JUNIOR
We should make camp now.
It was not long before sunset. After Irina and Lwazi had decided to follow him, they had been walking together for the rest of the day. Irina hadn't spoken a word to Junior, but Lwazi hadn't been much talkative either.
During their hike, Junior had periodically risen to higher ground in order to locate the bearings necessary to navigate. This had unnerved Lwazi, who couldn't but openly betray his fear of being lost in the desert.
LWAZI
Do you really know where we are going?
He had asked Junior as the latter was climbing down from a massive boulder.
JUNIOR
Absolutely!
In reality, Junior was very slightly panicking at that stage. He was looking for the life-size version of one unique hill he could remember seeing drawn on the map. Not far past that point laid the end of the course. Problem was, Junior couldn't find said hill.
LWAZI
Please, tell me the truth Junior... Are we lost?
JUNIOR
No way!
"Maybe" thought Junior to himself. He kept scouring the horizon for that one peculiar landscape feature, but it wasn't until they were almost upon it that Junior could finally see it.
JUNIOR
We should make camp now.
He said, immensely relieved to finally lay his eyes upon that strange, sombrero-shaped rocky hill he had been looking for all day long.
LWAZI
What? No checkpoint?!
JUNIOR
No checkpoints anymore. We're on our own...
LWAZI
We are running out of water...
JUNIOR
Don't worry, we're almost at the end.
IRINA
Which direction to the end?
Irina abruptly broke the silence she had held until then.
JUNIOR
Hahaha!
Laughed Junior, surprised at her rudimentary attempt to gain information.
JUNIOR
I am not telling you that! We need to stick together, and I don't want you running away.
He answered, but inadvertently gazed in the direction of the huge sombrero. He dearly hoped she hadn't noticed.
Once again, they consumed their supper in complete silence, and as the sun had set and the stars were coming into view, Junior felt transported by their beauty.
JUNIOR
I wonder where Konos' planet is...
He said, gazing up at the sky. Junior had never openly spoken about Konos to anyone there.
LWAZI
Did he ever mention anything to you?
Lwazi had bit his tongue many times before, but couldn't resist asking now.
LWAZI
Like where he's from, what his planet is like and so on...
Junior pondered those words.
JUNIOR
I'm not sure he considers things like that to be important...
LWAZI
What do you mean?
JUNIOR
Hmm...
He paused, trying to remember.
JUNIOR
He barely mentioned his home planet, didn't talk about it at all...
LWAZI
How can his home be not important?
JUNIOR
I know it sounds strange, but Konos is strange... he told me his memories are constantly fading, so perhaps he's forgotten...
LWAZI
Forgotten his own planet?
Lwazi laughed nervously.
LWAZI
Reassuring...
JUNIOR
As long as he doesn't forget about us...
Even though Irina hadn't joined the discussion, she was listening attentively, trying to take in every detail of Junior's scant description of Konos. To her supreme annoyance, she was truly disappointed when Junior decided to call it a day and retire to the tent.
For the first time since the beginning of the current trial, Junior slept soundly. Everything was going well for him. He had managed to convince Lwazi and later he had even persuaded Irina to follow him. In the morning they would finish their journey together and advance to the next task. As he drifted to sleep, Junior felt excited about the following day.
When he woke up, he immediately felt something was wrong. It was early, the sun hadn't fully risen and he could only make out the shapes of anything outside the tent, yet he knew something was missing. He quickly crawled outside, but doing so only deepened his despair.
Had she seen him glancing at the sombrero-shaped hill? Had she inferred the end of the course was in that direction? If she had, then that's probably were she was heading, for as a frightened Junior emerged from the tent, Irina was nowhere to be seen.
