The Queen Of Hearts

Chapter 2

She forgot about the card for the next two weeks, going about her business, as usual, keeping to herself while she did her homework in the library, went to classes and went to rowing practice once a week on Wednesday's. Still, every time she passed Winn in the hallways or spotted him eating alone in the dining hall, Kara would get the nagging feeling at the back of her mind, and the itch to draw that red Ace of Diamonds out of the drawer again. 

She never approached him though, just observed, keeping a watchful eye on him and waiting to see if he'd make the first move. Perhaps he was trying to get her attention - perhaps he liked her - but if he did, he kept a very large distance from Kara, because she never so much as met his eyes once.

But, on Monday evening, after winning her debate in their practice session, Kara made her way to the mail room, feeling elated at having won, and checked her pigeonhole for mail. Eliza's parcel for the next month was due to arrive any day now. To her surprise, all she found was another blank manila envelope, just like the last one, and Kara frowned, tearing it open right in the middle of the room. This one had another playing card inside, with the same generic red pattern on the back with another diamond on it. The Three of Diamonds. There were more words scrawled across it.

Protect the diamonds.

Jerking her head up, Kara frowned, glancing around at the empty room before she looked back down at the card, pushing her glasses up her nose as they slipped down slightly. Protect the diamonds. What was that supposed to mean? 

Crumpling up the envelope, she slid the card into the pocket of her navy cardigan and turned around, marching out of the musty mail room and into the dark panelled hallway, thinking of the card upstairs in her dorm. Whoever it was had been watching her, and they'd realised that she'd ignored Winn and whatever the card meant. He was clearly the diamond it was referring to, but what was she supposed to protect him from? 

Glancing down at the brown leather watch on her left wrist, Kara pushed her thoughts aside and doubled her pace, realising that she was going to be late to dinner if she dawdled. It was already dark outside, the evening air cool as it whistled through the draughty corridors and rattled the old glass windows. She kept her head down as she walked into the dining hall, the sound of laughter and loud conversations washing over her as she lined up behind a short eleven-year-old girl with dark curls, grabbing a plastic tray and letting the woman with grey hair slop some chicken casserole onto a plate and pass it to her. 

With the rest of the tray filled with an assortment of vegetables, she turned around and scanned the room for an empty seat, steering clear of the laughter coming from the far right of the room, near the doors. She could see Lena sitting on the bench, the muscled arm of the polo team's star player and captain, Jack Spheer, slung around her shoulder. Her usual group of friends were gathered around, and Kara ducked her head down, trying to go unnoticed.

Dinner passed by quickly, sitting alone at a table, eating her food, which of course was delicious - for the amount the tuition cost, of course the students would be eating food prepared by incredible chefs, even if it was served on cheap china on a plastic tray by a careless old woman. She spotted Winn at one point and spent the rest of dinner quietly watching him, grimacing when some of the fencing boys in their pristine white suits messed up his neatly combed hair and jostled him about as he tried to make his way through a book Kara could see was called Theory of Machines, laughing as they hassled him. He looked downtrodden as if he was used to it, and Kara saw somewhat of a kindred spirit in her helpless classmate, who was struggling through the same things as she was, and was already defeated before he even tried to stick up for himself. She pitied him.

After dinner, she went up to one of the common rooms, deciding to sit and wait and see if Winn came up too. He did. Sitting in a forgotten corner, much like Kara was doing, he read his book alone, and Kara did the same with To Kill A Mockingbird , hoping to make an early start on her next book report.