A Pocket Full of Posies (Book 1)

Chapter Twelve

Within days of entering the Christmas break, everyone besides Jamie, Carmen and I have gone home. Jamie and I are both staying here over Christmas, except Jamie's going to some second cousin's uncle's brother's niece's house or some shit for the week leading up to Christmas, and the few days following.

Carmen's only here for the first week of holidays, and I'm glad because I'm not sure how almost four weeks alone with Jamie would affect my rapidly frazzling brain. She's leaving tomorrow though, so I better brace myself. I've hit a brick wall with the ghost business, and I'm a little worried I'm in no place to be wasting time.

I've reached the conclusion that the best thing for me to do at this point is try and return to the manor house to track down that female spirit. As I sit at the kitchen island with a bowl of cereal that tastes of soggy feet, I search the opening hours of the place. Of course, it's closed for Christmas.

There are voices in the hallway, and while I recognise the deeper one as Carmen, there's another that's so high-pitched I think it may be giving me a migraine. I check the opening hours of the manor house again as if they'll have magically changed, but just become increasingly frustrated at the world for not working in my favour.

I'm so engulfed in irritability that I barely notice Carmen entering the room, an older woman with Southeast Asian features by her side. I assume it's her mother. Carmen's speaking at an uncharacteristically fast pace, and as I glance at them, I can't help noticing that her mum is kind of fit for someone who's probably forty-something.

"...I just don't think he'd want to, y'know, it's not that serious and--" Carmen freezes as she spots me. Her eyes quickly scan mine, she turns to face her mum, and smiles. She gestures towards me. "This is him."

"Huh?" I question.

Carmen widens her eyes, but I've got no idea in hell what that's supposed to mean. A gigantic grin bursts onto her mother's face, and she starts telling me her name--Lily, apparently--and asking me for mine, and she shakes my hand vigorously, and I don't think I've ever been more confused in my life. She has a thick Welsh accent, which sounds as equally perplexing leaving the mouth of someone with her features.

I watch her, dumbfounded, while she stares at me expectantly. What is she--Oh, my name.

"It's Felix." Carmen gets there before me.

"Oh, like the cat?"

You'd think I'd be used to that comment after nineteen--well, eleven years, though I'm sure it probably pissed me off at eight-years-old and under too. I resist a roll of my eyes, and nod. Lily goes to open her mouth again, but she's quickly interrupted by her daughter.

"We're just going to grab some stuff, won't be long," Carmen says as she glides over to me. She grabs my arm and yanks me from my chair, then nods at the end of the room where the sofas are. "Make yourself comfortable, be back now!"

Still with no further insight into what's going on, and now being pulled away from my breakfast and out of the kitchen, Carmen drags me into her room. She moves so quickly that I've not even got time to ask her what's happening before we enter.

"Okay, please do me a massive favour," she says the moment her bedroom door closes.

Her room is unnervingly clean, and I wonder if it's a girl thing or if I'm just grosser than I thought.

"Y'know how I said my 'rents are obsessed with being the first ones to visit me at uni, and all that bullshit?" she says, to which I nod. "Okay, well I've decided to go straight to my dad's from here tomorrow, so Mum being Mum obviously wanted to one up the guy and decided to surprise me, as she put it, and rock up unannounced today. The thing is..." Carmen clears her throat.