A Rose as Black as your Heart

(36) Broken Hearts

Chapter 36

When I woke up the next morning – late, as usual – the light filtering through my window was a dull, misty grey, with pale flecks filtering through the air. At first I thought it was a light rainfall, but on closer inspection, I recognised the tiny white puffs riding the air.

“Snow! It’s actually snowing!” I sprinted downstairs like a five year old on Christmas morning. “Matt! Have you seen it? It’s snowing!”

Matt was already up and dressed, munching on a slice of toast at the kitchen table. “So?”

“‘So?’ Are you serious? Actual snow!” I tore open the door and hurried outside. I was still in my thin cotton pyjamas, and my feet were bare, and I’d forgotten just how cold it got when it snowed. The frigid air wrapped around me like a blanket of ice. The snow was kind of pathetic, really; tiny white bobbles that melted as soon as they touched the ground, leaving the tarmac damp and slippery. There definitely weren’t going to be any snowball fights any time soon. I sighed disappointedly and headed back inside.

Matt snickered at my downcast expression and slid a buttered slice of toast towards me. “Not as good as you hoped?”

“Snow here sucks,” I said gloomily, pulling the strawberry jam towards me and scooping it over my toast. “I hate England.”

“Yeah, right,” Matt scoffed. He knew me too well to take me seriously.

I headed to school all wrapped up in gloves, scarves and a furry hat, like I did back in Canada. It wasn’t half as cold in Bridgewood, but I could almost imagine the snowflakes were proper, heavy blobs of ice when I was wrapped in my familiar gear.

Travis was waiting for me outside school. He snickered a bit at my snowman take-on, and tried to steal my woolly hat several times, but he didn’t bring up anything about Demons. I couldn’t help feeling relieved.

The day passed faster than usual, but I didn’t see Daniel once, not even at lunch. After school, when Travis and I were heading home, I spotted Rose hurrying along the road, her long black hair covering her face. I called out to her and waved. Beside me, Travis stiffened slightly, and I could tell everything he knew about Demons and Rose was colliding in his head, but when she smiled and headed towards us, he relaxed.

“Hey, guys. I haven’t seen you all day.” She easily fell into step with us.

“Was Daniel in today?” I inquired curiously. “I didn’t see him.”

Rose’s happy smile clouded over slightly. “Daniel stayed at home today.”

“Why? Is he sick?”

“Kind of.” She glanced hesitantly at Travis. “He, uh...” She lowered her voice. “Y’know. Phasing.” She glanced at him again.

“Travis knows everything,” I assured her.

“Oh!” Rose blinked at him. “And you’re okay about it all?”

“I wouldn’t say okay,” Travis said. “But I’m coping.”

“And hey,” Rose added brightly, “with a Demon and a Demon hunter as friends, what’re the chances of you ever getting hurt?”

“That hasn’t exactly worked out so far,” Travis reminded her, gesturing to the scar on his neck from Jason.

“Yeah, but if it hadn’t been for those guys-” I jabbed a thumb in Rose’s direction “-you’d be a little bit more than ‘hurt’.”

The three of us were broodingly silent for a moment.