The Huntress

Part Four

We walked through the quarter until just before sunset.

"Let's go. We gotta be at the beach in ten minutes." Aloysius said, checking his weather app for the sunset time.

"Why are we meeting Hannelore again?" I ask, tossing the napkin from my ice cream cone into a blue metal trash can.

"I gotta get some herbs, and you gotta be my wing woman." He said, shoving his iPhone in his back right pocket, and proceeding to do a cartwheel.

"Wow, still trying to master the art of the cartwheel, are you?" I say, jumping onto my hands and talking a few steps, the palms of my hand on the concrete.

"Doesn't that hurt?" He asks, watching me as I take a moment to retrieve my grounding.

"Not in the slightest bit. It's either a part of being crazy, or the Lukas heir. I don't know which."

"Probably both." Hannelore responds, laughing at the sight of my blood rushed face.

"Probably, but more than likely the Lukas heir. I'm not crazy enough to walk over to the beach on my hands half of the way from the ice cream shop." I say, brushing off the sediments digging into my hands.

"So you brought the town psycho to retrieve the herbs with you, huh?" She said, jokingly.

Aloysius answered with, "Yup, it's easier to look sane walking through the streets with bags of herbs if you have her by your side."

"He speaks the truth, people will look at me and not him when we go back." I say, trying to keep my anxiety at bay.

"So...how about that summer carnival next week." Aloysius stutters awkwardly.

"Yeah. Wanna go with us, Hannelore? Like a group kind of thing?" I ask, giving Aloysius a break from his nerves.

"Sure, you got back a week ago, and you need a night out, but I'll come on one condition. Come here Meg." She replies, dragging me over by a tree stump.

"What?"

"Let me have a couple minutes alone with Aly, it was bad you were in the hospital, but nice to get to know him. I just wanna test the waters, I saw how nervous he was to ask me to it."

"Wait. Do you like him too? 'cause he has had the largest crush on you since forever." I say, making Hannelore blush. It felt nice to focus on someone else's life, instead of mine.

"Wow, and I thought I was crazy." She exclaimed, laughing.

We return back to Aloysius trying to walk on his hands.

"Nice try buddy, but it'll need some work." I say, laughing at Aloysius as he falls into the sand.

"How was your little chat? You all caught up on everything in Meg's life?" He asks, picking himself up off the sand.

"Yes, yes I am." Hannelore responds. I could see a small smile creep across her face.

"Okay, okay. I'm here too Mr. and Mrs. doughy eyes!" I exclaim, the silence was getting awkward.

We had finished up with Hannelore, and we got the herbs from her mother's Apothecary.

"So...school tomorrow. I'll be back." I say, awkwardly shoving my hands in the pocket of my black hoodie.

"Yeah..you sure you're ready?" Aloysius asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I respond as the anxiety fills up every hole and crevice of my being.

"I know you don't really think so, but you will be. It won't be so bad. I'll be there to look insane for you, I did kinda blurt out that I was a warlock. I know your anxiety gets pretty bad for you, and you had to go in for your depression, but your getting better. I'm here for you to be your friend and look insane." He responds. He always knew how to lift my spirits, gladly not literally. It was nice to know he was always gonna be here.

"Damnit!" I yell, thinking of my curfew.

"What?" He asked, turning around to walk backwards.

"My stupid curfew and bio homework." I say, thinking of my grandma walking up the stairs to my room and me not being there.