𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 ➪ «𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛»

ch. XXXII - 《grasping mirages》

oOo

The light of dawn shone on Diana, Alice, and Felix as they said their goodbyes at the graveside. They didn't cry this time, trying to stay strong for the sake of their parents' memory.

Now they stood next to the other survivors. Daryl had glued himself to Diana's side as soon as they came down. He'd tucked a bright red poppy behind her ear with only a meaningful look and helped carry their packs. Her heart had fluttered a little at that moment, something stirring in her otherwise almost numb chest. Maybe she was just oversensitive because of what had happened in her tent the day before.

Now, he was by her side, sneaking glances and chewing on his fingernail like a child.

She adjusted the flower behind her ear and vaguely listened as Shane gave instructions on how to stay in contact with each other throughout their journey. He and Rick looked and sounded like the professionals they were, drilling them about procedures they'd have to follow in case of adversity. Rick's sheriff outfit only made him look more credible.

Shane's asked the group if there were any questions. An atmosphere of consensus reigned.

Morales shared a now-or-never look with his wife and spoke up, "We're, uh... We're... we're not going." Miranda followed up by saying that they had family in Birmingham, wherever that may be, and that they wanted to be with their people.

"Don't we all," Alice whispered almost bitterly, and Diana squeezed her upper arm in a soothing manner. For all they knew, her Godmother was still alive somewhere, although searching for her would be nothing more than a wild goose chase.

In a feat of comradery and goodwill, Rick and Shane provided Morales with a pistol and a half-full box of ammo, all they could spare. That seemed to upset Daryl, since he'd been adamant from the very beginning about throwing guns around like confetti.

He sneered and paced and chewed on his fingernail. Diana tapped his arm once he stepped closer to her. "Stop doing that, it's not good for you. And it's making me anxious."

He looked at her and stopped for only a moment before he got distracted and started again. It wasn't a habit of his, he must've been nervous.

Diana pulled him back to her side and grabbed hold of his hand, intertwining their fingers and effectively stopping the fidgeting. His grip tightened and it made her inhale sharply, but she kept her eyes forcefully forward.

They only let go of each other once the Morales family came to say their farewell and wish her and the kids good luck in their pursuit of answers and everything else. Diana mimicked a similar sentiment back at them and was thankful that they didn't broach the subject of their parents. They'd already heard enough condolences.

She managed a small smile when Alice hugged the two kids goodbye. She'd been fond of them, despite her claim that she disliked any person past the age of five. She used to brag about how intelligent they were when she came home after tutoring, and how much more intelligent they'd grow once she'd be able to teach them more complex materials.

As a parting gift, Louis gave Felix a Pokémon card he'd taken a particular, almost envious liking to – a first edition, holographic Mew card. Felix's brows were pulled halfway up his forehead in pleasant surprise and disbelief. The younger boy smiled toothily and hugged Felix around his middle, thanking him for playing with him and being nice to him.

Diana saw Miranda turn away while wiping tears from her eyes. As she'd heard it, the boy had been a victim of bullying because of his stuttering before this all started, which had made Felix's friendship all the more valuable to him and his parents.