Closeness.

After walking a short distance with Mr. Carlos and his family, we excused ourselves saying we wanted to rest a bit and let them go ahead of us. Well, I did. I didn’t like the way his wife was looking at Diana nor did I like how the girls were looking at Fernanda.

We sat down on some flat rocks some distance away from the river and we brought out our sandwiches.

“How are you doing?” I asked Noelle. “Your ankle is not getting worse, is it?”

Noelle tried to step on it, and feeling nothing at first tried to put more strength into it. She winced. “It still hurts…”

I nodded. “I’m still doing fine, so we can continue.”

“...”

We ate in silence. It didn’t come from any one reason, but from everyone thinking about something on their own. At the moment the one that worried me the most was Diana.

“Hey, are you okay?” Alice asked her from her spot next to her. “Did it get to you?”

I guess you don’t need supernatural powers to understand what happened there, and Alice was just as worried as I was.

“I’m fine,” Diana said with a nod and a flat tone. “I knew I’d get those kinds of looks, and it isn’t even the first time.”

“Would you feel more comfortable if Oliver stopped introducing you as his girlfriend?” Alice asked.

Diana closed her eyes, smiled and let out a soft chuckle. “No, I guess not. In the end, those kinds of looks really only bother me because I understand where they’re coming from.”

“Hey, you’re already his mom’s favorite,” Grace said, grinning. “Who else’s approval do you need?”

Diana laughed. “Favorite? Is that how it looks to you?”

“What? You’re gonna deny it?” Sarah asked. “You’re the one getting drunk with her.”

“Please, we don’t get drunk,” Diana said. “Just… a bit tipsy, is all.”

“I can’t imagine myself drinking with Ms. Brooks,” Mila said, shuddering. “I’d make such a fool of myself I’d die of shame.”

“That just means you need to learn restraint,” Alice told her. “Then again, I can’t imagine myself in that situation, either, hahaha…”

In no time flat, and without a word from me, Diana’s mood improved. It was great to see.

We didn’t rest for long since staying still meant it’d take more time to get to the resort. We finished eating, put all the trash into a bag that we stored in my backpack, and we resumed our walk, Noelle once again on my back.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ride on my shoulders?” I asked her teasingly.

“Then I’d seriously fall!” she said.

“Question,” Mila said. “If the same thing had happened to Diana, what would you have done? I mean… She has really long legs and you’re… pretty short, comparatively.”

The image was almost funny. If tried to carry Diana like this, her feet would probably drag along the ground. That said…

“Princess carry,” I answered.

“You’re insane,” Diana told me, her cheeks reddening.

“Did you miss the part where I have dreams involving a sex demon? Of course I’m insane.”

The girls laughed, even though I was only half joking. I think I was slowly losing some of my common sense as time passed.

“Anyway, so… That was Fernanda, right? I think that’s the second time I see her,” Diana said, changing the topic. “Maria says she’s doing better at work.”

“It’s only been a couple of days, but yes,” I told her. “She’s working hard.”

“Her dad seems really fond of you,” Noelle said.

I smiled. “He was a bit intimidating at first, but he’s a great man. Thanks to him I stopped feeling so nervous at the gym, stopped worrying that everyone was judging me.”

“...” Sarah took a deep breath. “Fernanda… I hope she’s doing well.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Mila asked her.

“From what Oliver has told us and now that I see her… I don’t know. It’s just a hunch, but she seems a little down.”

“You thought so, too?” Alice asked. “She was hiding behind her dad, so I thought she was just shy, but her eyes… They looked very tired.”

“At least until she started gawking at Diana,” Grace said. She then looked at her up and down. “Not that I don’t get it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Diana asked.

“That my self-esteem takes a nose-dive when I stand next to you. I really am just a child. I hope I look as good as you in 8 years. Or carry myself half as well.”

Diana sighed and shook her head. “You’ll be fine, especially when it comes to looks. And maturity comes with time. Make enough mistakes and you’ll learn the lessons you need. I’m still under development in that regard.”

The girls really looked up to Diana, and it was no surprise when Diana was always willing to hear them out and offer whatever advice she could. I also understand what others, adults especially, may think when they see us with her. But really, having Diana with us… It grounded us. At times we believed we knew everything about the world, but having her perspective kept us from doing anything too stupid.

We made it out of the woods, past a coffee shop and gift shop and it was time to start the climb up the mountain. The path was clear, even from the bottom. Snaking its way up the hill, it was the hardest part of the hike. It wasn’t too steep, at least. And yeah, I’ll admit that going up with Noelle on my back was a lot more exhausting than anything before, but I still made it.

We stopped for a moment to look down at the valley from this end as well. It really was beautiful and I couldn’t help but remember Fernanda’s sketches. That one sketchbook, at least, was full of landscapes like this.

…

I had to agree with Sarah. I hoped she was doing well.

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