A Pocket Full of Posies (Book 3)

Chapter Nine

Despite the absolute car crash that was last night, I've woken up feeling pretty positive. I'm no less terrified of Sefu, but the banished voices are tame this morning, and I've got a sweet sense of relief over the knowledge Christopher is gone for good. That is, assuming the arsehole doesn't try to yell at me from the other side. He seems the type. My wrist is bloody killing me though. There's a lump on it, and it's turning a gross red-purple colour. Looks kind of cool actually. I poke it.

"Ow!"

Not doing that again.

Once I'm out of bed, I patter down the stairs in my pyjamas as quietly as I can. I use the term pyjamas loosely. It's literally an old t-shirt and a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms. I should get some like Chiku's, the ones with the rabbit-badger hybrid on them. It's gone eight so Sefu should have left for work by now, and the kitchen should be a safe zone, but I peek inside first, just to make sure. Phew. No Sefu. No sign of Chiku either. Nice.

"I am ravenous," I mutter, just as Annabel manifests herself onto one the kitchen counter.

"Stop talking to yourself," she says, sounding bored.

"Please, I never have the pleasure of talking to myself with you stalking my arse twenty-four seven."

"I've only just joined you, so you were technically talking to yourself."

"That makes no sense. You heard me, ergo, I wasn't talking to myself."

"Yeah, you were, you weren't intentionally--"

"Let us in! Stupid child!"

"--so technically, you weren't talking to anyone."

I wave my hand at Annabel as a sign for her to shut up, and make my way towards the fridge. She doesn't listen. She's still whining about something. I scan the shelves until I spot what I'm looking for, and grab one of Chiku's cocktails. I take a long glug of the drink, then put it back in place.

"Whoa, hey Felix."

Ava's voice makes me jump, and I smack my head hard against one of the fridge's shelves above me.

"Sorry," Ava offers, but when I stand up and turn to her in the doorway, she's suppressing a grin.

Annabel doesn't even try to hide it. She just laughs. Holy crap, that hurt. Ava heads over to the bread bin, and I'm rubbing the back of my head with my good hand when Chiku barges in. Her pyjamas have clouds on them, which is an interesting development. Her eyes meet mine, and hers narrow.

"Kijana bad!" she snaps, waving her hand in the air.

She starts shaking her head at me. I take it she knows about last night's misadventures then. Her attention doesn't stay on me long because seconds later, she shuffles over to Ava and closes the bread bin.

"Listen to us! Why aren't you listening?"

Piss off. Chiku needs to figure out how to make her cocktails work quicker.

"Fridge," Chiku says, and my attention returns to reality.

I turn to her, and she's pointing one of her pudgy fingers in my direction. It takes me a moment to realise she's referring to the fridge behind me, and not demanding Ava murders me, then stores my body in one. Ava hesitates, clearly trying to make sense of what Chiku is saying.

"Bread in fridge," Chiku elaborates as she nears me, then shoves me aside to open the freezer compartment of the fridge.

She brings out a loaf of frozen bread, then hands it to Ava, who thanks her. Chiku glances at me again, tuts, shakes her head, then leaves the room while muttering under her breath. I think every member of Ava's family has concluded that I'm hopeless by now. Ava must have had the revelation eons ago, and I'm sure Kato thinks it plenty behind my back.