Keeping up with her studies got tougher every week. More coursework piled onto her this semester than ever before and she diligently kept up with every last bit of it. In kind, conversations with Lucas were sparser. She tried to call him every day, wanting to hear his voice and laugh with him, but then her calls came every other day, right before bed. Often, she would fall asleep midway through their call and wind up having to apologize the next day via text. Her weekends were cut into by Saturday classes, but she luckily had Sundays free and went to the Bakers every chance she got.

Whenever she came over, she got to see her babies. Hunter and Diane seemed to be doing great. The young puppy would greet her exuberantly, jumping up at her knees and waggling his little tail so fast that it would sting whenever he hit her with it. But she loved it; his strength, his excitement, and his cute little puppy face. He was coming up on three months and looking fairly normal — still small, but not worryingly so.

Lucas often asked, "We're gonna take 'im down t' the river fer spring break, right?", or similar urgings, and Persephone had to agree. To make Hunter stronger and give him an adventure after his rough start in life, they had big plans for the dogs and each other. She couldn't wait to take her babies to New Orleans, let them enjoy the sights and smells of all sorts of people and other dogs. Their vacation was going to be amazing, they would both see to that. After all, she and Lucas deserved a good break and some quality time together.

She woke up to her alarm one morning, instantly aware that her finals were coming up, and fast. What day was it? Wednesday? Thursday? Either way, she had class in a couple of hours. Her hand smacked the nightstand, searching for her charging phone. She turned her alarm off and checked the phone; 100% battery and Lucas had texted her, like always. She eagerly read the message, expecting a 'good morning, beautiful' or something similar. But the two words she read instead dropped an acidic pit in her stomach.

'come over'

It made her feel sick. Persephone didn't eat breakfast. The moment she'd finished dressing and brushing her teeth, she took the car and drove to his house. During the whole drive, she pondered the meaning of his text. It was sudden, strange, and, considering the finals were a week away, inappropriate. Did he want to skip school for some reason? No, it couldn't be something so innocent. When she checked the text at a red light (no replies to her simple 'be right there'), she felt an urgency in his two, simple words. If it was as innocuous as skipping school, he would've elaborated. A pressure tore at her heart as she pulled up to the estate — maybe she was paranoid, but a darkness surrounded it. It was as bright as ever for the Louisiana springtime, yet a voice inside her head told her that she wouldn't find anything pleasant in his home.

The gates were locked, as always. She parked just out front and climbed over, rather than call and wait for someone to come out. The more she thought about the text, the more she couldn't wait. After hurrying up the porch, she tried the doorknob first thing; locked, as normal. Persephone's fist frantically hammered the door. Waiting for the door to open, she paced, her foot tapping against the porch each time she stopped to breathe easier; waiting and waiting and waiting — it was killing her.

Then, the door slowly creaked open, like the weight of the world rested upon its hinges. Marguerite's frowning, darkened face greeted her.

"Lucas is out back," she said in a chilling near-whisper.

Persephone squeezed past as quickly (and politely) as she could, jogged through the open main hall, and out the back door. She noticed Lucas off to the side, slumped down, face in his hands. She collapsed to her knees beside him, putting her hand on his back, her mind swirling with questions that her shocked tongue couldn't articulate.

He looked at her, red eyes and puffy lids stunning her already disoriented brain. A cardboard box rested beside him, along with a shivering Diane. She didn't get to ask him what had happened before he spoke, his voice raspy and coated with phlegm.

"Hunter…"

No other words came out of his trembling lips. Her mind blanked and she swallowed against her instantly dry throat. A trembling hand reached over and lifted the lid of the box.

An unmoving Hunter lay inside.

The half-dug grave for the pup had been abandoned in favor of comforting Diane. Lucas pet her head and held her paw, but nothing stopped her shaking.

"She was cryin' this mornin'," Lucas said somberly, words breaking Persephone's heart. "Like… Screamin' cryin'. Scared the shit outta me, so I followed her, n'…" He inhaled a quivering breath. "Hunter was already dead."
Persephone put her arms around him, willing herself not to cry. "I'm so sorry, Lucas."

A little while later, in hopes of easing everyone's grief and preoccupying her mind, Persephone decorated the plain cardboard box with leftover wrapping paper from Christmas, making it similar to a little gift which she then bundled tightly in plastic wrap to keep the bugs away. The poor pup. She continuously had to swallow her tears and stay strong for Lucas, who'd stopped digging the grave several times to excuse himself to the bathroom and be alone.

He and Jack eventually finished the small grave for Hunter that evening. The entire family surrounded the grave as Jack and Lucas buried him. Zoe and Marguerite held one another, sobbing. Persephone knelt beside Diane, keeping her away from Hunter's resting place as she'd repeatedly tried to dig at the dirt covering her final, lost baby.

