Heartless

Heartless - Chapter Six

I slid a card out of the pack. 'Greetings from Maine!' it said in capital letters that nearly covered the whole postcard, the spaces in between the lettering showing a picture of the sea. I scrawled my old home address on the back, putting the recipient as Marcus Forbes. 

I pursed my lips. Who should the postcard be from this time? 

'Dear Marcus and Kate,' I wrote down carefully, making sure that the handwriting was different from my own. 'Have a very happy Christmas. I'm sorry that I couldn't make it - maybe next year. I hope you are well.' I hesitated, thinking before finally adding, 'Love from your Great Aunt Clara'. 

They'd know what it meant. Great Aunt Clara had died ten years ago, when I was just nine years old. I barely remembered her, but my parents had said that she was austere and old fashioned, comfortable to live out her long years in solitude in her little bungalow in Leister. She definitely wouldn't be the kind of person to send a 'Greetings from Maine!' postcard - it would be too garish and besides, she wouldn't have left England even if you paid her.  

When Luna came back, the postcard was still on the table and I was frowning down at it, trying to work out if Kate and Marcus would know who the sender really was. She held a tray in one hand, with two steaming mugs balanced on top, and a plate in the other. 

"Don't expect us to do this for you every morning," she said as she put the plate down in front of me with a clatter. "Pete had some mix spare and the washing up guy hadn't done the waffle iron yet." 

"I feel so special," I said, immediately picking up my knife and fork and cutting off a piece. 

Luna sat down opposite me, putting the tray down on the far side of the table. She picked up the postcard. "Writing to them again?" 

"It's Christmas. I'm just trying to spread some cheer," I said, my mouth still full of waffle. 

She peered down at the address. "I've never heard of this place you've written down." 

"It's rural... I don't think anyone really knows where it is. Anyway, you have no idea where anything is in England." I picked up a jar of syrup from the table and drizzled it over. 

"That's not fair. Tell me what city it's near and I'll know." 

I looked up at her, raising my eyebrows. "Okay. It's near Bristol." 

"Bristol? Isn't that in Rhode Island?" 

"My point is proven," I said, taking another bite. 

"Okay, okay. Maybe I don't know the geography that well. So what?" She reached over to the tray she'd carried over, picking up one of the mugs. I smelt the strong aroma of coffee and made a face. I really couldn't handle the smell. 

"I've found your kryptonite," Luna said. "It's not vampires or strange metals or cute boys, it's coffee." 

I groaned, picking up my cup of tea and taking a sip. It was scalding hot, burning my tongue and searing my insides all the way down. "I hate to interrupt your eureka moment, but actually I don't mind it. I just hate the smell of it." 

"Hey speaking of cute boys, who was that guy who was with you last night?" 

'Nice segue," I said, avoiding the question. 

"You owe me this much at least." 

I sighed, looking down at my tea. Steam was still rising from it, hitting me straight in the face. I breathed it in, trying to relax. The subject of Hunter had already put me on edge."He's someone from the past-" 

"Ooh, mysterious." 

"And he's not important," I said flatly, cutting her off, "because I'm never going to see him again." I took another sip of tea.