[Mary allowed Sunny to cling to her- after all, it was something familiar, comforting for not just him- but her too. She took their pace in stride, moving just fast enough to keep with the group, but not so fast that it would be uncomfortable for her brother. She tried hard not to focus on the voice and instead hoped to provide a distraction.]

Remember that time at the lake? We would all go swimming there... well... Hiro and Kel especially... [She couldn't see her brother's reactions to she took subtle body language changes as his way of communicating during her story.] You would always sit by the water and mostly read books... and the rest of us would occasionally play in the water... but that day... you had decided to come and try to play with the rest of us...

[A small smile appeared on her face and she continued forwards, every once in a while shifting Sunny so she wouldn't drop him.]

I was so proud of you... you took that step on your own... and even though things didn't go as planned... you still attempted... and that's what mattered. [She tried not to shudder at the fact that if she had been a moment later... well... she supposed they still ended up here anyways but she couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him.]