The Wings Of A Caged Bird | First Draft

chapter 10 : such is our bond

"July, can we take a break?" I ask, finally getting sick of the pain in my leg.

He turns back and glances at my legs and then at me. He nods and says, "Yeah, let's take a break. I'm extremely tired too."

We've been walking aimlessly for a while, with no sign of any trail whatsoever. We have no idea about which direction we're heading in either. Though July is leading the way with the confidence of someone who knows where he is going, I feel like he is just throwing the ball in a dark room.

With a sigh, I sit down in front of a tree and stretch my legs forward. I gently pat my injured knee, which has been slowing us down a little. The more time passes, the more I become sure that we're not gonna be able to make it out today. But July doesn't seem to accept that. He keeps saying that we'll find the trail soon, or at least come across some trustworthy tourists. But then again, it's obvious by now that I'm way better at accepting the reality than him.

July plops down beside me with a groan. He says, "Damn, I can't believe I'm dead and yet my body is no different than how it was before." He moves his neck in all directions and massages his shoulder.

"It's better than not feeling anything at all, I suppose."

"Yeah, that's true. But if I ever get reincarnated, God better give me a healthier body. SMH."

I laugh. But then, an old memory resurfaces back to my mind. Pulling my knees close, I ask, "Do you believe in that?"

"In what?"

"Reincarnation."

"Mmm . . ." His brows crease in thought. Finally, he says, "I don't exactly believe in it, but it could be possible. Regardless of whether I believe it or not, it's a very interesting concept, isn't it?"

"I guess." I realize I've really never thought too much about what happens after death. I've been too focused on how to make my life until death better. "Dawn used to hope that it's true."

"Really?"

"Hmm." I smile at the memory.

------------

4 years ago, Autumn

"Say Ced, do you think reincarnation is real?"

It was a lukewarm autumn afternoon. Dawn and I were on our way back home from school, but we decided to take some detours around the area since we had more time in hand. It was one of those rare days I had no tuition classes to attend, so mom wouldn't be mad if I came home a bit late. At that time, we were standing on the bridge over the Lake Louisa—which was bigger back then—while eating tasty meatballs from  King's Food Truck nearby.

Dawn had asked that question quite abruptly; it was completely irrelevant to what we were talking about before. But then again, Dawn asked a lot of abrupt questions. Whenever he would get a sudden thought, he would immediately share it with me before he forgot.

"I don't know," I simply replied. "More like, I don't care."

"Pfft, boring." He lightly smacked my arm. "Cedar is so boring!"

I pretended to be shocked. "Did you just call me boring? Me? I'll show you what—" I pushed him sideways with my shoulder, and he almost crashed into a girl our age who was standing close by. He saved himself by grabbing the railing before he accidentally harrassed a stranger.

While I laughed hysterically at the look on his face, he stared at me with disbelief overflowing from his eyes. "You—" He hit my arm again, but not too hard. "How could you do this to me? My soul almost left my body! I could literally see it in front of my eyes."