Once the grave had been filled in completely, the family went to the kitchen to be together, leaving Lucas, Persephone, and Diane outside.

"C'mon, Diane," Persephone urged her gently, "we gotta go inside, okay?"

Diane refused to move, staring at Hunter's tomb, whimpering, trembling. Lucas tugged on Diane's pink bandana but still she ignored him. He had to pick Diane up and carry the wailing dog inside.

Diane shook in the corner, having refused all food and water. The family sat around the kitchen table. No one spoke. They all stared at their cups of coffee or tea, or the empty space in front of her, in Persephone's case. After a few minutes, Lucas stood.

"'Scuse me."

He left, footsteps thudding above them toward his old room. All was quiet for a while after that, too, excepting Zoe's soft sobbing.

Persephone let Lucas be alone. She'd check on him in a little while — until then, he needed time to sort out his emotions. Sooner or later, she would require much the same.

"I've never seen him so upset," Marguerite breathed. Her hands grasped her full mug of now-cold coffee.
"He really loved that dog," said Jack.
Zoe held onto her quivering voice as she spoke. "We all did."

Diane blubbered in the corner, crying and whining. Zoe rushed to her side and tried to comfort the distraught dog, gently shushing and petting her. Poor girl had lost all of her puppies now. She wondered if Diane was thinking about her dead newborns, too. Diane had wanted to keep Hunter safe, always the first by his side if he ever needed her. Yet he'd perished as well.

After a deep, steadying breath as Diane calmed down, Persephone pardoned herself from the table to check on Lucas. She went upstairs toward his old room, where Hunter's toys and bedding were. The door had been left cracked open and Persephone peered inside. Lucas sat on his bed, holding a ragged teddy bear that Hunter loved to sleep with. It was dirty, torn up, and probably soggy from drool; a treasure trove of memories.

She knocked on his door. He didn't say anything, quickly wiping his face on his sleeves instead.

She came in and fully shut the door behind her. "You okay?"
"No."

She sat beside him on the bed and laid her hand on his shoulder. The moment she touched him, he covered his face with his hands and the bear, then hunched down as he sobbed. His body quivered and she comforted him as best as she could — rubbing his shoulders, kissing them through his hoodie, caressing his back — but nothing stopped his flow of tears.

Persephone couldn't stand to see him this way. His heart had been shattered, a heart that she'd helped him rebuild. In a way, she felt guilty. If it hadn't been for her spotting Hunter and Diane, Lucas wouldn't be in this situation, distraught over a puppy he'd tried so hard to keep safe. If it hadn't been for her in general, Lucas would still be bitter and angry and incapable of love. But he wasn't that same teenager anymore.

Lucas lifted his head from the bear and looked to Persephone with watery eyes.

"I thought he was strong enough. I really did. He was so playful just yesterday. We were gonna teach 'im to swim durin' spring break, take 'im to New Orleans…"
"I know," she replied, staying calm for him. "I thought he was going to make it, too."

It took all the strength she could muster to hold onto her tears as he pulled her into his arms.

For a few days after, a dispirited Lucas could only respond to her texts with single words. Whenever he spotted her in the halls at college, he would throw his arms around her and hold her until they were late for class.

However, the sting lessened as the days turned to weeks.

By the time late May rolled around — and with it, spring break — he talked excitedly about taking Diane to New Orleans.

The drive there started off slow, with not much but the radio and Persephone singing, but once they got off 90 and turned into the city, things picked up on the streets. They were filled with people and traffic slowed to a near halt. Their slow pace called Persephone's gaze to all of the shops; restaurants mixed with voodoo marts mixed with jazz bars. Most of the stores were two-stories with railed balconies, decorated with garlands or lights. Some things were ornate, some things were downtrodden, and the rest was an in-between mixture. She'd never seen New Orleans before and it took her breath away.

Despite that Louis Armstrong Park was only a few miles off the exit ramp, it took nearly 45 minutes to get there, where their reserved parking space waited. When they parked and Lucas opened the back door, Diane leapt out, sniffing the air and nearly tripping over the concrete bumper before the sidewalk. Luckily, Lucas had a good hold on her leash and the harness firmly attached around her chest which prevented her from face-planting.

They'd picked a gorgeous day. Warm but with a nice (albeit swampy smelling) breeze. Only a few clouds flecked above them, Persephone noticed as she took a look at the blue sky. She retrieved their backpack and slung it across her shoulders; their bottled water and sandwiches close.

