Chapter 27: Chapter 27

In a brief seconds, she had already found her way to the bank of the stream but then, the sparkling fishes gripped her attention.

" Wow... these are so beautiful~ " She giggled as she crunched down in admiration.

Although they look amazing and captivating yet their exceptional appearance beat her imagination. Even though they look like any other fish yet they had a peculiar appearance which made them look very different in a way.

" This is quite fascinating..." She expressed as she fed them; a sense of pure innocence and joy dazzled on her face. " Mart ought to witness this...."

She kept giggling and chuckling like a spoilt child as they briskly locomoted over each other for their fair share of the meal. " ....I'll surely visit again with Mart~ I believe he would love it." She low whispered with a broad smile.

Soon, reality hit in on her~ for a second, she seems to have lost track of her purpose or reason for being there at the bank of the stream. " Oh..got to go now" She swiftly sprung to her feet.

Right to her left, she noticed a boat which she instinctively reached for without hesitation nor a second thought.

" No~ you can't..." A familiar yet sudden voice suddenly howled as she tried to figure out how to operate the boat.

" Huh~" She flinched, causing her to lose her balance as she intuitively turned to the voice.

"Don't cross, Aims !!" the figure vehemently insisted as their eyes met. Aims who was briefly astonished by the presence before her eyes, faltered with uncertainty on finding her voice once again.

“ Mum...?~ Dad...?” Her dumbfounded face plummeted with joy. Betty and Nicole's wave soon caught her attention as their smiles displayed their delight. “ Guy~ what are you doing over there ?” She couldn't help as the words escaped.

" You have to go back, Aim..." Her mother said in a flash which intuitively crumbled her gaze with displeasure. " You ought to go back~ it's not yet time to cross this stream, honey.” Solidad bluntly repeated.

“ You do you mean, mum?” She said in a small voice filled with emotions that tore their eyes.

" Why can't I come over?~ Why can't I join you guys over there?” She sobbed.“It feels so lonely over here.”

Vehemently, in sobs, she frantically flung into the stream in an attempt to cross over to them but her father's angry howl brought her tracks to a halt. It was the very first time she had seen him so furious.

“ I said stop...over...there~” The voice shot again. She was frozen as the tears subtle down her cheeks.

“Dad~?” She stuttered in recovery. Her knees felt numb and heavy. “ I've never seen you like this before ~ what did I do so wrong, huh?” She cried which broke Nelson's heart.

The hardest thing for a parent in the world is watching their children suffer in pain with nothing they could do to help. And at this moment, he understood how it felt as his heart wrecked into pieces.

“ Honey, you know we all love and cherish you so much; neither do we want to see you in pain but~ now is not the time for you. There's still a lot you ought to achieve for yourself...and for us too, huh?” Nicole tried to reason.

“ Let's say~ you achieve your dreams and ours together, what do you think of it?” He added with a faint smile.

“ You have to live for us, Aims..” Betty resumed, her fingers resting on Nicole's shoulder as she nudged closer. “ For justice and your future~ I can see bright stars ahead of you” She chuckled amidst tears which brought a soft chuckle from Aims as well.

As she scanned the faces of her family in front of her, Sofia gently blinked in affirmation. Aims had no choice but to agree~ if that's what would give them rest. In tears, she nodded.

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At the hospital, silence had already fallen in like a piercing chill across the halls as the patients slumbered in sleep except for the nurses and doctors on duty.

It was almost 4 am and Aims' motionless body still had no sign of life~ only her monitoring machine showed her lifeline.

Mart's distressed gaze kept watch over her with hopes of survival. His hands crunched hers gently and a deep hive escaped her lips. Just then, he noticed her tear-soaked pale face which made him panic.

“ What's happening, Aims...?” He seemed alarmed as he carefully pressed her hands. “ Why are you crying?~ talk to me, please.. ” his worried tone echoed as if she could answer.

Just then, sanity hit him, “Wait...doctor!~ I need to get the doctor...”

With the speed of lightning, he dashed out of the ward, leaving the door to glide against itself.

With a strike of lightning, she felt pulled~ a force drawing her backward, farther and farther away from their sight.

“Mum?...Betty!!~ what's happening?” She screamed but then, complete darkness fell on her.

“ Aims?~ Aims!” She heard a faint voice calling. Drowsily, her eyes gradually opened. Her vision felt blurry.

“Aims?~ can you hear me? ; can you see me?” the familiar voice called again. “ It's me, Mart !” He shouted in a whisper as her eyes bluntly remained fixed on him.

“ Mart?~” Her weak voice faintly whispered.

“ Oh...thank goodness” Hs sprung with excitement. “ I'm glad you made it out safely.”

“ Where's my mother?”

Her question instantly brought him to a halt. His face instinctively swam with worry and despair. He didn't know how well to describe the situation.

“Well~”

“Where's my mother!...Mart~ please, say something~ ” She screamed, grabbing his collar violently.

The nurses intuitively held her back to her bed to calm the situation but it all felt helpless. Desperation and frustration kicked in, getting Mart worried about her health.

“ You ought to rest, Miss~ it's not safe with your condition.” One nurse nervously lamented.

Mart suddenly wrapped her in a hug. “ Shh...calm down, Aims,” He said in a whisper like a lullaby as he robbed her head. “ I really can't lose you too, dear...please” He added amidst tears.

Quietly, the doctor found an opportunity and administered an injection without her notice. Soon, her body felt drowsy and ineffective, and sleep finally wrapped her back.

As slow and steady as he could, Mart rested her down in her bed. His gaze fell on her pale, innocent face as he caressed her cheeks.

“ I'm so sorry for all that you've lost~ I know you're strong and will soon overcome this, I hope you do...” with a faint sigh, he rested a kiss on her forehead.