𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 ➪ «𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑛»

ch. XXV pt. II

oOo

The spoils of their scavenging were unloaded and divided accordingly. The medical supplies were given to Diana's responsibility.

She tossed her dad a pack of Metformin pills and told them of how she'd disclosed her secret. She sat down with her family and told them of her insecurities and anxieties.

Her parents comforted her by reminding her of the inner strength she possessed. They said that what others said and thought wouldn't matter if she knew who she was and believed in herself. It was a nice sentiment, even if not very realistic to her.

The moment was accompanied by Alice whining about the lame sappiness of it all.

Eventually, they moved on to a thorough interrogation regarding the run. Probably to have grounds to back up their arguments against her volunteering to go on one ever again. With that thought in mind, Diana omitted every dangerous stunt that she'd done.

She even went as far as to say it had been pretty boring, with the clear exception of their getaway. But even then, she managed to evade some trick questions and say she'd remained in the sidelines for most, if not all, of the action.

Even so, Sam and Irene still forbade her from going to the city again and gave her a ten-minute lecture about parents knowing better and her being irresponsibly reckless and blah blah blah. She tuned out for most of it, letting herself respond automatically when a nod or a murmur of agreement was appropriate.

Diana was tired of being treated like this.

Dinner wasn't much better. The atmosphere was heavy and quiet.

Deep in thought, her mind went to Daryl. It was late and he wasn't back from his hunt yet. Worse than that, he'd raise hell once he came back and discovered that his brother had been left behind. He'd blame it on her for letting it happen and he'd never speak to her again, she just knew it...

To be fair, Diana knew her thoughts were probably anxiety-induced, but they were so overwhelming that they weighed down on her conscience even more.

Evening fell, the sky turning into a palette of inky navy and indigo. The stars were beautiful and bright, and Diana couldn't help thinking about the night before. Her eyes stopped reading midsentence as she was caught in the physical memory of Daryl's body heat at her back, his breath on her neck and the burning touch of his skin on hers.

The fire in the pit crackled loudly, making her blink out of her reverie. She blamed her flushed cheeks on her proximity to the flames and turned her back to them.

Irene interrupted her conversation with her husband to ask, "Diana? You alright, mija?"

Diana gave them a weak smile over her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, it's just a little too hot for me."

"Go on inside and catch some sleep," Sam added and motioned to the tent with his head.

She waved her hand in dismissal and furrowed her brow. "Nah, I'm alright." Even though she was actually feeling exhausted, she had too much in her head to fall asleep immediately.

She stared emptily at 'The Passage', which she'd been on the process of rereading, and her eyes wandered thoughtlessly toward the main camp. She could see the orange glow of their fire. She worried the inside of her cheek between her teeth. They could be talking about her this very instant... a thought that toed between the narcissistic and the paranoid.

They could be commenting on what she could do, spreading rumors with their insufficient knowledge of the matter. It had happened before, on another subject, and today's events would only add more fuel to the flame.