H for Hartley [EDITING, not updating until present chapters are re-written]

H for Hartley Chapter 7

I lowered my head, almost frightened to see her reaction, when I heard a sudden outbreak of laughter. 

I snapped my head up and looked at her hurtfully. She thought this funny? That I was going to die? "It's not funny Aunt Jenna." 

She breathed for a few seconds and tried to gain some control before she answered me. "Violet, do you know how many people I have said that to?" 

"Well me, but-" 

"Twenty seven." 

My mouth hung open. "T-Twenty seven?" 

"And they are all alive and healthy," she smiled. 

I slouched back in my seat. I can't believe I overreacted the way I did. "But you said...you told me that I was going to meet a stranger on the first day of school, a-and I did," I stuttered. 

She gave me a look. "Violet. You meet strangers everyday. That means nothing." 

"But then you said..." should I tell her about James? I pondered the idea for a second, before explaining. 

"You said that someone in town had a dark secret. A boy called James Hartley. You said that if anyone found out about it, then it could affect all of us." 

She looked at me with confusion. "Really?" 

"Really." 

"Hmp," she said as she lay back on the back of her seat. "I doubt that any of it is real V. I'm sure there are a lot of people with secrets. Everyone does. Maybe even some 'dark' ones." 

"But you said something would happen to all of us..." 

"I was probably overreacting. You know how spiritual people always make things bigger than they really are. You of all people should know that Vi." 

I looked at her, almost not believing everything I was hearing. Maybe meeting James was nothing after all. Maybe that man at the car park was just unlucky. 

I can't believe how much I over thought this whole situation. "You honestly think it's nothing?" 

"I'm sorry Violet," she apologised, "I didn't think you'd get so worked up over something like that. And no, I don't think any of it is true." 

I sighed and my aunt smiled warmly at me. She pulled me into a tight hug and said over my shoulder, "You have nothing to worry about Vi. It will all be fine. You don't need to think about it a second more." 

I squeezed her tightly as I felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. 

I'm glad I decided to tell her everything, because in fact, everything was false. None of it was real. I wasn't going to die, and I met James by accident. He was not a problem after all. 

I pulled back from my aunt's hug and smiled brightly at her. Everything was going to be ok after all. She stroked my hair and we continued eating our Chinese food. 

One day at a time.

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I wondered if Rebecca was like me. 

Was she what I thought she was? Was she...immortal? 

She couldn't possibly be...she seemed TOO human. She had flesh and warmth and blood... 

Everything I DIDN'T. 

I slammed my fist angrily onto my wooden desk and created a dent in the woodwork.