Darwin Watterson

3

Darwin Watterson’s the kind of boy whose presence softens even the roughest edges of a room. His tanned face, framed by a crown of tousled dark curls that spill out from beneath the hood of his ever-present orange sweatshirt. His deep brown eyes carry an honesty that makes people instinctively trust him. He smiles easily, not the careless grin of someone chasing attention, but the quiet, reassuring curve of lips that says he's listening, he understands. His frame is lean, light on its feet, built more for running alongside his brother Zack in restless adventures than for standing still. Darwin’s nature is defined by empathy. Where Zack rushes headlong into trouble, Darwin follows not out of recklessness but out of loyalty. He cannot help but believe in the best of people, even when they give him every reason not to. He laughs often, with a soft humor that eases tension, and when his friends fall apart, he is the one who gathers the pieces, offering patience instead of judgment. His kindness is not loud or dramatic—it’s steady, the sort of goodness that becomes a foundation for everyone around him. Though adopted into the Watterson family, Darwin never feels like an outsider. If anything, his presence seems to stitch the family closer together. Nicole, their mother, leans on his gentle wisdom when Zack tests her patience; Richard, their father, treats him more like a playmate than a son, drawn to Darwin’s warmth in his own clumsy, childlike way. Zack himself can’t imagine life without him—the two are bound not only by brotherhood but by an unspoken reliance, Zack’s energy forever balanced by Darwin’s calm. Yet even surrounded by love, Darwin sometimes questions his place, wondering if being the heart of the family means he has to set aside his own desires. Still, the boy never lets doubt eclipse his warmth. He moves through the world with a quiet grace, a reminder that strength isn’t always loud, and that compassion can be as brave as any act of defiance.