Meredith and Sonya turned up early in the day to give the place a good clean. I helped them before we started preparing the food. Both women were completely taken aback at discovering that I had never cooked anything in my life before staying with Dorothy and June. In fact they were even more upset when I told them everything I had ever really eaten had come out of a tin.
“Goodness, it's amazing that you still look relatively healthy. A little pale, perhaps, and certainly very thin. You could obviously use some good home cooking and some fresh vegetables,” said Meredith as she turned me around to take a good look at me.
“I think we need to teach you how to cook, too,” said Sonya. “It would be nice for Gabriel if you were able to help him cook a nice dinner every now and then,” she added. I agreed, excited at the prospect of spending some more time in the kitchen to really learn a new skill, after Dorothy and June had taught me the basics.
If only my mother had been more like them, I thought to myself. Meredith patted me on the shoulder then and gave my hand a squeeze as if I'd spoken aloud.
For the first time in weeks, I actually felt safe and more importantly... loved. It was strange being rallied around by fellow family members, when all I'd ever known were my parents and they had never rallied around me for anything. There had never been anyone else. Or rather there had never been the mention of anyone else.
As the two women laughed and joked with me, I smiled a sad smile. It would have been wonderful to have grown up like this, in this environment, I thought. In fact it would have been wonderful to have been able to share some moments like those with my parents. What I wouldn't have given to have them there with me then, all of us laughing and joking together. But they were not there. They were still missing. I felt a tugging in my chest, and just for a second, I thought my eyes might well up with tears.
Sonya looked at me and I just knew that she understood what I had been thinking. She reached over and squeezed my hand and smiled.
I returned her smile and my tears retreated as I tried to change the subject on my mind.
“So how come Oliver's birthday party is being held here?” I asked, trying hard to think of other things rather than the sad family life I'd had.
“I guess Ben didn't tell you that both his parents died quite a few years ago,” said Meredith as she kneaded the dough that would later become the most delicious homemade bread rolls.
I was shocked and surprised that he hadn't mentioned it in the car on the way from the airport. In hindsight, though, he probably didn't tell me because he didn't want to upset me, bearing in mind that I'd recently 'lost' my own parents.
“What happened to them?” I asked, thinking they can't have been very old at all.
“They were out together one day, taking a long trek when they came across an injured mountain lion. His mother was such a softy when it came to animals and she insisted they try to help it. But it wasn't alone and its mate attacked them. It wasn't to know they were trying to help. It was so tragic. Eleanor's wounds were so severe that she died almost instantly but Jonathan carried her body all the way back to the main road where he managed to find help. He later died in hospital. Ben was 12 years old. Oliver was barely two,” she said.
Sonya explained that Gabriel insisted on bringing the children up himself, as Jonathan had been like another son to him. They had no other family so it seemed like the natural thing to do.
As I took everything in, I began to understand my grandfather a little more. He was clearly a loving man that cared a great deal for his family and friends, which confused me as to why my own father, his own son, had fallen out with him. Why had they not spoken for so many years? It actually angered me a little, knowing that I could have experienced this wonderful way of life as opposed to that miserable life I had known in England.
Presumably this had all happened a few years before I was born. I wondered where my father was during this time. Was it around that time that he had left with my mother? Or had they left later, after I was born? I was making so many assumptions. I needed to know the truth. Someone would tell me... eventually. I hoped so anyway.
As the afternoon wore on, people started to arrive for the party. I think a few of them had come just to get a good look at me. But they were all friendly and many offered words of reassurance and kindness.
I still had not met Oliver. I assumed he would be the last to arrive. Like a surprise party that wasn't really a surprise.
Ben had arrived and had sought me out before doing anything else. He wanted to apologise for butting in the day before. He'd obviously known that I'd heard what had been said. I laughed as he said it, though, understanding that it was his way of showing that he cared... about my grandfather and about me. It was reassuring.
“I know there is something being kept from me and I will find out what it is. Gabriel will tell me but I do understand that he will only do so when we are both ready, so don't worry Ben, I won't be in the dark for much longer,” I said, thinking of Rose's words. And as I thought of what she'd said to me, I could see her approaching the house. I hadn't realised she would be attending the party, but I was delighted she was.
“Hello dear Lilly,” she said as she entered without knocking, “hello ladies... you're all hard at work, I see,” she smiled as she handed them a large basket. “I thought I'd better do my bit, so I made some scones with fresh cream. I know how the boys love them. And where are all the boys?” she asked looking around.
“They'll be along in a little while, but Ben is here already... somewhere,” answered Meredith.
He suddenly appeared, “Hi Rose,” he said as he walked over to give her a hug and a gentle kiss on her cheek. They stood together whispering quietly, casually glancing in my direction.
