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Each booming voice, each set of boots clinking against the sidewalk, and every other busy noise of the marketplace contributed to the hammering in Hunter’s head. He squinted at the checklist in hand, turning away from the rising sun to get a better view. The handwriting was as tired as he was, wavy and unkept, making it even harder to read. He groaned loudly, scanning the ramshackle stands for anything and everything he needed.
Luz apologized to everyone she squeezed passed and gave Hunter a sympathetic smile once she finally caught up with him again. “I can probably take it from here if you want.”
“No,” he insisted, “we’re almost done. I can help with chores, too. It’s just a stupid grocery list.”
“Okay, okay. What’s left to get?”
He glanced at the list. “We still need Vee’s hot sauce, a bag of those peppers Camila likes, some fire honey, and–” He brought the paper closer to his eyes “–a replacement ‘Buttfor’. Luz, what’s a ‘Buttfor’?”
She snorted with laughter. “For sitting, obviously.”
He glared. “I told you not to write jokes on the list. This is serious business!”
She tilted her head. “Since when were groceries such a big deal? You’ve seemed kind of high strung this morning. Is everything alright?”
Hunter took an uneven breath that couldn’t have possibly been refreshing. “I’m fine. Let’s just get this done.”
“You know, the rest of the stuff on the list is pretty spread around. Maybe we could take a break. It’s not like we’re on the Isles everyday anymore.”
“Stop if you want. I don’t need rest.”
Luz frowned. She watched as he shambled miserably forward, pinching the brim of his nose and trying to bury his ears in his shoulders. This had been a recurring theme for a few days now. As she stood wishing for a way to help, a devious thought came to mind. She reached into her coat and retrieved her palismen. She kissed String Bean on the head, and she animated.
Hunter, a few yards ahead, failed to notice Luz hop onto her staff. She zipped over, still a bit unfamiliar with the balancing act of flying, and circled around him. By the time he had brought his eyes back up, she had already snatched the paper from his hand.
“Yoink!”
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Give that back!”
“No can do, Hunter. You’ll have to catch me first.”
He scoffed. “Why you–”
She narrowly dodged as he lunged at her, causing him to trip over his own feet. She took off so abruptly she almost fell from the staff, yelping as she realigned herself. He gave chase. With Luz about four strides ahead, they fled the town’s center and made their way toward the woods. She took sharp turns through allies and around every corner she could, never fast enough to shake him. Hunter pumped his legs like a mad man to keep up, slowly growing more impatient the further she made him run. By the time they reached the edge of Bonesborough he was planning on strangling her at least a little.
“I’m gonna beat you up if you don’t stop, Luz! Where are you even going?!”
“You are an amazing endurance runner, dude! Keep it up! We’re almost there!”
“Darn it, Luz!”
They broke through the forest’s edge without slowing. Luz arched from tree to tree, almost hitting all of them, but getting better nonetheless. The ground started to elevate, the air becoming crisp and clear compared to the depth of town. The breeze flowed more freely here, and the light less harsh through the dark green canopy. She set her focus behind her, giving Hunter a mischievous grin.
“I think I’m getting pretty good at this!”
She waited for more angry shouts, but was surprised to see shock cross his face. He reached out for her, still far behind, waving his hand to the side frantically. “Turn! Turn left, Luz!”
She looked ahead of her again and found that she was barreling towards a wide set of mossy rocks. Panic punched into her as she realized she couldn’t slow down before hitting them. She lowered herself closer to the ground to dig her heels into the dirt, but it became clear that she would slam into them. She braced for impact.
In a flash of yellow light, Hunter closed the gap between them. He tightly gripped the end of her staff and together they screeched to a halt. They stopped a few feet short of the hard stones. Luz chuckled nervously.
“Right. Eyes on the road. Nice save, Hunter.”
He was visibly less amused. He punched her in the arm, panting heavily. “What the heck…was that…about!?”
She rubbed the new bruise, still smirking. “You’ve been stressed out a lot lately. I figured this was the only way I could get you to do something other than work.”
He looked around the forest, trying to let the air cool him. “Says the girl who made me run for four minutes. What do you want from me?”
“I want you to take a break, Hunter. I don’t know why you’ve been so on edge recently, but I’m worried. It’s okay to have some fun sometimes.” She stuck her hand out. “Will you come sit with me for a sec?”
He reluctantly took her hand, letting her lead him to a nearby cliff. She plopped down near the edge, inviting him to sit next to her. He did so. When he did, the beauty of the area slowly revealed itself. The early morning sunrise filled the sky with pleasant colors that danced around the boiling waters below. The tree line surrounding them hosted a wide variety of flowers and tall, flowing grass. The chaotic sounds of the newly freed town had vanished completely. It wasn’t instantly gratifying, but an appreciation of the serenity set in.
“It’s nice, I guess. But we still have to finish up in town.”
“Can’t it wait? Just a little bit?”
He sighed, lowering his head. “I guess.”
Luz frowned again. “Can I ask why you’ve been so busy lately?”
He plucked at the grass beside him nervously, his breath finally normalizing as he looked out over the ocean. It took a minute for him to talk openly, but Luz didn’t push him. “All the others already moved back in with their families. If I’m going to be staying with you and Camila, I just want to carry my weight. I still feel weird living with you guys. Not in a bad way! I’m just not used to all the free time and…comfort yet.”
There was a bit of silence between them. Hunter worried for a moment that he killed the mood, but Luz casually leaned back on her hands and admired the sunrise with him, making him feel a little better. “I think you deserve some casual living. Some time to be a kid, you know? If being busy and pushing yourself helps you feel normal that’s just fine, but don’t think me or mamá need you to prove yourself or anything like that. You do plenty, Hunter. You’re family now. You don’t owe us anything.”
He laid flat on the grass, blowing out a long breath. He smiled. “Thanks, Luz. I still want to make Camila proud though. I want to be useful.”
“You can do that without overextending. You seemed a bit overwhelmed earlier. Just remember to step back once and a while.” She bumped his shoulder, also laying out on the grass. “Besides, I don’t think you know how much mamá and I love you. You’re rocking it so far.”
“Really?”
She laughed. “Yeah, really! You’re one of our favorite people. I’m glad to have you staying with us.”
He rubbed his eyes. “Huh. Wow. That’s really nice.”
They sat for another half hour appreciating the day. Luz spent the majority of the time petting String Bean and Hunter spent his time unwinding in equal measure. Eventually even the pounding of his head faded. When they left to return to work and head home, they did so with a new contentment and peace.