The Girl that No-one See

Her Souls Relaxs

Inside the ranch house, the atmosphere was calm.

A fire crackled gently in the stone fireplace.

Grandma and Rachel cleared away the last of the dishes while Gramps relaxed in his favourite armchair, his injured foot resting on a cushion.

Sienna sat by the large picture window overlooking the moonlit fields.

She opened her sketchbook and took out a set of pencils from her art bag.

Without saying a word, she began to draw.

Her pencil moved effortlessly across the page.

She sketched the long driveway leading to Paradise Valley Ranch, with the old wooden entrance sign standing proudly beneath the evening sky.

A horse grazed peacefully in the foreground.

Rusty lay asleep on the porch.

And in the distance...

The ranch house glowed warmly with lights shining through every window.

Kristopher noticed the peaceful expression on Sienna's face.

He smiled quietly to himself.

She hadn't picked up a pencil since leaving the competition.

Now, surrounded by the people who loved her, her inspiration had returned.

For the first time in days...

Sienna wasn't drawing to escape her thoughts.

She was drawing because she was happy.

The ranch house had settled into a peaceful evening.

The boys had gone upstairs to unpack after Kenny's tour of the barns and stables, before drifting back downstairs to relax by the fire.

Near the large picture window, Sienna sat with her sketchbook open across her lap, her paints neatly arranged beside her. The last rays of the Texas sunset shone through the glass as she carefully painted Paradise Valley Ranch.

For the first time in days, she looked completely at peace.

Kristopher sat in a leather armchair a few feet away, pretending to read one of Gramps' ranch magazines.

Every few moments, however, his eyes wandered back to Sienna.

Whenever she smiled at something she was painting, he smiled too.

When she reached for another paintbrush without looking, he quietly passed it to her before she realised she needed it.

When Rusty wandered over looking for attention, Kristopher gently stroked the dog to stop him nudging Sienna while she concentrated.

He never interrupted her.

He never asked for her attention.

He was simply... there.

Watching over her.

In the kitchen, Gramps, Grandma and Rachel quietly sipped coffee while looking through the open doorway.

Grandma smiled softly.

"Look at her."

Rachel followed her gaze.

"It's like the weight has finally started to lift from her shoulders."

Gramps nodded.

"That's because she finally feels safe."

He rested his mug on the table.

"I spoke firmly to Alexander Last night."

Rachel looked at him.

"Did he listen?"

"I believe he did."

"I've never heard my son sound so ashamed."

Grandma sighed.

"Pearl sounded heartbroken too."

"I've never doubted that she loves Sienna."

"But loving a child isn't enough."

"You have to show them."

Rachel nodded.

"They spent years showing Willow she came first."

"And Sienna noticed."

Gramps looked down into his coffee.

"Alexander thought he was raising an independent young woman."

"What he actually did..."

"...was teach her to suffer in silence."

The kitchen fell quiet.

After a moment, Rachel asked,

"And Willow?"

Grandma thought carefully before answering.

"I don't think Willow was born this way."

"I think she grew up believing that if she cried loudly enough..."

"...someone would always come running."

Gramps nodded.

"And every time they rushed to Willow..."

"They unknowingly taught Sienna to expect nothing."

Rachel looked back into the living room.

Kristopher had once again glanced towards Sienna.

She smiled to herself.

"You know..."

"I don't think that boy has taken his eyes off her all evening."

Grandma chuckled.

"I noticed that too."

Gramps smiled knowingly.

"You can see it in his eyes."

Rachel looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Gramps nodded towards the living room.

"He doesn't look at her because she's beautiful..."

"Though she is."

"He looks at her because he genuinely cares."

"Every time she smiles, he relaxes."

"Every time she laughs, he smiles without even realising it."

Grandma's eyes softened.

"That's not just friendship."

Rachel smiled warmly.

"No..."

"That's love."

Gramps watched Kristopher quietly.

