#bdrpviolet

Sally had many reasons to be where she currently was. She could tell you all of them, lay out the paths that would intertwine into what would become the journey she had ahead of her. She had seen all that would befall her, each puzzle piece before they all have even begun. 

Funny... she had always tried to stop her visions from occurring, but she has begun to learn that each puzzle piece shown to her was a string in the grand loom of fate. 

It all was going to happen. It was what was meant to be, she was only to help it move along, become the weaver that adjoined each string together. 

She was to weave together four different stories, one including her own and they all began at the bottom of the crumbling steps Sally was staring before her. The entrance to the Underworld.

The air around her was still, branches didn’t sway and life seemed to cease. The soft running of the Kahaku River was all that was heard echoing against the thickened bark of looming trees. All was lit in a soft aura of bright blue, even Daniel as he hovered beside her seem to glow in a gentle blue.

Are you sure you want to do this, Sals? 

Sally didn’t move her eyes away from the steps in front of her simply nodding her head in return. “I’m certain. It’s what I have to do.” 

Then... why aren’t you moving? You know that I will go with you every step of the way. 

A small smile softly touched her features, her gaze drifting over to her dearest friend. “I know, but this journey isn’t mine alone. It belongs to three others as well.” 

Daniel seemed confused, but Sally’s line of vision moved over to the forest that was stretched out behind her to see the figure of a woman approaching her, skin tanned, luscious dark brown hair that flowed down to a slightly swollen belly. 

Raksha hadn’t thought that she would be finding anyone near the entrance of the Underworld and seeing another person, well a woman with ginger hair merely standing there and smiling over at her... that made her weary. Why was she here just standing around, and at the entrance of the Underworld of all places? That, however, mattered little in the end. Raksha was determined to find her son and if this woman wanted to linger by the entrance of the Underworld then so be it. It wasn’t going to stop her. 

Sally smiled, feeling the strong beating of that determination filling her own chest. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to stop you from finding your son, but you might want to wait before heading down. There are still two others who are shortly behind and we’ll be needing them.”

Raksha eyes filled themselves with shock. This woman spoke about her son, but... how?! No one knew of Rahil save her pack, and husband. She was about to force the information out of her if need be when the sound of footsteps caused her to quickly turn around. In front of her stood a girl, whom Raksha recognized thoroughly from the memories that were placed in her from this world. 

“Violet?! What are you doing here?” 

Violet simply grinned those smart-ass smirks that she loved placing on her features. “The same as you I’m going to guess. ....You’re going down there... right? Because I’ll go down with you. I can be of... value. I... can’t stay up here. I’m not a fucking Priestess and my brothers... they’ll be okay... trust me... I can be of use.”

“She’s right.” Sally chimed in. “She will be of great value.” 

Raksha gave Sally a piercing glare from the depths of her dark brown eyes. Violet quirked a brow. “Who the fuck is she?”   

“You have a foul mouth for someone your age.” Raksha reprimanded in a low growl, but she’ll be damned if she had to become responsible for the life of such a young girl who still had so much to live. “You should not be here. There is no reason for you to be traveling to the Underworld. Return back to your house, or the Temple.”

“Curiosity is hers.” Again Sally chimed in, her eyes now falling over Violet. “Curiosity killed the cat you know.”  

Violet blinked lost of words in shock at how this redheaded woman knew the reason for her desire to travel down under. See, Violet had a love for Dante’s Inferno, was always fascinated in such things since a young age and this... this was her chance. The hell she was going to let it slip away to sit on her knees and pray some boring ass pointless prayers. Violet was about to retort, when Sally suddenly gave a little clap of her hands, her smile growing big and wide. 

“Oh good! Number four is here!” 

And right on cue appeared Minnie, a look of confusion decorating her features as her eyes fell over a group of three ladies all hovering by the entrance of the Underworld. She paused in her steps. “I-uhh.. number four..?  I’m sorry... but I don’t really think I know any of you....” There wasn’t a face Minnie recognized between the three ladies, but she wasn’t here to recognize faces was she? She was here to pull some bloody crazy stunt that she wasn’t exactly sure, nor confident could be pulled off, and travel the Underworld to find her loved ones. 

“Yes, number four. We were all waiting for you.” Sally answered as both Violet and Raksha looked at her with straight disbelief coating their eyes.

