"That was cruel."
Even though Katherine did not seem to want to talk after bidding farewell to the children she had been interacting with for a while, Olivia finally broke the silence.
Katherine tried to smile, to act as if she didn't care, as if the light within her could never be dimmed. But she couldn't. The truth was, it hurt. Not because she didn't understand why, but because she understood it all too well.
Olivia saw the wounded expression on Katherine's face and didn't know how to react. She wasn't sure how to console her or if that was even possible. Katherine had never fit in in Hertford, and she never would, no matter how hard the few people who cared about her tried. Olivia wasn't sure that a ghost like her would be the solution to the problem.
"So… what will you do now?" Olivia asked.
Katherine sighed, patted her cheeks a couple of times, and with a smile that almost seemed genuine, replied, "Well, I still have to cover my shift at the funeral home since I volunteered until next week. After that, I have to work at the pub, so I guess I'll be working all day and trying to clear my mind in the process."
"Will you be okay? The Blackthorn boy just died; you might run into his family there," Olivia said.
Katherine's smile faltered for a second, but she still responded, "Father Viktor will be visiting his family to offer support during this time of loss. I doubt they'll come to the funeral home today."
In the end, there was nothing more to say, and aside from the moment Olivia flipped both fingers at Mrs. McCall when they passed by her house, nothing of interest happened during their walk. Eventually, the two parted ways, as Olivia didn't like being near the town's funeral home, which also functioned as a morgue. Although Katherine suspected part of the reason she had left was that she was on her way to harass Mrs. McCall's cats.
The funeral home was, for lack of a better description, a small wooden building that resembled a tiny church chapel, with a massive concrete and steel structure at the back that housed the morgue. Everything was conveniently close to the new cemetery and the police station, making it efficient for both of its functions.
Katherine walked past the empty reception and went straight to a side room where grief counseling sessions were held. There, she signed in and got to work cleaning, as that was what was expected of her when there was no one in need of her services, which was most of the time. Not many people died in a community as small as Hertford.
It was a couple of boring hours, especially when she ran out of things to do and realized she had forgotten to bring a book to read. Still, Katherine didn't think it was too bad. A funeral home was probably the only business in the world where, from a certain point of view, it was better not to have clients.
That peace was eventually interrupted by a familiar voice, catching Katherine by surprise.
"Excuse me, is anyone here?"
Of all the people Katherine expected to find in a funeral home, the girl she saw when she rushed to the reception was the last on her list. But there she was.
The last time Katherine had seen her, Lucía had given off the vibe of a fierce, rebellious woman, clad in a leather jacket and astride a motorcycle. But now, she seemed like something entirely different.
A pair of black cargo pants with straps concealed all the curves Katherine knew were there, replacing all that sensuality with undeniable coolness. A deep red top covered Lucía's upper torso, leaving her well-defined abdomen exposed, something difficult to ignore. The outfit was completed with a pair of sports sneakers and a hoodie-style jacket, giving the final touch to the look that made Lucía appear completely different from the woman Katherine had met the night before.
Casual, athletic, and effortlessly cool. That was how Lucía looked, creating a stark contrast with Katherine's own appearance, which leaned more toward cute, cozy, and endearing. Both of them seemed entirely out of place in a funeral home.
Of course, unlike Katherine, who appeared frozen in place like a deer caught in headlights, Lucía only seemed surprised for a second before a playful smile spread across her beautiful face.
"Well, look at what we have here. The cemetery girl works at a funeral home. Don't you think you're taking the whole mysterious girl theme a bit too far?"
Any coherent response Katherine might have thought of died in her throat, leaving only unintelligible murmurs in a desperate attempt to convey an idea that wouldn't make her look bad in front of her new friend.
"Ah, well, you see… I don't have any kind of obsession with death or anything, if that's what you're thinking… yeah, I… I'm just a volunteer here and… uh, hi Lucía, did I already say hello?"
Perhaps it was Lucía's slightly amused smile or the fact that she simply waited patiently for Katherine to complete a proper sentence instead of getting annoyed at her rambling, but after a few seconds, Katherine finally calmed down.
"So, what brings you here, Lucía?"
Lucía's patient smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression, something entirely different from any other demeanor she had shown the redhead before.
"Although I'd love to say I was looking for you, the truth is I was searching for the person in charge of this funeral home for personal matters."
Hearing that immediately banished any lingering nervousness within Katherine, leaving only concern and sadness behind. Lucía might not seem like the typical grieving person, but there was only one reason to have personal business with the person running a funeral home.
"I'm sorry to hear that," the redhead said before continuing. "I'm afraid my boss went out for lunch, but I could help you with whatever you need, if you don't mind."
Lucía considered it, her amber eyes locked onto Katherine's spring-green gaze, searching for something, anything, that might hint at an ulterior motive behind the offer. But as she had expected, all she found was concern and genuine kindness.
"I suppose your help is as good as anyone else's," Lucía said after a brief moment of thought, and she truly meant it. After all, she only wanted to confirm a couple of things; the rest she would leave for later.
"So, what do you need?" Katherine asked, relieved to be of assistance and curious about what her new friend was looking for.
"Someone close to me passed away recently, and I wanted their remains to be buried in their hometown, which is Hertford. I wanted to check if I had to bring confirmation for the transfer and if you had a date for its arrival here."
Lucía explained her reasons as if she were talking about the weather, but Katherine could practically feel the grief lurking beneath the surface, though she chose not to comment on it.
"Give me a second, I should be able to find that," Katherine said before heading to the reception desk and vanishing from Lucía's view, followed by the sound of papers and folders shifting.
"Aha!" Katherine exclaimed with a small cry of excitement as she jumped back into Lucía's line of sight, holding an open folder in her hands. But upon seeing the amused smile on the other girl's face, the redhead felt her brief excitement drown in embarrassment.
Trying to ignore her childish outburst, Katherine cleared her throat and opened the folder before reading aloud.
"Here it is. A request for funeral services under the name Lucía Bernstein, attached to a transfer request generated in Chicago, USA. There's also a flight itinerary stating that the casket will arrive at London's airport in six days. Here are the receipts for the transportation service that was paid for to bring the casket here. It looks like a funeral service has already been scheduled in eight days for..."
Katherine had to stop. She should have known something like this was expected, but while navigating through the various documents and receipts in the folder, her mind had momentarily overlooked one small detail: Lucía's role in all of this.
Still, Katherine didn't want to make things even more uncomfortable than they already were, so she finished reading the name listed in the funeral service plan.
"Luke Bernstein."