BAD-002
Barista: Julia Morningstar
Date: Jan-6-2020
Receipt: BAD-002
Subject: Omens
That was… certainly one way to have my first drink.
Hell of a way to start.
It’s not just my head pounding. My arm too.
I woke up later than everyone else, still tangled in the sheets, the dull ache in my arm dragging me back down every time I tried to fully surface. My mark still burns—not as sharply, not like a wound, but like embers beneath my skin. Something’s pulling at it. Calling to it. I know it’s from my mother—Lucy. But I don’t know why she gave it to me.
By the time I made it downstairs, the others were already settled in, coffee cups in hand, murmuring about last night’s drinks, Rachel’s hound, and whatever plans we had for the day. Daichi and Nick were discussing the House of Horus. Jenny and Max—well, Max looked smug. Jenny looked like she regretted every choice she made last night. Jackie mentioned, oh-so-casually, that they walked out of the same room this morning. Which explained a lot. Amber and Alex were conspiring over by the hearth. And Jean-Marc…
Gross name, cozy place. The air here smells like dark roast and firewood, and I might have found it comforting if my whole body didn’t feel out of step with reality, like I’d missed something important in the hours I spent unconscious.
I guess I’ve felt that way since the funeral.
Eoin was behind the counter, topping off Jackie’s mug, but when he spotted me, he paused—long enough for me to notice. He didn’t say anything, but his gaze flicked to my arm, then back to my face. Measuring. I knew that look. People always think silence is neutral, but it never is. Silence is a choice. And right now, Eoin O’Dwyer was choosing not to speak about what’s on my arm.
But first? Food. The greasier the better.