“We?” Raksha exclaimed in a bit of a bite as Violet simply looked at Sally with her head cocked to an angle. “Again.... who the fuck are you?” 

Sally simply smiled her eyes traveling over all three ladies, ladies in where she will be aiding in weaving their journeys. 

“I’m Sally. I’ve seen all of our journeys, each one’s path down in the Underworld. It’s my magic. I have visions, and each of you have your own cause for needing this journey, but without the other it will all fail. We each offer a piece that is needed to become successful. We all do: myself, Raksha, Violet, and Minnie.” Sally’s eyes were glittering now with a weird wonder and sense of fascination as she purposefully spoke each name to prove her point in seeing what has yet to come. “So, what do you say? Will you all fight me? Or—”

Sally began to walk towards the stairs taking the first initial steps into the dark gaping hole that lead to the Underworld. “Follow me? It all up to you, but as we are all heading to the same place.... what is there to lose?”

The steps were crumbling beneath Raksha’s feet, thin in width and almost appearing endless in route. It was as if all four women were going down, and down, and down with no final destination to be reached. They were all becoming unsteadier the further they went down, the steps themselves appearing smaller and smaller in size. 

Raksha feared that soon there will be no steps left to take and if they were to take an unprecedented fall.... Raksha knew that could severely harm her unborn child. She was aware that this entire trip down to the Underworld was a severe risk to the child growing inside of her, but Raksha had no alternative.

Rahil had been taken away from her, and it was a lost she has not been able to heal from. This was her chance at a closure she knew was needed. Without it, how will she be a good mother to her child? It wasn’t fair... this child deserved a chance at a loving mother and Raksha had to fight to offer him or her just that. 

At last, all four women reached the bottom, their feet landing on forest soil. Surrounding Raksha were lines of trees all barren, all silent, and motionless. Their branches casted shadows on the ground snaking one within the other ending in pointed jagged edges. It was in that moment that Raksha felt a frigid layer of cold sweep over her skin and that was an unlikely feeling for her as her wolf was a warm creature always isolating her in heat. This cold, however, penetrated deeper crawled itself inside of her setting her wolf on edge.

Raksha rolled her neck, soothing the beast so that she’d be able to set her focus on what mattered: the road ahead of her. They all continued walking settling in deeper within the forest. The deeper they got the lesser light became available as now only glimpses of such a thing spilled through the thick twining of branches all in hues of blue. 

They all came to a sudden stop as before them the forest had split into a series of different paths. One path was of sand, another of charred ash, fragmented glass, forest soil, wooden paneled tiles, cobbled stone and the last one covered in a pure white snow. 

“We’ve reached the paths.” It was the redheaded woman that broke the silence. “We choose the wrong one and we will all be lost forever.”

Violet looked at the ginger with a slight confusion in her eyes. “How... how do you know this?” 

“I have a dead friend who just told me.” All the other ladies looked at Sally with shock and a mixture of disbelief coating their eyes. “I can see dead people.” Was all she replied to their looks. It was Raksha’s turn to speak now.

“Well, will this dead friend of yours be telling us which path is the correct one to take?” 

In return Sally placed a smile on her lips turning to face the older woman. “Funny how it’s you who’s asking because you’ll be the one choosing the path for us.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes.” Sally spoke simply with knowing eyes staring back at Raksha. “You’ll be the one to choose our path. Your destination is our next step, where you are meant to go is where we all must past through first. This is your piece, Raksha. You’re the start of our journey, therefore you have to choose.”

Your piece? Your destination....? You are the start of the journey? This woman was speaking in riddles and that irritated Raksha, nevertheless she took a step forward. How.... how was she suppose to choose?! There were seven paths splayed out before her. How was she suppose to know which one wasn’t the one that would doom them all into an eternity they couldn’t come back from? She turned back around to face this allusive redhead of a woman. She wanted to growl deadly at her, threaten her even if she must to get her to speak what she knew, but to her surprise all three women were no longer there. 

Instead, the barren forest that was once lifeless around Raksha was now lit up in stark vivid flames of fiery red. The fire was viciously devouring the foliage, branches falling like rain dried in black shriveled ash. Smoke began to cover the skies in thick heavy fumes and Raksha could hear a noise that made her heart sink, and her body lose all ability in moving. 

