I was happy again.
Diane created a routine for us. After breakfast I would go to school, once she came back we would shower while talking about our day. After supper there were interesting training sessions or we had time for some games. Every evening we would go to the playground, she would play with me for a bit before running laps and letting me play with the other children. After that it was time for bed.
Of course, Diane always snuck out in the middle of the night. Sometimes I noticed, but usually not. Her footsteps were normally very quiet. She was nearly impossible to hear if she was trying to be quiet.
Suppers were easier as I got to know Matthew, Trish, Nathan, and John better. It was still hard for me to talk with them, but at least I didn't feel like hiding the instant they looked at me. The best part was when I was alone with Diane. She often let her guard down and relaxed. It also seemed to be the only time my shyness disappeared.
We would often laugh and joke around. She seemed to enjoy seeing me smile and laugh. I loved seeing her eyes glow slightly when she was happy. It seemed so magical. They never glowed when others were around though, and I took it as a sign that she trusted me. Her trust made me feel special. Every once in a while I would glimpse her eyes at night with their stronger glow and it never failed to amaze me.
I glanced up to see Matthew enter the school room and talk with Agatha. Why was he here? I didn't remember him ever coming here before. Agatha looked over and noticed me watching, she waved me over. I was worried, had I done something wrong? I glanced at the clock, Diane was late to pick me up. I hoped nothing happened to her. The thought of her injured or dead made my heart hurt.
I walked over nervously and Matthew crouched down so he was closer to my height. He smiled at me as if to reassure me, "Diane is going to be a bit late getting back. We aren't sure when she will be back."
I relaxed, I wasn't in trouble, but I was still concerned, "Is she okay?"
Matthew nodded, "Yes, she just went much further out than she realized and had to make a detour coming back. She will probably be several more hours."
Right. It was a nice cover story, but I knew very well that Diane wouldn't make such a mistake. She must be out doing some other angel stuff without them knowing about it. I nodded easily, "Diane promised she would return. She will, even if she is late."
Matthew and Agatha both blinked in surprise at my easy acceptance. Matthew chuckled as he stood up, "I did talk to her on the radio and promised to keep you company until she returned."
I blinked in surprise, "Okay..." I had no idea what he had in mind.
He gestured to the book case, "Want to pick out a book? I can help you read it."
That was good enough for me. I went over to the book shelf. I ignored most of children's stories. They held no interest for me. I skimmed the titles on the book spines as quickly as I could while looking for something interesting.
I stood on my tip toes, but still couldn't reach the one I wanted. I heard Matthew walk up behind me, his footsteps were far louder than Diane's ever were, despite wearing the same style of winter boot. I glanced back, "Can we read that one?" I pointed up.
He put a finger on one book, "This one?"
I shook my head, "No, the one about plants."
He gave me an odd look before bringing down the red covered book. We went over the couch. It was odd to sit beside Matthew instead of Agatha or Diane. The book was about edible plants and most were found here. I slowly read out the phrases and tried to tie names to the pictures.
I had noticed that Diane was amused and impressed when I could name plants found in our salads. I wanted to make her proud of my accomplishments, so I was trying hard to learn.
"What kind of soil does this plant like to grow in?"
Matthew inspected the page closely, "It doesn't say. It usually grows in meadows though."
"What do the flowers look like?"
He was silent. I looked up at him and noticed he looked somewhat embarrassed, "I think it is white. To be honest, I don't remember. Considering I am supposed to be a Group Leader, it grates on me to admit that. How about we save that question for Diane? Perhaps she can answer that."
He sounded dubious, but I nodded anyways. I knew that she would know the answer. When it came to plants, she always knew. She also knew a lot of other things as well.
We took the book with us as we went to supper. Trish grinned at us as I explained the bet that Matthew and I had made. If Diane knew what the flower looked like, I won, and Matthew would give Diane half a day off of the schedule tomorrow. If she didn't remember, then he won, and I would give him three of the Smarties that Diane had given me as bribes.
