping in a forest.
Good that Kai packed tents because I wouldn't want to sleep in some glowing magical tent made by Toki.
Anyways, when we all fell asleep after the dinner Kai packed (we had waffles!), I.... Well, I couldn't fall asleep even in midnight even when everyone were asleep.
My mind was full of questions. But this time different. A little.
*Where is the third piece? How do I get all the answers? Why does a magic like this swapping exist?*
So I decided to stand up and go outside from the tent to clear my head.
I thought nobody heard me, but turns out Kai saw me tiptoeing away. Oh no. Did I woke him up???
"Sandy? Why are you awake at this hour?" Kai asked, sitting down beside me on the grass.
"I just can't fall asleep... Did I woke you up??" I asked, un-crossing my legs.
"Why can't you fall asleep?"
"Why did I woke you up??!"
"Because you were moving like a scared mouse." Kai teased, giggling quietly.
"And I thought… maybe you needed company."
I looked up at the sky.
"It's just the river.... it said things I can't forget."
"What kind of things?"
"That I don't belong anywhere. That maybe this is punishment. And stuff like that.."
Kai was silent for a moment. Then he spoke again.
"Did you believe it?"
"....Almost"
We were silent for a moment. Again.
But as always, Kai broke the silence.
"Do you know what the River didn't said?"
"No?"
"That you grabbed the piece anyway. That you never gave up on us.."
Kai looked at me and smiled.
"Because that is not a lie. That's why it didn't said that.
I looked at him.
Then I looked at the grass and smiled.
"Thank you.."
"For what?"
"A motivation"
Then we giggled. Then I looked at the ground on which we'll go tomorrow to find the third piece.
"You know... I'm not doing it just for myself,"
I said, turning my head to the Heart Tree in front of us.
"You're stuck here too, and... If Clara was right in the third option that we're connected, maybe when I'll manage to get back, you'll automatically too?"
"Oh...."
Kai looked somewhere else. Then at me again.
"WAIT— You think we're connected?!?!"
Kai said, blushing.
"WHAT I SAID THAT??"
I yelled, blushing too.
"YES YOU DID"
"I DID NOT— I meant connected like, MAGIC-connected! Not— not—"
I tried to fix as I waved my hand in the air.
"Uh-huh. Sure. Magic-connected."
Kai crossed his hands, but he was blushing very much.
"You know... if we really are connected... then maybe the forest isn't just testing you."
"What do you mean?"
Kai smiled.
"Maybe it's testing us."
I thought about that. Then blushed.
"Oh"
"Whatever the forest will tell you next.. Promise me we'll face it together"
Kai stood up and held out his hand.
"Deal?"
I looked at his hand for a second.
Then I took it.
"Deal."
Then we both suddenly heard:
"AHEM."
We jumped.
Rosy was standing there with Snow behind her, half asleep.
"So THIS is why you two disappeared!!!"
Rosy giggled.
"Midnight forest date!"
"IT'S NOT A DATE!"
Me and Kai said at the same time.
"Girls... What are all these yells about?"
Toki said, half-asleep on a tree.
"You better go back before the forest earthquakes again."
"...Yeah. Please."
And with that, we went back to the tents, knowing that tomorrow...
The forest was waiting.