It was the howls of those she loved, the shrieking cries of brutal slaughter befalling her pack. Each howl pierced sharper and deadlier than the one before, each one causing her wolf to mourn in deep despair. The beast clawed desperately inside of her crying and begging for release. The howls were becoming louder now mixing with the sound of haunting screams. Raksha....Raksha didn’t know what to do! 

The howls and the screams were filling her ear dreams each separate one a stab to her heart. The fire grew brighter, bigger, hungrier. It was spreading like a wild monster moving closer and closer to Raksha the thickness of the smoke blurring her vision and clotting her lungs.  She took a step back to try and move away from it all. Her mind felt heavily scattered and broken from the despair of the deathly howls and screams, her feet stepping into something wet.

....wet? It was thick as the liquid soaked up her feet within the sandals. Raksha looked down her eyes growing wide in fear. She was in the midst of a large pool of blood. The thick crimson red liquid had now covered the entire forest ground the smell pungent against the sensitivity of her nostrils. Even in the midst of the raging fire and the thickened blur of the smoke Raksha could start seeing the formation of bodies appearing on the blood covered ground. 

Raksha immediately stepped back again, tripping over a body that had formed behind her. She fell to the ground her robe covered in the heavy crimson substance, knees scrapping against the dirt and her body now over the lifeless corpse of Kavya, Akela’s mate. A piercing screamed escaped Raksha’s throat, tears now steadily streaming from her eyes. She desperately moved away crawling right into another body, the corpse of her dearest best friend, the one in whom Rahil had slept over their house the very night of the massacre. She was covered in burning scars, bullet holes decorating her body. Raksha covered her mouth with shaky hands. She couldn’t breath—she couldn’t breathe. 

But... another body began to form against the mass hysteria of the fire and the smoke and Raksha she-she knew who’s it was. It was a smaller body, one of a boy with unruly dark hair mixed in thick blood. His body was mangled and pale, legs and arms dislocated. The corpse was filled with merciless stabbed wounds and penetrating bullet holes. Raksha slowly crawled over to the body uncaring of the pool of blood she needed to move through, the fire, the smoke....

It was Rahil, and suddenly Raksha couldn’t take the unrelenting grief that raked and shook her entire body. She cried tears and tears and unending tears that were wrenched straight from out of her heart. She pulled the dead corpse to her chest holding it in a desperate embrace as her head buried itself in her son’s body.

“I—I c-can’t do this! T-this-this s-should have never been you Rahil. I-it should’ve been me! I-I’m sorry. I-I am so, so sorry.” She wept agony filled tears. Raksha didn’t want to move on, she couldn’t do this... she-she couldn’t do this. Not-not this. A voice suddenly penetrated the air, soft and young in a whisper that only breathed against Raksha’s ears.

That’s not me maan. I’m okay now, maan. It’s okay. I’m at peace now, I promise. It’s okay. 

“R-Rah-hil?” Raksha’s head shifted away from the corpse within her arms her eyes trying to find a figure within the thickened blur in front of her, but she couldn’t see anyone. All she could hear was the clear sound of her son’s voice.

You can do this, maan. You’re so close. That isn’t me. Let him go. Let him go for me and my baby sister. You know which way to go, maan. You can do this. 

“B-but I-I don’t know... Rahil I-I don’t know.”

You do know, maan. You already know. Let him go. You know maan.

Reluctantly, with a heavy heart, Raksha listened to the voice of her son allowing the corpse to drop from her arms. In that instant, the corpses had disappeared, the blood sucked into the ground and the fire had but all ceased. The smoke dissipated in the air and on the ground Raksha could now see the three ladies that had originally been with her. One of them, the young brunette, was perched down by her side, her arms around her and eyes filled with a frightened concern. 

“Raksha? Raksha are you alright?! We’ve been calling your name you wouldn’t respond a-and you started crying and s-screaming. W-what happened?” 

Raksha looked at Minnie with a lost gaze in her eyes, she shifted her blurry vision over to the redheaded woman standing up now as she wiped the tear stains from her cheeks. Rahil was right, she did know.

“It is the snow covered path. That is the one we have to go through.” 

“Are you sure?” Sally asked her eyes steady over the woman, eyes that knew what Raksha had currently gone through even if the other two had no idea.