The park was just as packed as everywhere else and a few people eagerly asked to pet Diane as they passed. Persephone couldn't blame them — Diane was cute as hell with her three legs and golden fluff. Diane didn't mind the extra attention and greeted everyone with an affable wag and curious sniff.

Once she left the park, Persephone held Lucas's hand and tugged him along the road.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She effused, "I can't wait anymore!"
But an equally enthusiastic Diane pulled Lucas the exact opposite way.

After getting Diane's attention, they got back on track, still holding hands as Diane trotted beside toward their first destination: The House of Voodoo. They'd planned to go there as soon as she found out the establishment allowed dogs. Lucas stated his curiosity to know exactly what about occult stuff made Persephone 'so obsessed'. She couldn't describe the allure to him — the death, the dark, the creep-factor — but he would soon find out, she was sure.

The House of Voodoo was one of those in-between types of stores, with once pristine walls covered with ivy. Its sign had been written in purposefully crude black marker hung somewhat tilted, and its windows were filled with voodoo dolls, glass bottles of unknown liquids, skeleton decals, and skulls. Diane was the first to waltz into its wide-open, recessed entrance. Both Diane and Persephone breathed deep the fruity aura of ambrosial incense.

Tribal masks in dark colors, bottles of 'potions', and all sorts of creepy, occult-like items lined the shelves and walls. Lucas simply followed Diane around as she led him through the store, leaving Persephone to explore what she wanted. She heard Diane getting stopped by excited patrons for pettings or to fawn over her three-legged gait, but Persephone was too preoccupied with quelling the urge to shove everything into her shopping basket.

After half an hour in the shop, Persephone had an authentic shrunken head, a golden 'potion of luck' (made with turmeric to dye it the brilliant yellow, which gave Persephone a little chuckle), two cloth voodoo dolls, a few creepy knickknacks like a fake skull and a rubber vampire bat, as well as a black book of occult symbols inside of her basket. When the pep in her step had her almost skipping up to the checkout counter, Lucas was right behind her and insisting on paying for it all. She half-heartedly protested at first, but she let him buy everything in her basket, delighting in the prideful look in his eyes.

"The voodoo dolls are really cool, actually," he said as they left the shop. "Creepy as hell."
"Right? I dunno where I'm gonna put them, but they're awesome."
"Yer takin' me to the dark side, Pers."
"And Diane is next."

The Museum of Death was their second destination, which Persephone gushed about the whole way there. They'd need to go one at a time due to Diane not being allowed inside, so Lucas let Persephone go first.

About an hour later, beaming uncontrollably but not wanting to spoil the Museum for Lucas, Persephone took over Diane's babysitting so he could enjoy it. She waited, holding the backpack and giving Diane water from a bowl they'd taken for her.

"You wouldn't believe it, Diane," Persephone gushed, petting her. "There were shrunken heads and skeletons and — well, dead stuff, basically! Lucas is gonna love it."
Diane whimpered, jowl dripping with water as she looked back to the entrance.
"It's okay, baby, Daddy's gonna come back soon. Promise."

When Lucas returned — after getting practically mauled by a jumping, ecstatic Diane — he also effervesced about the contents; the mummified heads, the mural to serial killers, and all the wonderful morbidities held within its walls. With excitement and a bounce in her stride, she and Lucas chattered about the Museum as they continued trekking through the streets of New Orleans, heading toward Washington Avenue to get to City Park.

Street bands scattered all down Washington Ave. Every corner had a free-roaming jazz-style band, with hats or jars or boxes for tips from passers-by. Persephone enjoyed the enthusiastic indie bands, music she'd never hear on the radio. New Orleans truly was something else, unique and fascinating and, perhaps because she spent her time with her two favorite people in the world, amazingly fun. Her delight was cut short by Diane yanking Lucas down the street, prompting Persephone to chase after them.

"Woah, woah, Diane, what's the rush?" Lucas asked, pulling on the leash and trying to regain control.

But she didn't stop until she reached the end of the street, where she instantly planted her feet and watched the band on the corner. Her head cocked from side to side, listening to the prominent mixture of clarinet and trumpet from two of the band members.

"Oh, I see," Persephone commented. "This must be her favorite band."

Diane's tail wagged when the clarinet player looked toward her, smiling against his mouthpiece.

"Looks like it," said Lucas, reaching in his pocket. "I'll tip 'em fer 'er."

He dropped a couple of bucks into their tip jar and Diane jumped up and down, barking as if in approval. Persephone watched her for a while as Diane continued her exuberant display for the music, making the band play more ardently for their excited audience. All around them, people walked and drank, a few danced as they passed and some even stopped to do so. Persephone couldn't imagine dancing. She never did and didn't know how.

As if Lucas could read her mind, he grabbed her hand and tugged her toward him.

