"Did you know Beca was always afraid of the dark?" I couldn't stop myself from looking towards the man. Even as we walked our way through the mountain he remained wide-eyed and optimistic, until now. Now, he stalled in front of a clearing. The snow had long since melted through the growing foot traffic near us.
"She mentioned it once or twice." I forced a chuckle. "She didn't say it to the others I don't think, too afraid of being mocked for it. Why?" I let my hand twitch at my side, as I grew nearer to him I wanted nothing more than to lay it reassuringly upon his shoulder. If not for him, then for me.
"Because of that." His torch shone straight out in front of him. The light frayed slightly under the bite in the air. Even so, the lack of ground below it was startling.
"A drop?"
"A cliff." He corrected. "If we couldn't see it with a torch..." I couldn't fault his voice for fading. My stomach dropped further than the edge in front of us.
"You don't think..."
He simply shrugged. His joints moved stiffly towards the edge. His voice was louder than ever as he shouted their names over the precipice. We waited on a bated breath for a sound in response. He tried again after a moment. My voice soon joined his as we waited for something to happen. The small sliver of hope that ignited within dwindled with each call outwards.
"Maybe they didn't come out this way. There's nothing near here, is there?" I couldn't stop myself from looking further down. A small sense of grotesque curiosity had my attention grasping to peer further into the abyss. Even with my torch, nothing was identifiable beyond the sudden drop. It remained the same as all the other steep walls around us, the dirt fraying around the top - seemingly snapped amongst the chill weather - the rock broken up with torn roots of previously unlucky wooded areas fates.
"No." He seemed to think on it. My eyes cascaded past the edge nearby towards the mountain ahead of us. The view was muddled amongst the thick fog below but glimpses of moving light were a warming reminder. We weren't alone. "There's the guest cabin. I used to find them hiding in there when they were younger trying to prolong their holidays."
We didn't speak to begin with. I kept a few steps behind the man, letting his instincts lead us through the trees and further towards the structures on the mountain. My hand would let the torch flow freely, letting the light beam guide my steps as it swept like a blind man's cane. With the snow falling freely around us, we maintained a visual distance, if not of our body then by our light sources. Our strides never fell short for a moment even when we continued our hollering for the entire Woodfolk to hear. My own voice rivalling even that of Mr Mitchell's. A fact that filled me with an unknown emotion. One I didn't think would be a good thing to confess.
"You seem to be taking this seriously, so tell me; would you tell the truth, even if it leads to an... unpleasant outcome for a friend?" My stomach dropped, I knew what this looked like to him. Me of all people choose to spend all my free time with him searching for his daughters. All the while he would be barraged with fake stories concerning his missing children to cover for the group's behaviour.
"Do you know why they were out here in the first place?" I couldn't help but ask. There was a fair amount of path to cover between here and the cabin he was suggesting. I couldn't stop myself from letting the curiosity outward for a moment.
His eyes pierced through my own, searching deep within while he calculated his response. "They didn't tell me the truth, did they."
I knew that the question wasn't needed answering. Not the one spoken anyway. The weight he spoke with was more than those simple words were suggesting. And I knew I wouldn't be able to lie to him any more than they would speak freely about the events.