“You said that my destination is where we all have to go next. My destination is my son. When he was young he loved the mountains of our home because of the pure white snow that covered the ground. It was his favorite pass time, to simply create snow angels in the piles of snow... That is the path we have to take.” 

Sally simply nodded her head stepping aside as she did so. “Then lead the way, Raksha.” 

The boy had been waiting for them the moment they all finished their tread through the snow filled path. 

It had been a cold tread, but then again this whole journey had begun cold. It was the kind of cold that soaked right through Minnie’s bones leaving her shivering and pulling her arms into a tight hug to conserve some inkling of heat. They had all made it through the winding path and that was where Minnie witnessed Raksha seeing her son for the first time since his death. 

They were all in a meadow of sorts, each woman taking in the scene that laid before them. It was similar to the entrance except these trees had more life to them. The branches were filled with leaves that didn’t cast haunting shadows, and actually swayed with a soft guided gentleness to them. The skies weren’t dark, but light a sheer and pale almost periwinkle blue. The leaves that grew from the branches were the same color. There was a river that coursed through the very center of the meadows it’s currents strong, ethereal, but peaceful.

The place… it was beautiful. Homes of all different shapes and structures filled themselves along the line of the river banks and the trees grew fruits far more plentiful than any tree Minnie has seen before, rich in color bright and tempting to the human eye.

The redheaded woman had told the group that they have now entered the Asphodel Meadows, well according to her dead friend anyways. It was there where Raksha’s son’s soul rested. He was such a precious looking kid. Short in height, with gorgeous waves of unruly dark hair and dark brown eyes. 

His eyes reminded Minnie of Dodger’s eyes, so dark with depths that one could easily melt in. That was what Minnie wanted more than anything right now, to get lost in Dodger’s eyes while he held her so close to him so that she could hear the strong beating of his heart. His heart beat always washed everything away, and it could do that now for her, wash away all she had seen and all that has yet to even come. That was what she thought of as she watched the kid lead Raksha to the home he resided in now. Raksha had shed tears of joy to be reunited with her son and as it seemed, with other loved ones as well who were now watching over her son for Raksha. 

It was then when all three ladies knew that this was where Raksha’s journey ended, here with her son and loved ones. Raksha would not be joining them any further. In a way…. Minnie envied that. Her own journey was far from ending and she didn’t know if such happiness was what awaited her. She had no way of knowing how Sweet, Tibbs, or Dodger were fairing… she didn’t even know if Dodger was still alive. 

But Minnie…. she had to hold on to hope. She had to believe that they were all okay… that they were all alive... somewhere out there… wherever this hell prison may be. They all bid their fair wells to Raksha and for as much as Minnie secretly envied her ending, she was glad for the woman. What Minnie had witnessed back in the paths… it had been horrifying. Yes, she was unaware of what Raksha had been going through or exactly what had happened for that matter, but whatever it was that the woman had seen it was enough to bring her down to her knees and scream piercing cries of pure grief.

It was something… something Minnie herself would never want to go through. 

The rest of the three continued to move on reaching the end of the meadow only to find themselves in front of a door. Well…. that was certainly something rather sorty, even for the Underworld. Nevertheless, they all opened the door stepping into a room that was very dimly lighted, practically scarce of light. The door behind them immediately closed shut and now all three women were facing a….. scale? It was encrusted in pure gold standing right in the center of the room both scales evenly in balance with nothing currently above their golden plates. 

“We are now in the Doors of Judgement.” Sally once again broke the silence letting the girls know of their current surroundings. Violet had crossed her arms over her chest, her brow quirking.

“Let me guess…. your dead friend, huh?” She drawled in her normal sarcastic drip.

“Yes and that dead friend has informed me that the scale weighs our deeds. A gold coin for every good deed and a stone for every bad one. We each must be judged by the scale in order to be allowed to pass through.” 

Minnie’s eyes fell over the scale. Okay… that didn’t sound so horrible, right? For everything that they have yet to face…. at least this one… well this one didn’t seem so bad. She can go first. There truly wasn’t much she had to hide. “Alright. I-I wouldn’t mind going first….”

She was about to take a step forward to begin the process when Sally abruptly stuck her arm out blocking the brunette’s attempt. “No.” She spoke sternly. “You need to go last. The door opens with you, not with Violet, or myself. Welcome to your part of the journey, Minnie.”

