Unlikely Allies

by Davina Jolley

  Violette had warned her that clicking on unknown pop-ups could infect the computer with viruses that could cause all sorts of problems. She did not particularly want to upset Violette and create a scene. Her aunt was somewhat unpredictable, extremely nice one moment and snappy the next. So, as her fingers lingered over the red icon, she debated whether or not to take the risk.

  Elina had learnt very quickly to keep on her aunt’s good side and give her a wide berth when one of her moods descended on her. She smiled as she remembered the first time she had called Violette ‘aunt’ and the momentous reaction it had caused. Violette had been surprisingly angry; she was never, ever to be called aunt, as it made her appear to be old. If anyone was to ask, Elina was to say Violette was a good family friend and she was staying with her until her father was well enough for her to return home. Elina was to call her Violette at all times.

  Elina thought that Violette had a huge hang up about her age and looks, but this was not so. Elina was unaware of the many dangers Violette was trying to protect her from. Violette was trying hard to obscure any family connection. She did not want anyone to know that Elina had the possibility of possessing magic.

  As the arrow hovered over the red icon, Elina made the decision and pressed the button on the mouse. Violette was out, so what harm could come from her innocent curiosity? A message popped up immediately.

  Darius:

  Primrose, please message me!

  Need HELP!!!

  Running out of time!

  PLEASE!!!!!!!

  After reading the message Elina noticed there were several more; she scrolled back through the history and was amazed at how many messages had been received, all unanswered. Every message asked her to get in touch or demanded to know where his gaming partner had got to and what had he done to upset her?

  Elina noticed there was a space for her to type an answer and began to wish she had not clicked on the icon, when another message popped up on the screen.

  Darius:

  Message me!

  Where have you been?

  Hearing a noise, Elina looked over her shoulder and listened carefully but heard nothing more. She laughed at herself, she realised she was feeling a little bit guilty and wondered why. It was not as if she was doing anything wrong, surely? Elina came to a decision, she began to type an answer.

  Primrose:

  She’s not here. She’s missing.

  Darius:

  Missing! Where? When?

  Who are you?

  Now, how to answer that one, Elina wondered. She could not really explain that her mother had turned Primrose into stone for many years and then she herself had freed her with magic, magic that she had not even realised she possessed. That explanation was far too long and was not very credible either. So she decided to be a bit liberal with the truth.

  Primrose:

  She was unwell for a long time

  and then she just disappeared.

  Darius:

  Not good! Not good at all!

  She’s in trouble.

  You’re all in trouble.

  You need to…

  Elina jumped, she heard another noise in the corridor, just outside her door; Violette had come back unexpectedly. Glancing quickly back at the screen, she noticed the message was a bit longer, but only just had time to read the last few words as her door opened.

  … at the Ancient Tree in the forest.

  Violette’s voice called sharply from the entrance of the room and her eyes fixed onto the screen, an intense wave of concentration flickered across Violette’s face, ‘What are you doing? That’s not the game! Who are you messaging?’

  Elina was surprised at the steely tone in her aunt’s voice. She turned towards her and the glare she received startled her even more.

  ‘I clicked on a red icon and this all came up, someone called Darius wants to speak to…’

  Violette paled visibly, she charged across the room, muttered something forcefully but indistinguishable under her breath and then pushed Elina roughly and violently off the chair, without a thought for her safety. Elina stumbled, hit her head on the edge of the computer desk and fell to the floor.

  Violette did not notice, she was completely oblivious of her actions towards Elina and appeared not to care. She quickly scanned the last message and turned off the screen, before snatching the plug from the wall, ending all communications abruptly.

  It was then Violette looked around and for a moment looked stunned to see Elina crumpled on the floor rubbing her head. She stretched out a hand towards her and then withdrew it; a moment of confusion floated across her face. Violette bit her lip, flinched as though in pain, her eyes glistened and just as quickly she gained control of herself again.

  ‘Sorry, Elina, but I just lost it a bit there. That man…’ Elina noticed that her aunt was shaking. She looked really shocked, ‘that man! He kept on at Primrose. It was all very upsetting.’ Violette paused.

  Violette then went on to explain how Darius had tried to gain Primrose’s trust and goodwill in order to set up a meeting with her and how dangerous that could have been; especially when you have no idea what a person was like. Violette told Elina that it had all began when Primrose had started playing that awful game. Darius had managed to gain her daughter’s trust and how lucky it had been that she had discovered the messages. She had given Primrose a stern lecture concerning the dangers of speaking to strangers on the internet.

  Primrose had not taken her mother’s advice at all well and from that day onwards Primrose had become more troublesome, and that was another reason why she had sent her to Briony’s that day, long ago. Primrose had not appreciated her mother going through her things.

  Elina listened to her aunt’s explanation, but there was something about her manner that seemed wrong. Violette refused to look her in the eye. Not once did she offer to help her up from the floor or ask about her head, which Elina knew was bleeding slightly. Something definitely did not seem quite right: Violette was definitely hiding something or lying!