"He doesn't try to change her."

"He doesn't push her."

"He simply lets her be herself."

Rachel laughed softly.

"And he doesn't even realise everyone else can see it."

Grandma smiled.

"Neither does Sienna."

Gramps leaned back in his chair.

"Perhaps that's for the best."

"Our little artist has enough on her mind right now."

He watched Kristopher quietly hand Sienna another pencil before returning to his magazine as though nothing had happened.

"One thing I do know..."

"If that young man ever promises to look after Sienna..."

"I'll believe every word."

Grandma smiled.

"He already has."

Across the room, Sienna looked up from her painting and caught Kristopher smiling.

"What?"

Kristopher shrugged.

"Nothing."

"I'm just happy to see you smiling again."

Sienna smiled back, her eyes brighter than they had been in days.

"So am I."

From the kitchen doorway, Gramps, Grandma and Rachel exchanged quiet smiles.

They couldn't predict the future.

But one thing was already clear.

Kristopher saw Sienna for exactly who she was.

And that was something she had deserved all along.

Kenny quietly stepped into the kitchen after checking that the boys had settled into their rooms.

He took off his cowboy hat, hung it on the hook by the door and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee before joining Gramps, Grandma and Rachel around the old oak table.

For a few moments, no one spoke.

The only sounds were Sienna's soft laughter from the living room and Buddy's tail thumping happily against the wooden floor.

Kenny broke the silence.

"It does my heart good hearing her laugh again."

Grandma smiled.

"So does mine."

"I haven't seen her this relaxed in years."

Gramps looked towards the doorway.

"She finally doesn't feel like she has to pretend everything's alright."

Rachel sighed.

"She shouldn't have had to pretend in the first place."

Kenny slowly nodded.

"I've been thinking about Alex."

The others looked at him.

"I've been angry with him."

"Still am, if I'm honest."

He stared into his coffee.

"My little brother always worked hard to give his family everything money could buy."

"But somewhere along the way..."

"He forgot that children remember your time more than your money."

Grandma quietly agreed.

"Sienna never wanted expensive gifts."

"She wanted her mum and dad sitting in the audience."

Gramps nodded.

"Four empty seats."

"I can't stop thinking about that."

Rachel shook her head sadly.

"And then they drove to the airport instead."

The kitchen fell silent.

After a moment, Kenny spoke again.

"I do believe Alex and Pearl are sorry."

"I could hear it in his messages."

"He wasn't making excuses."

"He was blaming himself."

Gramps looked at his eldest son.

"So what happens now?"

Kenny leaned back in his chair.

"Now they prove it."

"They stop telling Sienna they love her..."

"And start showing her."

Rachel smiled.

"That'll take time."

"It should," Kenny replied.

"Trust isn't rebuilt in a day."

Grandma glanced into the living room.

Kristopher was quietly sitting beside Sienna while she painted.

Every now and then he looked at her with a gentle smile before returning to his book.

Grandma smiled to herself.

"You know..."

"That young man understands something Alexander is only just learning."

Kenny followed her gaze.

"He knows sometimes the best thing you can do..."

"...is simply be there."

Gramps smiled proudly.

"I've watched Kristopher all day."

"He never asks Sienna to be anyone else."

"He doesn't speak over her."

"He doesn't try to fix her."

"He just stays beside her."

Rachel nodded.

"That's why she trusts him."

Kenny smiled warmly.

"I think Alex has a long journey ahead if he wants to earn that same trust back."

Gramps took a slow sip of his coffee.

"He'll always be my son."

"And I'll help him become the father Sienna deserves."

He looked towards the living room where his granddaughter was smiling as she painted Paradise Valley Ranch.

"But until then..."

"Our little artist is exactly where she needs to be."

The others quietly nodded in agreement.

Outside, the evening breeze rustled through the trees of Paradise Valley Ranch, while inside, for the first time in a very long while, Sienna felt completely at home