Vignette: Leon & Dana (Sunday)
Dana knew that Leon would leave soon. This wasn't her first good-bye, but sometimes they still felt like they were. Leon was the first friend she made at St. Margaret's, and now they were parting ways. She knew she would see him again, and had talked about going to see him in Boston. But it would be strange and sad not to have him around at the school. Where she couldn't just show up at his room randomly to ask him a thousand questions he showed unlimited patience as he answered each and every one. Their friendship had included the physical aspects, which stopped both when he reunited with Mickey, and then when she began pursuing a friendship with John. That was fine because their friendship wasn't just a physical thing that people always misunderstood when it came to Dana. Very few realized that Dana's love was much like her smiles, freely given and without expectation of the same warmth in return, but hope that it would brighten someone's day.
Now she sat in the gardens of Ladon House. The flowers were so beautiful and Mr. Kaden took good care of them. Her hair now had purple flowers in bloom and green leaves mixed in. Like she rolled around on the ground before deciding to sit up. She had a spade in her hand, but didn't bother with gardening gloves. As usual, her feet were bare and stained with dirt. The same dirt stuck underneath her nails, and she hummed softly as she tended to the garden. Even if Mr. Kaden took care of the garden, Dana liked to help when she could. Her connection to the earth helped plants grow better too. Being in the garden and what little she did to it seemed to make the flowers bloom brighter.
She set the spade aside and stood up, dusting some of the dirt that gathered on her pale yellow dress off. As she turned, she saw Leon approaching. A smile widened on her face and she rushed over to him immediately, as she always seemed to do when she saw him. Dana practically tackled Leon when she reached him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him close.
"Hello!" she said, not realizing that this was actually when Leon was going to say good-bye.