Moonchild

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Anexartisias Street was for some reason busy, and I didn't mind really. Unless we were all crammed into a small room, I was pretty sure that I would manage. And to be frankly, I was walking beside Pani, so I felt the need to impress her in any possible way that I could. But, as much as I wanted to impress her, my feet couldn't coordinate. I could still hear her sweet voice saying those bitter words coming from her mouth:

"It's not your fault that Claire can't do the training tomorrow morning."

My legs were wobbly and I felt this knot in my throat that I couldn't swallow down for good. And the good weather or the people walking past us smiling couldn't possibly in the faintest way help with what was bugging me these last few minutes. Could it really be the same Claire? I needed to say something else. I needed to change the subject or it would be impossible for me to breathe. All those years ago I lost everyone that I loved. My best friends. But somehow the only person that I couldn't force myself to meet again was the only person that bullied me and my friends. The only person that I wished to be disappeared, but, instead my friends did. Maybe it was my fault after all that they disappeared when they did and now I should face the consequences.

Pani was talking and she had no idea that I was beginning to lose my senses, and I tried to nod whenever I looked at me, in order to show that I paid attention to her words.

The sun was unbearable, but it helped me when I thought it never would. I remembered that I was about to explain what we came here for. It took us five minutes from our work place to reach the Saripolou Square, and right before I started explaining to her what it was we were talking about yesterday and, in order for me to change the course of my thoughts thankfully away from Claire, we finally reached the bench where we sat.

We started talking and I realised that I was a multitasker. My mouth was talking about one thing, but my brain was occupied by a question:

Why did she say that Claire was the worst cousin ever?

Despite the comfiness of the bench and the way Pani spoke to me, I still couldn't shake away the thought that this beautiful girl, with the most amazing spirit that could lift my troubles away just with the faintest smile, would be related to the anticrist. My long forgotten enemy.

We were quiet for a beat, so I finally found the courage to ask. I was never going to do so, but, being so stupid as I was, I needed to know.

'Can you describe her?' I asked calmly, or maybe tried to ask calmly, but my troubled mind thought that manipulating my voice into some sort of off-key sound would be appropriate.

'Who?' She exhaled, but the big question mark on my face must have gave away the need to know everything. So, she added, 'Claire?'

'Yeah.'

'Like what she looks like?' She looked at me weirdly, then added, 'are you a creep?'

'Oh heck no,' my response came faster than I could run.

'So?'

I looked at her for a second too long, and I forgot what we were talking about.

'Which is it, Lucas?' She said and lit up.

My brain began to turn inside my head as if it was unscrewed and it started twirling fast in order to screw itself back tight. The cold sweat was as if snowflakes were dripping down my neck.

'What does she look like?'

'Why?' She said forcefully, and I could see in her eyes that my need to know was bugging her.

I swallowed the massive rock inside my throat when it appeared, and said that I was hanging out with a girl with the same name in secondary school.

Great, now you're a liar, Lucas.