"What're you doing?" She asked.
"Joinin' Diane in the fun."

He brought her in and rested his opposite hand on her waist, twirling her around him. Her unpracticed feet stumbled a bit and his inexperienced lead didn't provide much to lean back on, but their completely amateur dance made her smile and laugh. Diane jumped up onto them, breaking up their dance with her abandoned leash clamped in her jaws.

"Look who's jealous," Persephone joked.
"All right, all right, calm down," Lucas said to Diane, gently pushing her off him.

Before taking the leash once more, Lucas moved Persephone's hand toward his lips and tenderly kissed her knuckles. She giggled — he could be so adorable, and so dorky.

She continued down Washington with him and Diane, toward their next and final stop. The day's busy and noisy streets livened as the afternoon set upon New Orleans — more people were turning out of clubs and bars, drunk as can be. Persephone stuck close to Lucas to avoid getting puked on by the staggering drunkards. A few people came up to them, particularly tourists, to ask to pet Diane who adored the extra attention.

Down at City Park, Persephone took in the completely different environment, blanketed in trees and lush grass. Wild animals ran all around, up tree trunks and across cobblestone pathways; squirrels and chipmunks, mallards and pigeons. This, of course, made Diane go nuts as they walked toward the lake, chasing back-and-forth any animal that flew above or ran below. Another dog, off-leash and far better behaved, already swam in the water, chasing a ball. When the dog — which Persephone accurately identified as a Labrador mix, according to his human — got out of the water and shook off, Diane hid between Lucas's legs.

When Diane slowly came out, she sniffed at the other dog who patiently waited, wagging his otter-like tail. They met nose-to-nose and Diane intently smelled him, probably getting the scent of the lake water dripping from his coat. The other dog, called Buck, tried to initiate play by bowing and jumping, which Diane normally would've loved but the odor of the lake seemed to put her off and she ran away from him.

Buck returned to his dad's side and chased his ball out into the waters as Diane watched with a mixture of interest and what Persephone surmised as doggie disgust.

"Go on, girl," Persephone urged. "Wanna go swimmin'?"
"She hates it," said Lucas.
"But you're a retriever, Diane."
Diane didn't move, only watched.
"I don' think she's havin' it."

Eventually, Diane sniffed Buck's water trail while he dove back into the lake. Persephone didn't think she'd stick around for very long, but to her and Lucas's shock, she dropped down into the puddle and rolled in the muddied ground. The rolling kicked up a bunch of mud and she tossed it around when she shook off, but it seemed to inspire her to try the lake.

She waded out and soon went for an off-leash swim alongside her newfound friend.

"Figured she'd come around," said Persephone.
"She looks like a drowned rat," replied Lucas, tossing the ball for her once again.
"Yeah, but look how happy she is."

Diane's face was pulled back in a doofy dog grin and tail held proud whenever she exited the water with the ball in her mouth. She would trot over to Lucas, drop the ball in his hand, and jump around to try and entice him to throw it again.

Seeing Diane this way made Persephone think back to Hunter. It would've been amazing to take him to the lake, too, have him romp and play alongside his terrific mother. But she couldn't dwell on Hunter's death and upset herself, not when Diane's worries seemed to have melted away. And Lucas's worries had, too. Persephone saw the glow in his eyes every time Diane rushed up to him and begged for the ball to be thrown. She wiped a stray tear away, returning her mind to the present so she could enjoy the rest of her evening.

As the sun started to set, she and Lucas had to reel in Diane's playtime. She protested going home by playing tug-of-war with her leash when Lucas tried to hook her back in, and then ran off back into the water, lead in her mouth, when Persephone retrieved a towel. She finally got caught when she went to say goodbye to Buck, who also left the park for the day.

By the time Persephone and Lucas headed back to the car, the sun had set and nightlife of New Orleans came out in spades. Fluorescent lights illuminated the streets, clubs grew louder with their jazz and swing music, and somehow everyone seemed livelier than they had been during the morning and afternoon. She and Lucas held their moistened hands during their leisurely jaunt.

"It's gonna be so nice to get back home," she said.
"We'll finish this date up real nice," he replied, kissing the side of her head.
"It's been perfect, Lucas. I'm sure Diane feels the same way."
He removed his hand from hers to put his arm around her waist instead. "Gotta keep both a' my girls happy."
Persephone leaned her head against his shoulder, adoring the new memories they'd made and the fuzzy feeling residing in her heart. "You're doing a great job of that. Love you, Lucas."
"Love you, Pers."

Diane then turned and jumped onto them, whimpering dramatically.

Lucas pet Diane's head. "Love you, too, Diane."
Persephone scratched the side of Diane's neck. "That's right, girl. We love you, too."

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