Chapter 11

                                                                 Kaya

I stared at our surroundings with growing amazement. It was so beautiful. We’d landed at the edge of the forest, close to a pond with deep-blue water fed by a stream that disappeared among some tall, unfamiliar-looking trees.

So this is what vacations looked like? I sighed, suddenly realising how much I must have missed, but I shook my head, not wanting such thoughts to destroy this moment. It was okay, I could create many more beautiful memories in this place.

Instinctively, I moved closer to Gerda, wanting to share her company for as long as it lasted, and to my surprise, she put her arm around me. It was so nice that I didn't really ponder the sudden change in her behaviour. After all, wasn’t this what friends did?

“What do you want to do?”, she asked.

I didn’t know what to say, but not because I was frozen this time, but because I could just stay like this for the rest of the day. But what if she wanted to do something else? I had already taken up too much space staying with her so long inside, preparing myself the unfamiliar place that could so easily overwhelm me. But wasn’t that the point of going on vacations? To see something different from what you used to?

“I-I don’t know. What about you?”, I said.

“There is a walk we could go on. It looked like an adventure when I checked it."

I smiled. I wasn’t so sure about the adventure part, but walking together sounded nice, and if that’s what she wanted, I was willing to try it. I wanted her to enjoy this time as much as I did and make many beautiful memories she could cherish when she left.

                                                                    Gerda

Walking sounded like a good idea. She seemed to like adventures, and I had done enough trekking in my time in the Youth Explorers that I was sure I could handle it. To add to it, this place was safe and tourist-friendly, and the gravity on this world was slightly lower than what we were used to, making walking even easier.

What I hadn’t accounted for, though, was the fact that she had never done anything like this before, so she didn’t really know what she had said yes to. She also wasn’t very fit, having spent most of her time in her room. So it took me a while to realise she wasn’t okay, or rather, I realised it when she called me. I had taken the lead, like always, and only when I looked back did I realise how far behind she was.

“Are you okay?”

I walked back to her and offered her some water. She mumbled something as she drank. So, I screwed up again. She looked exhausted, and we were only halfway through, so going back would take almost as long as completing it, so great...

“We could take it slower," I suggested.

She nodded, and I took her hand, just to stop myself from rushing ahead as I probably would otherwise. She squeezed my hand, and we continued. It was strange at first. I guess it was just the unusual pace that felt off, rather than her hand resting in mine. She had been clingy before, so this shouldn’t be any different. Maybe it was just our slow progress that made me feel so restless…

It was late afternoon, and the air felt hot and dry when we finally returned to the shuttle. It had taken longer than I’d expected, but at least we’d managed to be back before nightfall. Considering her pace and the constant stops we’d taken, it counted as a big achievement. Despite that, I’d kinda enjoyed it and couldn’t be angry at her for it. It wasn’t really her fault, she was as she was…

“Are you okay?” I asked, watching her sitting on the grass in the shade of our shuttle.

“J-just a bit tired..."

She smiled, and I sat down next to her and glanced at the stream.

“Do you want to go to the pond and cool down?”, I asked without fully realising what such an activity would entail, and when I did, it was too late to take back my suggestion.

She nodded, seemingly happy with the idea.

“I will get us some towels.”, I mumbled.

I rushed inside and frantically looked through our small sleeping compartment for a swimsuit, but there was none. I pressed my forehead against the cold metal wall, trying to push away the memories of the bath we’d had not so long ago.

Why was I making such a fuss about it all of a sudden? Did I get heatstroke or something? No, it was rather the slightly different atmospheric composition in this world that had a weird effect on me. I took a deep breath. That must be it, and maybe this lower gravity too… Or all of it together…

                                                                      Kaya

We walked to the edge of the shimmering pond, and I watched the deep-blue water, wondering why it had that colour. It wasn’t that deep, and I could clearly see the bottom, so why did it look like that? It was probably cold, but considering how hot it was, it would probably be nice. I quickly undressed and jumped in.

It was freezing, but it felt good at the same time. I took a deep breath as I came up above the surface and looked for Gerda. She still stood at the edge of the pond, glancing at the trees.

“Are you coming? The water is great!”

She glanced at me and then turned her back to me as she slowly undressed. I watched her with growing fascination while a part of me wondered if that was weird behaviour. But it probably wasn’t, considering I had seen her naked before and she hadn't minded it. But even if it wasn’t weird, it didn’t explain why I wanted to see her again, since I already knew how she looked and why, all of a sudden, the water didn’t feel as cold as it had done just a few moments ago.

But I didn’t have time to ponder it more, as she suddenly turned to me, and the moment our eyes met, she leapt into the pond, splashing water on me.