in their footsteps || vol. 1

Chapter 4.

"And now, I have to skate with him!"

León smiled as he listened to his daughter complain. He was setting the table. Mía let out a big groan. She was sitting at the table, her English homework in front of her.

"And this I don't understand, either."

Mía threw her pen down on the table. León sat down next to her, he looked over the sheet. León began to explain the grammar to Mía, but her mind was far, far away. "Are you listening?"

The sixteen year old blinked a few times, coming back to Earth. She sighed, "sorry, dad. I'll ask Tini to help me later. She's the English expert." León kissed his daughter on the top of her head. "When are tía Ludmi and tío Fede coming?"

León checked his watch, "they should be here soon."

"I'll get it," Mateo walked down the stairs as the bell rang. He let the Pacini's in. "Hey guys," he closed the door behind Cara. He followed them towards the dining room.

Tonight is taco night.

"Where's Tini?"

Ludmila looked around the house. The girl was normally found on either the couch with a guitar in her hand or on the stool by the grand piano. León smiled, "she's in Violetta's Garage. I'll just get her,"

Luci and Cara's mother shook her head, "no, I'll do it." She smiled. Ludmila excused herself from the table. She went straight to the backyard, to the famous garage. Ludmila herself spent a lot of time with Violetta there: writing songs, escaping mum life.

"Hey you,"

Martina looked up from the piano. She smiled. Ludmila pulled up a chair, she sat down near the piano. "What are you doing here? I thought you were too afraid to come here."

The sixteen year old nodded, "I was." She sighed. "Dad took me here a few days ago. I was nervous about my first day at the Studio," she explained. "He told me that, whenever he's in here, he can feel her around."

Ludmila ran a hand through Martina's hair, "he's right." A small smile appeared on her face. "What are you working on?" She looked around the room. León was right: this room lived and breathed Violetta.

"I found this between mum's stuff," she put the paper in front of her aunt. "She never got to finish it." Ludmila read the words on the paper, tears formed in her eyes. "I think she wrote it for Mateo."

Álvaro strummed the guitar in his hands.

"Hoy se encuentran a las tres, tu destino y mi canción. Con la única esperanza de aclarar mi confusión," he sang the words over and over. He sighed. He stopped the voice memo and put his guitar down.

He couldn't stop thinking about Martina. Sure, they had only met yesterday. But there was just something about her. He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the way her eyes shined when they sang together.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Álvaro looked up, his father sat down on his bed. "Uh, nothing." He shook his head. "I'm just stuck on this writing assignment." He smiled. "I'll figure it out." He replied.

"Your mother is moving into her new house," Pedro Arias informed his son, he simply nodded in response. "I think she'd like it if you went to stay over some time."

Álvaro nodded, "yeah. I will." He picked his guitar up. "I need to finish this before Monday."

"Right, right." Pedro stood up from the bed. "You know, you can always come to me if you need help," he stood in the doorway now, "with anything." He knew the divorce was hard on his children. Especially now that Álvaro and Ana's mother was in a new relationship. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."