  ‘So you see, I was so concerned for your safety, I had to act quickly. He’s a bad man, Elina, a dangerous man. In fact, I don’t think you should go on the computer again, at least, not until I have checked it out thoroughly. I have to keep you safe. Jack would not forgive me if something was to happen to you. Let me put a cold compress on your head. It was such a shock to me. It was like all that trouble I suffered with Primrose was happening to me again. Please forgive me.’

  As Violette saw to the cut on Elina’s head she suddenly lowered her voice and asked, ‘Did you read the last message?’

  ‘Yes, he said we are all in trouble. Is that true?’

  ‘It’s just a way to get you to feel sorry for him, he is trying to persuade you to meet him and then…’ Violette visibly shuddered, ‘… I hate to think what would happen to you then. Did you read anything else?’

  ‘No,’ Elina replied, ‘was there something more? I looked around and saw you and then you…’

  ‘I’m so sorry about that, that was wrong of me, but I was so scared for you. Forgive me?’

  Elina nodded, she was not sure why she did not tell Violette about the last few words, but for now she wanted to keep them to herself. Something still struck her as odd, even suspicious concerning her aunt’s behaviour. Elina could not understand why she continued to be unsettled by her aunt.

  From down below a howl could be heard; Shadow’s signal that he had returned and was ready to come up to the apartment. Elina grabbed her coat and excused herself from her aunt and silently welcomed Shadow’s timely interruption.

  When she reached the door to the apartment, she noticed Violette had followed her; she turned and faced her aunt and said quietly, ‘Thank you for keeping me safe, but please don’t push me like that again. Shadow won’t like it either.’

 
Elina quietly shut the door and went to meet Shadow. Shadow, was unaware that he was about to get another walk. Elina had a lot to think about.

  Violette watched Elina leave; her life had just become even more complicated. She had hated lying to Elina. Darius should have been dead; he had died on the night of the Great Flood by her hand or so she had been led to believe. Now, she had no idea what should be done about this new development.

  Twenty-five years ago, she had asked Nastarana to check on Darius, her husband, and he had confirmed to her that he was indeed dead. So now Violette was extremely angry. She could not stop shaking. Either Nastarana had not told her the truth all those years ago or he had just managed to message Elina? Either outcome was unacceptable and dreadful to contemplate. Could Nastarana have been so cruel as to keep Darius alive and torment him for that amount of time? Just how much trouble were she and Elina in now? The tight-rope that Violette walked upon had just been given a forcible yank; her world wobbled dreadfully.

  Violette knew she was being watched extremely carefully and had no way of visiting the Ancient Tree without increasing the suspicions or wrath of Nastarana. Violette needed to think very carefully about her next step; too many lives depended on it.

  9. Elina comes to a decision

  Shadow lay hidden in a small garden opposite Violette’s apartment and watched the thickened glass door of the apartment building; he expected to see Elina at any second. He spotted her walking slowly across the marble-floored foyer. She seemed subdued to him and deep in thought. As she crossed the road towards him, he noticed a mark on her head and smelled a trace of blood. A low growl vibrated in his throat; he was instantly alert. He saw her raise her right hand, Shadow stood and watched. Elina pointed away from the apartment.

  Shadow realised he was staying out for longer and was pleased. He was not keen on their new home and longed for the variety of smells and colours of the forest. Elina quietly signalled for him to turn off the main road. He found this strange as they did not usually go in this direction, especially when it would be dark soon - he hoped they were heading to the city park.

  He felt Elina’s hand stroke his head. He knew that whatever bothered her was nothing to do with him. This was her way of telling him that everything was fine and he raised his head against her hand in acknowledgement. They continued on together along the quiet residential road in a comfortable silence. The path would lead to an ornate iron gateway, the entrance to the park.

  Elina sat down on a bench under a tree, out of sight of the road and just inside the park.

  ‘I need to think for a while, Shadow. Feel free to explore, but don’t go too far,’ she said, speaking softly.

  For a moment Elina watched a large bat glide and swoop oddly along the edge of the trees. She felt sorry for it, as it seemed to have something wrong with one of its wings. She noticed that on some of its turns it had a tendency to jerk slightly. She felt odd too, sort of broken like the bat, so much had happened since her mother had died.

  Shadow watched Elina for a while and although he could sense she was troubled, he was also sure that she was in need of some quiet reflection. He left her side, but was determined to keep her in sight, feeling sure Violette was the reason behind Elina’s uneasiness. He too had noticed the bat and thought it odd, he also noticed a fox slink off into the bushes nearby. The fox was no threat to him and he did not give chase, but he was pleased to see the bat disappear, something was not quite right with it.

  Scratching vigorously at his healing wounds, Shadow had some of his own quiet reflections concerning his first encounter with the neighbourhood dog pack. They had assumed that they could take advantage of his youth and inexperience and had tried to run him off their patch, believing him to be an easy target.

  Six dogs had surrounded him on his first solo foray; they thought he should be taught a lesson. At the beginning it was an uneven fight, but Shadow had been underestimated. He had learnt some valuable lessons the day Elina had discovered she had magic. Living wild in the forest had given him strength, stamina and speed. His play fights with Dilly and Junior had also taught him many defensive skills. These skills had come in handy during that fight. Even Victor would have been proud of the height of some of his jumps.

