Storm Clouds (Crimson Hills Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 2

"She's not coming, Nana." Kathryn mumbled, curling deeper into the reclining armchair. A fire crackled in the brick fireplace beside her, filling the cosy room with warmth. Beyond the dated floral curtains, the sky was a swathe of black and indigo, scattered with stars – a bone-coloured moon hung full and low in the late-evening sky. Kathryn's Nana, Amélie Duncan, sat in the opposite armchair, staring blindly at the blank wall behind Kathryn.

"Non." She muttered in a thick French accent, shaking her head. "She will be here."

"Nana..."

"Silence, Kathryn." She interrupted. "Bridget viendra bientôt."

Kathryn fell silent, listening to the fire crackle beside her. Once again, Bridget was late for Family Night. Most of the time, she was out with Braeden and Valeria until late, if she came home at all. Kathryn, in comparison, barely left the house, except to see Aiden or Amber. People said they were as different as night and day, and although they looked similar – being cousins, after all – and shared the same grief over lost parents, there was no love shared between them. They were merely strangers who shared a home.

Thirty minutes passed before Nana finally dismissed Kathryn with a wave of her bony hand. She planted a kiss on her grandmother's head as she passed. The old woman clenched her hands into fists, shaking her head.

"Elle est comme sa mère." She muttered. "Be like your father, ma chérie."

"Oui, Nana." Kathryn replied, and left the room to head upstairs. Kathryn hadn't really known her Aunt Blair, since she died in the same accident as her Dad, but based on how Nana spoke about her, Kathryn guessed Blair had been as troublesome as her daughter.

It wasn't overly late, but Kathryn fell into bed anyway, pulling up Aiden's contact details on her phone. He answered after a few rings, sounding a little out of breath.

"Kitty-Kat." He said affectionately. "What's up? I thought you had family night tonight?"

"Bridget didn't show up again." Kathryn replied, lounging back against her pillows. She could hear the sound of traffic from the other side of the phone, and felt her chest tighten with anxiety. "What are you up to?"

"Not much." He said bluntly. "I thought you were going to be busy all night so I went out with the lads. If you're free I can come over?"

"No, it's fine. I'm tired so I think I'll go to sleep." She sighed. "Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Love you." He mumbled, drawing a deep breath.

"Love you too. Bye." She replied quietly, hanging up the phone and sighing into her duvet. Kathryn had always been insecure when it came to Aiden. He'd been distant and aloof when they'd first met, but even after opening up to each other, Aiden still kept a certain degree of separation between them. She'd never told anyone about her doubts, but the paranoia that Aiden might break up with her ate her alive every day.

It wasn't that she was jealous of his friends, or worried that he didn't spend enough time with her. Compared to other girls she knew, Kathryn was relatively low-maintenance, and gave Aiden the space he deserved. It was simply that...she got these niggling thoughts, like insects burrowing under her skin, and a sinking feeling in her gut, like she was waiting for the penny to drop.

The anxiety kept her awake for a while. When she finally fell asleep, Kathryn dreamt that she was walking into the Brookfield train station, where an almost-empty steam train pulled up to the platform, screeching to a halt. The doors slowly slid open, and from within stepped a girl dressed all in white, with wavy golden hair that fell to her chest. She looked up from behind her locks and...Kathryn stared back at herself.