"In order to survival," Shelia said casually.
But Victor felt sad upon hearing that.
"Is the meat ready to be flipped? It’s on the verge of being burned." Shelia pointed out.
Upon recall by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked at it closely.
He flipped the meat over while he was still thinking about what she just said.He had second thoughts
about whether or not to ask her about it.
It was, after all, Shelia’s own business.
Shelia, on the other hand, didn’t seem to take it seriously.She asked, "Will you please teach me?"
"Hmm," Victor said after a while.
"Is that a yes?"
Suddenly, Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a grin.
Her two dimples, meanwhile, became much more stunning.
Victor nodded, "Okay."
Shelia grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so much, Van.You are the kindest individual I’ve ever
encountered, except for my caretaker in the orphanage."
"Orphanage?"
"Yap! That’s where I was raised.However, two years ago, the orphanage was taken over and the old
woman was unwell and died." Shelia’s eyes clouded as she spoke about this.
"The elderly woman was a wonderful friend.When I was younger, she prepared great meals and gave
me a lot of fresh fruits."
‘‘She is an orphan…’’ Victor pursed his lips.
"A guardian was needed to look after you since the orphanage was taken over.Why didn’t you leave
with the other kids?"
Shelia looked up at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want to leave."
That was the only home Shelia had known for so long.
"Are they okay with you being outdoors on your own?"
Shaking her head, Shelia said, "No.But I was desperate to visit her tomb, so I fled.My whereabouts
remain unknown to them, and I don’t intend to return."
In spite of the dingy ground, Shelia lay down immediately.She was bathed in shards of sunshine that
had been scattered by the trees and fallen to the ground.She placed her hands behind her head, her
lips quivering.She sighed with disappointment as she gazed up at the sky.
"I want to visit her."
"So, what keeps you from doing so?"
"There are people guarding the area.They’ll find me if I go there.She had no idea that I have a name
now.I’ll tell her my name when I meet her again in the future," Shelia said, blinking her eyes.
Victor’s black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and he said nothing.
Shelia continued, "If she had the chance to see you, Van, it would be more than likely that she would
like you.She had a soft spot in her heart for adorable kids.She said that I was a lovely girl."
Adorable? It didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to describe a boy.
Looking at Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective "lovely" was an apt description of her features,
particularly her eyes.
Without thinking twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come
you got your name so late?"
"She was unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute, and illiterate.She never referred to us by
name.Only a poker card was in my possession."
Shelia gently removed it from her pocket as if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor as she
spoke.
"In the orphanage, each kid was given a unique card.When the elderly woman split the fruits, she put
them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into
laughter, which was maybe due to the reference to the pleasant thing.Victor stared at the card–the King
of Hearts.
"Hey! Did I get the best card?"Shelia inquired.
"It’s definitely the best."
Shelia retracted the card and said, "I am the only one with the King of Hearts."
The meat was toasting as they were conversing.
Victor gave her the meat after he re-applied the juice.
"It’s all set to go.Eat, please."
A growl came from her gut just after his words ended.
Shelia was embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a greedy slurp.
"Yummy! It’s much better than the meat I made myself! Van, you’re outstanding!"
Victor’s expression softened somewhat.
Shelia felt rejuvenated after a good meal.
As she rose to her feet, she said, "Let’s keep going!"
Victor nodded and was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to him.
"Come on, get up."
Victor was taken aback, and after a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his and replied, "Sure."
After learning the hard way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on the tree trunks.
They had lost track of time as they went.
The sun had cooled down considerably.
Shelia assisted Victor in sitting down on a stone and drank some water.
"I’m not sure how far we’ll have to travel until we’re out.Hopefully, we can get out before the sun sets."
Victor drank some water as well.
His body was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing up blood for the second
time.
He said incoherently, "I’m sure we can.Let’s move forward."
"You still have the energy?"
"Like never before…"
Shelia nodded and continued to hold Victor.
In her forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you look rather frail.After you return, be sure to eat extra."
Victor lowered his gaze to the side of her face.
Shelia’s small face was covered in mud after a day and a night in the forest.
"And you? What’s your plan?"
"Plan?"
Shelia was slow to respond.
Victor remarked, "What are your plans once we leave the forest? Where will you be heading?"
"I don’t know… I want to continue my travels and explore the world’s finest rivers and mountains.I’ll go
to the police station when I can no longer walk and beg them to take me back," Shelia answered with a
grin.
"Shelia."
Victor appeared to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for a long time.
"What’s the problem?"
"Please come with me after we get out of here.I’m sure my grandma will like you, I will defend you if
she doesn’t like you.You can count on me."
"You want me to come with you?"
"Is it all right with you? If you don’t want to, it doesn’t matter."
Victor was concerned that Shelia might refuse.
Shelia paused for a while before asking, "Are you joking right now?"
"No, I’m not.I promise to treat you the best I can."
Victor convinced her.
Shelia nodded and smiled at Victor, saying, "Okay.I’ll agree when we get out of the jungle."
"Sure."
The moment they emerged from the woods, though, everything changed.
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