  Shadow remembered how he had perfected his hunting and stalking skills to track down each of those dogs. He had used darkness as a cover and the element of surprise, each of them received an unpleasant one-to-one encounter. Now they gave him a wide berth, always wary and scared. Shadow had become a silent, invisible presence and at times he still enjoyed making them jump by testing his stealth skills. Shadow was no longer the bumbling cub he once used to be.

  Elina stood up and wrapped her coat round herself more tightly; she had become chilled by sitting still for so long. Shadow was at her side immediately and rubbed himself up against her legs. She bent down, placed her head alongside his and hugged him tightly for a moment.

  ‘Tonight, Shadow, we go home,’ she stated quietly.

  Shadow could not contain his excitement, he jumped up and placed his paws on Elina’s shoulders and licked her face madly with his rough tongue, and Elina laughed.

  ‘I hadn’t realised how big you’ve grown, steady boy or you’ll knock me over. Do you think you can find the way back to the cottage? I’m not telling Violette. We’ll leave as soon as she falls asleep.’

  ‘I know the way even with my eyes closed,’ Shadow replied happily.

  ‘That won’t be necessary,’ Elina grinned, ‘but you could use that excellent nose of yours to show us the way.’

  ‘What happened?’ Shadow asked with concern.

  ‘That doesn’t matter now, but my aunt’s behaviour is weird, she’s acting too oddly for my liking. I don’t trust her.’

  ‘Let’s go now then,’ Shadow suggested eagerly.

  ‘There’s something I need to do first and she will be waiting for me tonight. Once she’s asleep and I have reassured her, we’ll go. Come let’s go back, it’s getting dark. Shadow, I need you to stay by my side tonight, especially if she’s in the room with me. Something’s not right and I know between the pair of us we’ll sense if something strange is going to happen.’

  10. Violette’s behaviour causes concern

  Later that night, Elina heard a soft, hesitant knock on her bedroom door, which in itself was strange, Violette normally entered her room without warning. As Violette stepped into the room, she held before her a delicious looking cream cake, decorated generously with soft, lemon icing - Elina’s favourite flavour.

  ‘I made a little something for you, to show you how sorry I am,’ Violette spoke with concern and contrition, but to Elina’s ears her voice seemed somewhat contrived and false, but she held out her hand and accepted the gift.

  ‘It looks beautiful, Violette, thank you.’

  ‘Eat it now… if you like,’ Violette added after a short pause.

  Elina felt a small vibration tingle round her neck from the scarf her mother had made her; she also felt a slight pressure against her leg as Shadow leant into her.

  ‘It looks too good to eat. I’ll eat it later, if you don’t mind. At the moment I would like to admire it, it will taste all the better for it - waiting awhile. Violette, thank you again, it’s beautiful, my favourite colour as well.’

  ‘As you wish, sleep well, Elina dear. Let me know if you need anything.’

  As Violette left the room, she glanced over her shoulder, looked at the cake and then at Elina, ‘Let me know if you like it. I tried a new recipe today.’

  When Violette left the room, Elina looked at the cake and turned it round, admiring its beauty; once more she felt a vibration around her neck. The scarf her mother had made her had reacted both times the cake had been touched. Even Shadow stood on his hind legs and tried to move her hands from the tempting delicacy, sniffing it warily.

  Elina removed the scarf from around her neck and
placed it to her face and breathed in, hoping to bring her mother closer to her and then carefully placed it next to the cake - it seemed to sparkle. Elina knew she would not be eating that cake. Her suspicions concerning Violette deepened and it was not just because she had called her ‘dear’ for the first time. Magic was definitely in the air. Not only that, but she wondered why Violette had stressed certain words, it was not like her. She also never tried new recipes. Her cakes were delicious enough.

  When Elina was sure Violette wouldn’t be coming back, she ran her hands softly against the underside of the computer desk, at which she sat. Earlier when she had fallen, she had noticed something had been taped there. Elina was determined to retrieve whatever it was. Secretly and carefully, Elina removed the tape and let the item drop into her skirt and remain hidden within its folds, just in case she was somehow being watched. For a brief moment, she wondered where all this paranoia was coming from.

  Elina refused to switch on any lights and as her room darkened she pretended to watch the town’s nightlife awaken through her balcony window. When she considered it to be dark enough, she picked up the cake and pretended to eat it. She was not happy with all this subterfuge, but she considered it to be vitally important.

  Finally, she knocked on her aunt’s bedroom door and opened it, not waiting for an answer.

  Violette was sitting at her dressing table, facing the mirror. From the doorway Elina was startled to see that the reflection in the mirror showed a strangely, haggard face with red-rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks, an old face. Elina felt she sensed another tortured soul like she had with Primrose on that fateful day her mother had died. Her aunt was always immaculately presented; the face she saw in the mirror was so unlike her. Elina was about to offer comfort, but she saw something glint in Violette’s eyes and her scarf tingled unpleasantly - a warning. She said nothing.