Minnie was left in shock without so much as words being able to slip from her mouth because no sooner had Sally finished speaking then she pushed Violet forward and therein began the judgement. One could tell that Violet was furious for having been pushed forward without her approval, but that sentiment had slowly faded away when the sound of coins dropping onto the scale echoed loudly against the small enclosed area. Soon came the stones although Violet truly didn't have that many and before they knew it, the scale had easily balanced itself.

Violet had taken a step forward, walking over to the other end of the room as Sally, taking purposeful care to deliberately step in front of Minnie, proceeded next. The motions repeated itself as the scale had rebalanced and now coins were dripping like rain drops onto the golden plates, but Sally had more stones than Violet. As it seemed, however, her good deeds won in the end and the scale was able to become perfectly balanced. She proceeded in moving walking to take her place besides Violet.

It was Minnie’s turn now, but somehow, she didn’t want to move. The doors opened with her? But… why wouldn’t it open for Sally, or for Violet? Both had managed to balance the scale… why would the door then only open for her? Minnie didn’t know what would be in store for her and that… it scared her, but behind the other door somewhere deeper in the Underworld that’s where Dodger was and if she was going to find him and have any chance at being with him again—

Minnie stepped forward.

At first, there was only silence and then the coins began to drop just as it had for Violet and Sally. There were many trickling down in a steady stream clattering and clanging against the gold plate. Minnie’s chest grew light. Good… this was good. Those were all her good deeds. Then a stone dropped and for as many good deeds that piled up on the right-hand side of the scale that one stone kilted the scale completely over to it’s side. Nothing had taken place after the stone had dropped and Minnie she stood quiet looking over at the scale confused. What was she to do now? She didn’t get it….. the scale… it-it had to be wrong. What could she had possibly done so bad that it could out weigh every single good deed?! She scoured through her mind desperately trying to find the answer, but it was to no avail.

It was then when a voice entered the room, one that made Minnie turn in an instant, the blood in her veins freezing over.

Pequeña?

In front of Minnie now stood a beautiful older woman with a stature much like Minnie herself.

"Ma-mami?!" The words came out in a choke, her eyes rimming with tears that were on the verge of sliding down her cheeks. She hardly realized when they had begun to form, but in that moment she didn't care. She ran into her mother wrapping her arms around her to embrace her in a tender hug filled with an aching longing. Melanie wrapped her arms around her daughter one of her hands softly pressing over long brown locks.

What did you do mama that was so bad? Melanie lovingly teased as Minnie looked up at her shaking her head.

"I don't- I don't know."

We have to figure that out if you're going to move forward to find that rock star of yours, si? I like him. Minnie blushed. Melanie laughed. You have grown so much mi cielo... I don't know if I can even call you my pequeña anymore."

The tears were now flooding down Minnie's eyes, but she laughed, a soft sound of happiness that filled the room with the sudden joy that swirled around her. Another stone dropped then the dense sound alerting Minnie back to the present scale at hand. She was going to turn to position herself back in front of the scale, but something rather odd kept her from doing so. The line of her spinal column suddenly felt.... moist. Something was dripping down against her robes and sliding down her skin. It felt heavy as if whatever touched her was some sort of thick liquid. 

Minnie turned around to see what it could’ve possibly been when she caught sight of one of her mother’s arms that had been previously hugging her.  It now bore a large grotesque wound open and deep, deep enough to see vessels and tissues. It bled, the red liquid oozing down the woman’s palm and fingertips, drops dripping one by one onto the ground. 

Another stone fell. It followed the loud, ear-splitting sound of a crack. It was the sound of bone penetrating through tissue, muscles and flesh. It was her mother’s thigh the bone had punctured right through skin protruding outward. Melanie screamed a cry of pure gut-wrenching pain that rang like laser-sharp edges stabbing Minnie’s head. Her mother dropped to the ground and behind her Minnie could now hear a continous flow of small stones falling.

For each stone that fell, a new cut marred the skin of Melanie’s face. Minnie dropped to her knees, with shaking hands she had ripped a portion of her robe wrapping it around the open wound on her mother’s arms through steady streams of tears. She-she had to... pressure... to stop the bleed—

The bone. Minnie had to splint that thigh but she- she had nothing with her! Melanie was writhing in pain her screams still echoing sharply within the room. She was moving too much—her screaming was too loud! Minnie... she couldn’t take her screaming. It burned, tore at her heart and making it feel as if the organ was shredding into pieces. She-she c-couldn’t stop her mother’s pain. She couldn’t think! Not against the piercing shrills. 

