16 Chapter 15: Camping Trip

Zarah was surprised to see that there was no one inside his car other than only the two of them.

Xavier calmly settled down on the driver's seat while she decided to stay in the backseat of his car.

But this displeased him and he asked her to move to the front. "You'll do me a great favor if you sit in the front rather than sitting there."

Zarah had no other choice but to obey him. However, she still asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there." He answered and Zarah decided to keep quiet while trying to figure out his real intention for this trip. Judging from his behavior, he looked gloomy and not in the mood to have a conversation.

She could see an invisible glass in between them.

Xavier started the car and started cruising through the not-so-busy highway.

They dropped by a clothing store that mostly sold hiking apparel and other hiking equipment.

Thirty minutes later, Zarah and Xavier came out dressed in hiker's outfits. Both were wearing black cargo pants and maroon and grey windbreakers.

They completed their looks with hiking boots.

Zarah ditched her walking boot after confirming that her foot was fine after wearing the hiking boots.

They then entered the car and sped off down the highway. Their final stopover was in front of the restaurant where a waiter was already waiting outside and was bringing a plastic bag with food packs inside.

It took them three hours to reach their destination which was at the foot of a mountain that was well-known for being a good camping site for tourists other than the beautiful view on the summit. The mountain was named Mt. Zaltana.

Zarah decided to send Olivia a message so the latter won't worry if the former was unreachable during the entire two days.

Zarah saw a lot of people with hiking outfits gathered under a tent and they were busy filling up their names for registration.

Zarah followed Xavier out of the car and she was surprised to see him pulling out a huge bag from his car's trunk.

She thought this trip was last minute planned as they had to buy their outfits when they were on the way. However, she did not expect him to bring a huge back that might contain everything that they would need.

They then went to register themselves and successfully got their wristbands which had a tracking device to know their location at all times in case of an unforeseen emergency.

The head tour guide asked them to have lunch first before they would start their trail to the top.

Zarah and Xavier went back to the car and they started eating their takeouts.

"This will probably be the last best meal you'll have in two days so you better enjoy it." He reminded her.

However, Zarah had no appetite to eat much food especially if they were about to go up the mountain in an hour.

Still, she decided to eat one pack while Xavier ate the remaining three. After their lunch, Xavier threw the garbage into the designated garbage can and they gathered around the big tent.

They didn't have to wait for long and they were called into groups of six people each. Each group had an experienced guide to accompany them.

There were ten groups all in all and their group was the last. Their guide came to them and gave a quick briefing about everything they had to know like the mountain myths and the dos and don'ts while they were in the mountain.

Every activity surrounding the mountain was regulated by the government of Bridgewood Province.

However, the government had to ask permission from the tribe leader of the native community who was occupying the mountain and the mountain next to it for consent. This was also the reason why they put a limit on the number of participants on each trip.

Their guides were bonafide members of the tribe and were very familiar with the terrain and the dangers of the mountain.

After finishing the quick orientation, they started trekking on the way to the top.

Some of the participants in this activity were newlywed couples who were enjoying their honeymoon. Most were mountain climbers or hiking enthusiasts who also wanted to find out if the myth of this mountain was true.

Zarah and Xavier decided to walk the last in their group.

It took them thirty minutes to reach the first checkpoint.

Zarah saw that others were refilling their water bottles. She didn't have any and so she could only endure being thirsty at some point during this journey.

However, she didn't expect Xavier to toss two empty water containers into her hands.

"Refill it until the middle. There are still two more checkpoints before we will reach the campsite." He instructed.

Zarah understood what he was saying and so she went into the running water source and half-filled them.

The other groups decided to continue the climb up and so Zarah's group also followed.

Xavier subconsciously slowed his pace so he would be walking two steps behind Zarah.

"Be careful with the small rocks. They might trip you and hurt your ankle again."

The terrain was a little steep but it was manageable as there were cable ropes mounted on the solid rocks for them to grab.

Zarah subconsciously looked behind her to see if Xavier was okay since he was carrying a heavy bag behind him.

She didn't expect that he would look fine and sweat less than the rest of them. He seemed to be used to this kind of activity.

However, his eyes were still gloomy and it somehow bothered her. She preferred to see him with those cold eyes.

She thought that she would try to ask him about it when they reached the campsite later. If he didn't like to share his problem, then, it's fine with her, too.

The terrain became steeper after they reached the second checkpoint. So, they were asked to wear a harness before they continued their journey to the third checkpoint and the campsite.

After the tiresome one hour and a half of trekking to the dangerous regions of the mountain, they finally reached the campsite.

However, they were still halfway to reaching the peak. And the trail going to the top was more dangerous.

It was almost three in the afternoon when they reached the campsite.

The campsite was near the village of the natives. A few steps from the campsite was the river where they could go fishing. 

Since they were the last group to arrive, the others had already built their tents and some men were heading to the river to start fishing.

Xavier found the vacant space and he pulled Zarah there.

He then took off the bag from his back and unhooked the tent bag first.

Zarah wanted to help him in setting up the tent but he was so concentrated on the task that she decided to leave and watch him underneath the nearby tree.

Four ladies who owned the tent near them approached Zarah as they wanted to make friends.

Looking at their hands, the two were wearing a gold wedding band aside from their engagement rings. Meanwhile, the other two were wearing diamond rings.

The first woman then asked, "Hey! Are you both spending your honeymoon, too?"