I was almost done eating when a familiar shift of motion out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned my head and grinned, Diane had just entered the mess hall. Her bright blue eyes met mine as she smiled.
I wanted to run up and hug her, but with so many people in the room I simply couldn't bear the thought of attracting that much attention. I waited impatiently for her to come. She filled her plate and slid into the seat beside me. Once she set her plate down I hugged her and she wrapped an arm around me for a few seconds.
I ate some of my salad while she worked on her big bowl of soup. Matthew put the book on the table and tapped the picture of the leaves of the plant, "What kind of flowers does this plant have?"
She tilted her head as she examined the leaf and glanced at the name of the plant, "It has white flowers with a yellow center. There are usually five petals on each flower." She glanced at Matthew, "Why do you ask?"
He tried to hide a grin, but Trish started snickering and he turned his head to glare at her. Diane raised an eyebrow in askance at them. I grinned up at her, "Matthew didn't know and he bet that you didn't either. Since you know, that means you get half a day off tomorrow!"
She blinked at me in surprise before bestowing a measuring gaze on Matthew, "Since you already promised me half a day off tomorrow, does this mean I have the whole day off?"
John started chuckling under his breath as Matthew grinned and nodded. Diane grinned back at her Group Leader, "Good thing I covered so much ground today then. I found enough to keep you guys busy for a few days."
I wiggled in my seat in excitement, I got to be with Diane for an entire day! Matthew glanced at me before looking back at Diane, "So what kind of soil does that plant like anyways?"
She didn't miss a beat, "It usually grows in mossy soil in damp locations. Muskeg and the like."
I giggled as Matthew shook his head, "I admit defeat. I am also never going over a plant book with her again. She asks questions that aren't answered in the book. Most I could answer, but some eluded me."
Diane grinned at me in amusement. I smiled back at her.
After supper we headed for a shower. Afterwards we walked down the hallway and Diane inquired, "What do you want to do this evening?"
I thought hard and glanced out a window. The playground was empty. I could see the fence from here and saw some zombies leaning against it. It gave me an idea. I spoke slowly, "Could you teach me how to avoid zombies?"
I turned to look at her. We had stopped walking and she was watching me. I put on a hopeful expression. She gave a slight smile, "Sure. I will teach you the theory in one of the indoor gyms."
She led me down a labyrinth of hallways. I had never been down here before and looked around in curiosity. One room held hundreds of weapons, although most rooms seemed to be small offices. We entered one room and it looked like an obstacle course had been set up inside.
Diane started speaking as she pointed to different pieces, "Most zombies can't move any faster than you can jog, but they won't tire. This means you either have to completely lose them or get out of their reach. What they lack in intelligence, they make up for in persistence. Whatever you do, never let them close enough to get their hands on you or bite you. A zombie bite means you will also turn into a zombie."
I nodded, I remembered some of that from the news lady before the power went out. Diane glanced at me to check that I was watching, but I had been paying close attention. I was closely watching and listening. I wanted to learn so badly. It might help me keep up with Diane if I was ever allowed to join her in her Foraging job.
She pushed on a chest high hurdle, "Most zombies won't think to duck down or go around an object. You can use this to your advantage. They can't climb most things, so if you start to get tired or they get too close, climb up something. If you get out of their line of sight, they sometimes forget about you, or they lose track of you. They will try to track your scent, but we will work on that part later. For now, run around in here. I will pretend to be a zombie, you have to try and get away or get me stuck."
She turned and started an awkward shuffling pace towards me with a grin. My eyes widened since I had been close to her. I turned and ran full tilt across the room before looking back. She maintained a speed that would have had me jogging.
I suddenly recalled what she had told me and looked around the room. I ran towards a number of hurdles and ducked under them. Diane leaned on the hurdle with a grin, "Good job." She vaulted over the obstacle, "Now try again."
I took off with a grin. She chased me around for hours while giving me tips and advice on how to use an array of various things in the room while comparing them to objects I might find in the forest or in the Fort. It was fun.