Lonely Hearts

Chapter seven: Lincoln

As soon as the bus pulled into the drive, I grabbed my bag, fought my way off the bus and retreated to my room, not caring about registration. Charlie or Fred would be up in a minute to radio in my presence anyway so why bother?

I threw my bag down and flung myself backwards onto my bed so I was staring at the ceiling.

"What are you doing up here, Johnson?" Charlie asked, entering the room a few minutes later.

"Get lost." I grumbled.

"That's twice you've skipped registration this week. What if we lost you or something?"

"Then the place would be very quiet for a while until I came back." I muttered.

He frowned. "It's not a joke."

"I'm here, aren't I?" I muttered.

"That's not the point."

"Leave me alone, Charlie. I'm tired." I rolled onto my stomach, burying my head into my pillow.

He sighed and studied me silently for a minute before making a mark in the register and leaving. Slowly, I felt my eyes flicker shut. Tuning out the rest of the world, I fell into a deep sleep, a child's laughter playing on the edges of my mind like the sweetest music.

The laughter I hadn't heard in such a long time but would never forget.

~*~

Laughter rang out, making me blink awake. I stormed to the door and flung it open to scowl at whoever dared disturb me.

"Shut up!" I shouted at the kids as they took off down the corridor at my tone. "If I catch you again, I'll wring your scrawny little necks."

I slammed the door and stomped back to the bed before there was a tentative knock.

"Right, I'm not kidding. If you kids are still out there I'll–"

I stopped as I took in the person in front of me. Her lips already turning up into a megawatt grin.

"You'll what?" She sounded amused, her eyes twinkling in the fluorescent light.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice softer.

"I missed you at dinner so I decided I'd stop by." She shrugged carelessly, like it was no big deal.

"How did you know where my room was?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

She smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I asked the boys for directions."

I stared at her, perplexed until I realised she meant Charlie and Fred.

I stepped back, giving her room to come in. She entered and looked around at the pictures on the wall. Pictures of me and the girls. Of us and Mum. Of holidays, birthdays, a world where things made sense. A world long gone.

Funnily enough, I didn't have many pictures detailing my time in the Home. I had few acquaintances and fewer true friends. Most kids made friends here. No matter how short a time you stayed. It made it easier to deal with the teasing and ribbing that came from living in such close quarters to other kids.

I wondered who Skye would choose to make her days easier and form a family. Being the beautiful, charming girl she was, she wouldn't be lacking for admirers.

I lay back on my bed to observe her, shaking off the strange feeling of having my personal space invaded. Due to my boundary issues, few people dared to knock on my door.

"What is this? A social call?" I asked.

"You say that like it's unusual." Skye murmured, still surveying the pictures. "Is it?"