few minutes later, the girls walked away, and the boys casually followed behind.
Leo:
"Hey! Wait up!"
Julie:
"What do you want?"
Leo:
"Can we be friends?"
Julie:
"In your dreams. Come on, girls—let's head to the beach."
They left the boys behind and made their way toward the shore.
Maria:
"What do you think? Should we go for a swim?"
Julie:
"We're already at the beach."
Maria:
"I mean in the sea! I love swimming at this time."
Julia:
"That's a great idea! What do you think, Julie?"
Julie:
"Did you forget? I'm scared of swimming in the sea… but if it's for Maria, I'll come in a bit."
Maria:
"Alright, we'll wait for you."
— One hour later —
Julia:
"I'm going to check on Julie. She's taking too long."
Maria:
"Maybe she got scared. But don't worry, I'll wait here."
While waiting, Maria suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.
She turned around. It was her father—calling her.
Not realizing it was just a vision, she began walking toward him.
Julie (shouting):
"Maria!"
Julia:
"Maria!"
Julie (panicking):
"She's going too far… and I'm scared of the sea. What do we do?"
Julia:
"I can't go in either… but the guys are right over there. Should I call them?"
Julie:
"Go! Hurry!"
Julia sprinted toward the nearby café where the boys were sitting.
Julia (out of breath):
"Maria… she… Maria…"
Max (alarmed):
"What's wrong with her?"
Julia:
"She walked too far into the sea. Julie and I can't follow her."
Max:
"What?! Let's go—now!"
They rushed back to the shore. Julie, overwhelmed with fear, instinctively hugged Leo and cried.
He gently held her, his hand resting on her back, trying to calm her.
Leo:
"Don't worry. Max will bring her back."
Meanwhile, Max swam out quickly and grabbed Maria's hand.
Max:
"Let's go! Come with me!"
Maria (resisting):
"No! Let me go! I want to go to my dad!"
Max:
"There's no one there!"
Maria (insisting):
"Yes, there is! He's calling me!"
Max (firmly):
"Maria, listen to me! It's not real. You're seeing something that isn't there!"
Maria (confused):
"No… he is there…"
Max (shouting):
"Maria! That's not your father—it's just an illusion!"
Suddenly, Maria blinked and came back to her senses. Her legs trembled, and tears filled her eyes.
Maria (softly):
"My dad…"
Max (more gently):
"I'm sorry I yelled at you."
Maria:
"Just… leave me alone…"
Max:
"Do you even know how to swim? We're far from the shore."
She didn't respond at first.
Maria:
"Yeah, yeah…"
A moment later, realization hit her.
Maria:
"Wait—what?! No, no, I'm scared!"
Without a word, Max turned and carried her on his back, swimming them both to safety.
Once they made it back, Julie quickly stepped away from Leo, realizing she was still holding onto him.
She rushed over to Maria, checking on her before giving her a light scolding.
Maria (apologetic):
"I'm sorry…"
Julie then turned to Leo.
Julie:
"By the way, I'm Julie."
Leo smiled, realizing what she meant.
Leo:
"And I'm Leo. That's Max," he pointed, "and the clown over there is Matthew."
Julie (laughing):
"The clown? Why?"
Matthew:
"Because Max always calls me that. I make him laugh."
Leo:
"Excuse me?! I do that too!"
The two boys began fake-fighting like kids.
Max (sighing):
"Guys, stop."
Leo & Matthew (together):
"Sorry!"
Julie (smiling):
"These are my sisters—Maria and Julia."
Max:
"Sisters?"
Julie:
"My friends are my sisters. They mean everything to me."
Max:
"Oh…"
Julie:
"It's getting late. We should go. Bye!"
Leo:
"Bye…"
To be continued…
-
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