Their eyes sparkled in speculation as they waited for the answer.

"No!" Zarah dismissed their speculation.

"Oh, so you're still in the dating stage?", the second woman asked.

"No, we aren't. We're just..." Zarah paused as she could not even say what they were.

"He's my adoptive brother," she continued.

"Adoptive. So that means you both are not related by blood," the third commented.

"Perfect! By any chance, are you attracted to him?" The first woman asked her and her gaze drifted on Xavier's face.

Then, Xavier started removing his windbreaker but kept his black t-shirt on revealing how soaked in sweat he was underneath. The contrast between his skin and the color of the fabric made his skin color stand out.

"Oh my! He's sweating! Go and wipe his sweat or he might get sick." The second woman said and tapped Zarah's shoulder.

He tossed the windbreaker on top of the backpack and continued what he was doing.

"It's okay. He clearly doesn't need my help. And he has hands to wipe his sweat." Zarah's response disappointed the four women. However, they did not give up.

Xavier's shoulder and arm muscles were flexing every time he moved.

This was also the first time that she saw Xavier's fit body that was always hidden by his suit.

His movements were fascinating like he was a living masterpiece himself. All in all, Zarah found him charming and overly attractive.

No, she should not be thinking about this. She should not be attracted to him at all costs.

Zarah's silence while looking at Xavier made the four ladies excited. They winked at each other like they were brewing something in their head.

"Miss, your "brother" seemed to be very popular with the other female hikers." The third said while pointing at the group of women who were eyeing Xavier like he was their prey. "*Sigh!* if we're not devoted and loyal to our respective partners, we would surely be after him, too."

The remaining three nodded their heads in support.

Zarah did see the ladies eyeing Xavier like he was their favorite dish. However, she ignored them as she should not mind this trivial matter.

After Xavier finished setting up the tent, he called Zarah and asked her to arrange their things inside the tent which she obliged as she was so shy to stay even a minute with them. She excused herself and entered the tent leaving the four giggling women behind.

Zarah started unpacking the contents of his bag. And she was right, Xavier brought everything for this trip like a small burner stove, a small pan, a little pot, and disposable utensils. He also had two sleeping bags inside and their toiletries.

There were two more pouches inside his bag. She guessed that one must be his change of clothes. She was going to unpack the remaining two when Xavier peeked his head at the tent.

"The tour guide invited everyone to go fishing by the river. Do you want to come?" He asked her.

"Okay," Zarah said while removing the windbreaker that she was wearing.

Somehow, she found this side of him less annoying than his stoic and indifferent side.

Maybe it was because he was not wearing a suit but a black t-shirt and instead of office trousers and his shiny black loafers, he was wearing a pair of hiking boots and cargo pants.

He looked approachable, less intimidating, and less annoying.

Zarah went out and she saw him waiting for her outside.

They walked to the riverside and he started removing his boots. He then put it on top of a big rock and said, "Wait here and watch me."

He also rolled his pants above his knee so they wouldn't get wet.

Xavier had longer legs than the rest of the male participants so he knew that the water won't reach his pants once he submerged later on.

Zarah saw them struggling in catching their fish as they were not using any tools. Others were using a stick and used it like a spear but they were not quick to catch the fish with it.

Since he told her to watch him, Zarah did what she was told. She patiently waited on the corner while Xavier took action.

Xavier grabbed a pocket knife from his pocket and looked around the waters.

He decided to go to a place where there were fewer people so he could concentrate more.

He placed his hand on the water and started feeling the current.

He closed his eyes and threw the knife in a certain direction.

Xavier didn't know that the moment he got into the water, all eyes were on him.

They were waiting to see him fail with his first attempt just like they did on their own.

The natives who were looking nearby were also observing him. They were secretly mocking the participants for their poor fishing skills. And they were hoping to find someone who would not disappoint them.

Xavier approached the area where he threw his knife. At first, he seemed to be looking for it.

And so they started thinking that he failed. However, an uproar came when they saw him pulling a big fish from the water and the knife he threw was sticking out in its belly area.

The natives were surprised to see him catching a fish on his first try.

"Is two enough?" He asked Zarah.

Zarah on the other hand was thinking about the dish that she could make with the fish that he caught.

Before Zarah could even answer, the people who were in the river swarmed the area near him as they thought the chance of successfully catching the fish there was higher than where they were.

"Two or three will do but if you can help everyone, why not?" Zarah meant to tease him but she didn't expect him to take it seriously.

He ended up killing thirty more big fish and ten smaller fish.

Xavier didn't only kill the fish but he also caught the eyes of the women who were watching him in action. Xavier's actions hurt the other men's egos.

Xavier only kept three fish with him and left the rest of his kills to the others. He then got out of the river and asked Zarah to follow him back.

Xavier didn't care if he hurt the other men's egos by doing so.

Zarah didn't want any drama to happen while they were there so she decided to pacify the situation.

She could see the fury flashing on their faces while looking at Xavier's back.

Zarah showed a smile and told them, "Gentlemen, my brother didn't mean to show off just now. He did it because I said so. We live near the river and fishing is one of his hobbies that's why he's good. He's shy and doesn't want to be misunderstood. So please, don't blame him."

She even accompanied it with a sincere bow.

Zarah's action worked as the fury in their faces disappeared. However, she didn't expect that she would earn the envy of the single female participants.

***