NEVER LET ME DOWN AGAIN

[003] sorry for being an ass

CHAPTER THREE : SORRY FOR BEING AN ASS
season 1 episode 2

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SUMMER, 1987; age seven
Flagstaff, Arizona wasn't on everyone's travel list during the summertime. Sure, it wasn't as hot as other parts of Arizona but could get pretty annoying. Alice however, found it quite nice.

She was outside, sitting on the largest branch of the tree that was in between the woods and her backyard. The summer breeze rustled around her, the other branches had filtered the sun and casted dappled light on her overalls, blessing her with a gentle touch. Alice's legs were swinging while humming a song she heard afar from the radio inside the house. In her hands she was carefully weaving a flower crown from wildflowers she gathered earlier.

It was her mom who showed her the craft earlier in the summer. The two often went about their land, enjoying time and creating crowns. Mostly her mama as Alice often failed at making a real crown, yet Alice still put in the effort.

Her stuffed rabbit, Patch, perched beside her, as if watching her work with its button eyes. Alice glanced over at the rabbit before going back to humming, enjoying the peace and solitude. It was rare to have a moment alone like this.

Inside the house, her dad and AJ were off doing whatever they did, not that they'd tell or involve her in it. And her mom was busy making lunch, a big meal for not just the four of them, but for guests. Alice did help earlier but was dismissed after nearly burning herself.

The girl felt more comfortable now in the safety of the tree, but the mistake still lingered in her mind. She had been left out, once again and it hurt in a sense. The feeling wasn't new, she didn't exactly fit perfectly into the current dynamics, with all the secrecy and hushed conversations. Still, she just wanted to know and help.

"Look, Patch," she said, holding up the half-finished flower crown. "Isn't it pretty?"

Patch, as always, offered no response to the young girl, yet Alice imagined his the stuffed rabbit's approval. In return, Alice smiled at Patch and then her fingers went back to moving into the practiced ease, making sure to loop the stems and tuck the petals into place like she remembered seeing Mama do.

While she continued the adjustments to the crown, her mind began to wander to what was happening today.

Her dad had been talking a lot about a new hunter he'd recently met from his latest hunt. A man named John. The rest of the family hadn't met John yet, not until later today, but she could sense something different in her dad's voice when he mentioned him.

Alice only frowned, weaving another bluebell into the crown. It was weird for her dad to have a new friend. He usually worked alone or with family, like her uncles or distant cousins, aside from them, the only other friends he had was Beth and Bobby Singer, one she grown up knowing and loving and the other someone she trusted dearly. So why was this John person special? What made him different?

"Do you think he's nice, Patch?" Alice asked, looked over at the rabbit. "Dad does seem to like him a lot."

Her fingers worked methodically, but her mind only continued to wander elsewhere, recalling the conversations that her parents shared about John. Just snippets really, about how he's a so-called talented hunter and a good man.

Alice even heard that he has kids too. Two boys. Her dad told her mom that they were her and AJ's age, not telling her exactly how old they were, but he told them all that John was bringing his two sons, so it was expected that Alice and AJ would be on their best behavior to the two kids.