A Pocket Full of Posies (Book 3)

Chapter Nineteen

We convince Lily that Lina is Ava's dog. It feels like a sick thing to do, but what else were we supposed to tell her? We have no idea what happened. Sefu was the one who called Ava. Lina's body was found in her house. They think it was recent. Suicide. For obvious reasons, we think otherwise. Despite everything that's already happened, it's as if this has made it all finally feel real. This isn't a joke anymore.

The six of us are huddled in the master bedroom trying to unravel what the hell has happened, but the reality is we have no idea. There's no sign of Lina's spirit, so she's either lost with poor memory of her life, or passed over. To which side, we don't know.

It's not even eight o'clock when we all head to bed. I don't think it's tiredness, not in the traditional sense. More like mental exhaustion. The additional inconvenience of having to have picked broken china from the bottom of my foot earlier doesn't help my mood.

I put my phone onto charge before falling onto the large mattress, and pull the thick duvet over me. Despite being the master bedroom, all that fits in here is the double bed and built-in wardrobe. We have an en suite, so that's a bonus.

I pull the duvet over my head, and hide myself underneath it with a huge groan as if that's going to make everything go away.

"Do you think she's passed over?" Carmen questions as she joins me underneath the covers.

I turn my body to face her. The bedroom lamp is switched on, illuminating her sharp cheekbones. I shrug. I don't know. I have no idea. All I know is that if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be dead. Regardless of whether she ratted me out or not, she'd still be alive. I can't think like that. I know I can't, but it's really damn hard not to. How many people have to die on my behalf before this ends?

"Felix, don't feel bad. Please, she might well be the one who--"

"It's just a lot," I interrupt.

My eyes are locked into Carmen's honey-coloured ones as her hand finds mine under the covers. What if she didn't rat me out? What if she's innocent in all this, and Connor's spirits, or Connor himself, murdered her because she wouldn't give him what he wanted?

I close my eyes for a few seconds. This is how he'd want me to react. I can't give him that. I won't. Without moving from underneath the duvet, I pull Carmen towards my chest, and she nestles her face into my neck. I think we all just really, really need a good night's sleep. Sadly for me, I don't get that.

I wake up at around three in the morning. I don't think anything startled me awake, I just woke up. The cabin is deathly silent. Carmen's breathing heavily beside me, and I try falling back to sleep, but it's useless. After ten minutes or so, I give up and leave the room. When I emerge into the living area, the television is on. Annabel lies on the long sofa as she watches a shopping channel.

"Since when did ghosts need hoovers?" I question.

"For God's sake, Felix!" Annabel yells as she sits upright, and whips her head around to face me. "Way to scare the shit out of me!"

I shrug as I approach her, then fall onto the armchair. "You do it all the time."

"Mine is always accidental," my sister bites back. Sure it is. "And shut up. There's literally nothing else on."

It must be shit to never need sleep. Really boring. I've discussed it in length with Annabel in the past, and she says it doesn't faze her. I guess she doesn't really know any different.

"You okay?" Annabel asks as a man starts screaming about having one-hundred calls on the TV.

I shrug. Annabel sighs. She goes to speak again, but I shush her. I think I need time alone. I tell her this as I stand back up and spot Dad's hand-me-down jacket lying over one of the dining table's chairs. I pull it on, and mutter something about getting some fresh air to Annabel. When she goes to follow me, I tell her to stay. She hesitates, but lets me leave via a set of glass doors leading to the side of the cabin, and I'm surprised to find it's not too cold.