“M-ma-mi y-you have to—you have to s-stop moving. Mami, mami please. You-you have to stay still. I-I know it hurts b-but you have to stay s-still.” Her words felt choked inside of her throat, Melanie’s eyes now filled with tears. 

Stop pequeña.

What had she said? Another stone dropped. 

This time Minnie saw a wound beginning to form over the center of her mother’s stomach. Another sharp cry bellowed in the room. It was bleeding, bleeding out like a stock pig. Minnie quickly crawled over to the wound, her knees scraping hard against the cemented ground and scraping skin. She immediately placed her hands over the bleeding applying pressure. It-it had to s-stop her mother was going to bleed out! The thick liquid kept running over Minnie’s hands. It felt so warm, thick... there was so much of it— heavy and red a crimson bright red. It flowed over her knees slid down to her legs and feet. It wasn’t lessening. Melanie kept bleeding.  

It’s okay to stop now, pequeña. I’ll be alright. Close your eyes for me, Minerva... Do that for mami, okay? Close... close those eyes and cover your ears....

Minnie’s eyes were thickened with ceaseless tears, her throat grew tighter and tighter, her chest so heavy. She knew those words. She was ten years old again hovered over her mother’s injured body on the day of the car accident... those were her mother’s last words to her...

“No! Mami, no! Not this time. I-I’m not going to stop. Y-you aren’t going to die on me again I-I can’t let you—”

Die. Because Minnie had when she was ten, when she was that little girl hovered over her mother’s dying body. She had listened to her mom. She had closed her eyes and covered her ears. She allowed her mother to die. Minnie had killed her mother. 

It’s okay to stop now, pequeña. I’ll be alright. Close your eyes for me, Minerva... Do that for mami, okay? Close... close those eyes and cover your ears....

Minnie kept the pressure even against the fading voice of her mother. The blood wasn’t ceasing. She looked at Melanie then, a deep seeded anger burning hot in her veins.

“How could you! How can you ask me that?! How-how can you ask me that now?! Ask me that when I was ten?! I was little! You knew that I knew no better! You let me—you made me stop! You made me leave you to die!” 

There was a stark silence then. No stones, no coins, no screams and no tears. Minnie’s eyes peered over the scale it hung in balance now. She let out a sob. She knew the deed, the deed that outweighed everything. It was that silent anger she bore her mother for making her stop... for letting her die. It was one she denied in existence, burying it so, so deep so that she would never have to see it’s ugliness and face it. Not until now. 

It’s okay to stop now, pequeña.

Minnie slowly nodded her head. She lightened the pressure, dropping her arms to her side, her body feeling so numb. She closed her eyes and she covered her ears. A door jarred open, but all Minnie could do was weep in silence, bend forward and cry onto her thighs. She heard footsteps moving through the door. Minnie didn’t move, she just wept. She felt a hand now, a soft touch falling over her back. She lifted her head. It was Melanie, the mother Minnie remembered before the tragic car accident coming into form through the dense blur of her vision. 

“I’m so sorry.” She choked in between a sharp sob that had raked through her chest.

Melanie only smiled warmly in return her fingers wiping away the tears that stained her daughter’s cheek. 

I know, mi cielo. I know, and I am so, so sorry too. I only wanted to protect you. There was nothing more you could have done that day that would’ve changed it all. You have to know that, sweetie, there was nothing. I was already far too injured... far too gone. I never wanted for you to see or hear my last breath. I never wanted to have that as your last memory of me, to have that as the one thing that will haunt you. Forgive me.... I wanted to protect you.  

She pulled her daughter into a strong embrace allowing her to sob in her arms. Melanie pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead, passing a gentle had threw her daughter’s hair. They remained as such for a while. One holding, the other sobbing, sobbing enough to wash it all away, to wash it away for the both of them. 

You have to go now, Minerva. It doesn’t end here for you. You can’t stay in my arms. You have to find him, remember? He is here and he’s alive. Her smile turned lighter as Melanie lifted Minnie’s chin to look at her daughter. I really like him for you. 

“I really like him too.” Melanie laughed softly, helping her daughter up from the ground and leading her to the door. I love you, pequeña.