Dylan fought to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. She bit her lip, gritted her teeth and nodded yes. Alice could easily see how upset Dylan was She assumed she was choked up about the death of her friend. She offered, “Do you want to take a break? Can I get you something to drink?”

Dylan swallowed hard, cleared her throat and responded, “Some water would be good, thank you.”

Max brought a glass of water over to Dylan. As Dylan drank, Alice studied her. She had soft but chiseled features. Her dark brown eyes were warm and seemed to invite you into her soul. She was very attractive and obviously sensitive. She could see how Helena would have been attracted to her. Alice commented softly to Dylan, “It still gets to you. It still hurts after all this time.”

Dylan nodded thinking about the pain she still bore over Helena, “Yes it does. I’m not sure if it ever will stop hurting.” Alice assumed Dylan was upset about the death of her friend and watched as Dylan struggled to collect herself.  After an awkward silence, Dylan looked at Alice and asked, “I am sorry. Where were we?”

Alice thought the question was odd given the display of emotions she had just seen. She answered, “You were talking about the death of your friend. But we can move on from that.”

Dylan nodded in response. Alice asked with her usual peppiness, “So, how has it been coming back to LA?”

Dylan paused and carefully contemplated her answer. “It’s good. I’ve forgotten about the hustle and bustle of this city. It makes Atlanta look like a small town. The studio has kept me pretty busy with all these interviews. We have a few more before the premiere in a couple of days. But in a few days I’ll be done here and then it’s off to a nationwide promo tour.”

“So you will be leaving soon?”

“Yes.” Dylan answered softly.

Alice watched as Dylan seemed to be saddened by her answer.  “I see. So what other projects have you are you working on?”

Dylan’s mood seemed to improve with this question, “Quite a few but my favorite has been chronicalling the lives and stories of some refugee kids.  They live in an immigrant community just outside of Atlanta. They were drawn together over their love for soccer and with the help of an woman in the community, they formed a soccer team.  They are a very unlikely team, with a very unlikely coach. These kids are survivors of war in their various countries.  They have little to nothing and in some cases, in their home countries they would be enemies. But thousands of miles from home, they are simply fellow survivors and now teammates. The team gives them structure and a sense of family. Often it is all they have. Sometimes the team might be the source of their only meal for that day.” Dylan smiled brightly as she spoke of them, “These kids are great. They have such incredible stories. They have overcome so much and have taught me so much.” She paused, bit her lip and added softly, “They’ve taught me what courage is.”