I got the feeling that they wanted to talk about me so I said I needed a little time to be alone and headed to my room where I sat on the bed for a while, staring out of the window into the forest beyond.
After a few minutes, I began to feel like the forest was calling out to me. I stood up and moved closer to the glass, which steamed up as I breathed against it. I thought I saw something white move within the trees, but as I wiped the glass with my sleeve there was nothing there.
I sat back on the bed again and lay down. I closed my eyes and thought of the past couple of days, of the wonderful welcome I had received and of all the lovely people I had met.
As I lay there, I heard a gentle tapping on the window. Before I opened my eyes I visualised myself back in London with the two ravens who visited every night. It was the same tapping sound and as I let my imagination run wild, there it was again. Tap tap.
I opened my eyes and sure enough, there were two ravens at my window. I watched them as they tapped twice with their beaks against the glass. They looked at me and then flew away. Then I heard my name. It was very faint but it sounded like someone was calling me. The sound didn't come from the house... but from further away. I wondered if it was coming from the forest. I sat up and looked out the window again. Nothing. As I strained to listen for it again, there was a knock on my door and Rose appeared.
“Are you alright, my dear?” she asked, smiling.
I nodded, but I could tell from her expression that she didn't believe me. I knew that she somehow understood what I was going through and I was grateful that she didn't probe.
“Are you ready to come back out? Almost everyone is here – including Oliver.”
I nodded and followed her towards the door, neglecting to mention what I thought I'd seen and heard just moments earlier.
I was pleased that I had decided to join the party as I had come to the conclusion that I needed to make more of an effort to make friends. I wanted my life to be full of people, the opposite to what I had been used to. As I walked into the living room, all the guests were already mingling and milling around. Although I was dreading being the object of everybody's attention, I needn't have been concerned as it seemed that a lot of people were more interested in the b
irthday boy himself. And everyone else was talking and laughing among themselves. If only December were there.
But before I had a chance to dwell on that thought, Ben made a beeline for me and took my hand in his. “Hey Lilly. Let me introduce you to Oliver.” He gently led me to the centre of the attention where a group of people ranging in age from 16 to their mid-twenties appeared to be listening intently to a story being told by the tall young man in the centre, with his back towards me. They were clearly enraptured by his funny tale, which seemed to be about werewolves and vampires.
After he'd given his punchline, the group burst out laughing and began talking among themselves. Ben tapped the young man on the shoulder to get his attention.
“Oli... there's someone here you should meet.”
I wasn't prepared for what happened next. As he turned, I let out an involuntary gasp. I tried to make it sound like a cough. I failed. I was totally embarrassed.
Oliver was, without doubt, the most beautiful boy I had ever seen... but it was his eyes that I couldn't pull mine away from. They were so deep and dark, almost jet black. I could quite easily have sunk into them. It was quite extraordinary, actually. I had never seen anything quite like them. And I liked the feeling. I liked the feeling a lot.
Even though he was 10 years younger, Oliver was taller than Ben and was as blonde as Ben was dark with strong features, a slightly pointy nose and a chiselled chin.
“Hi. You must be Lilly. It's great to finally meet you after all this time,” he said with a smooth voice that belied his young years.
It was the first time that the sight and sound of anyone had taken my breath away and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say either, so I quickly mumbled 'hi' and before I could make even more of a fool of myself, I turned around and walked as fast as I could, away from him. I didn't even give him a chance to reply. I just carried on walking, without a backward glance. Away from the other guests. Away from the party. I rushed back into my room and sat on my bed for a few minutes, trying to catch my breath. But I felt like it wasn't enough. I needed to get out. I needed some fresh air. So I grabbed my coat and, careful not to be seen, opened the front door and ran away from the party.
CHAPTER NINE
I felt like such a childish fool. An idiot. I hoped that nobody had noticed me but I'm sure that Oliver's first opinion of me was not a particularly good one. How could it possibly be? I was rude and then I ran away. If I'm lucky, I thought, perhaps everybody would just think it's too much for me to cope with. All those people. Yes, it is a lot to deal with in such a short amount of time.
Before I knew it, I had run to the edge of the forest. The forest Gabriel had told me not to enter. I turned briefly to see if anyone had noticed. I appeared to be alone. What the hell? I thought. What have I got to lose? So I walked beyond the trees as I zipped up my coat and put on my warm gloves.
I felt just a little rebellious, the same kind of feeling that I had got when I had chopped off all my lovely long hair and dyed it. It was the first time I had gone against someone's wishes. Although I did feel guilty, I couldn't shake the fact that I was being kept in the dark about something important and it wasn't fair. It was my life and I deserved to know. And so I felt free taking those steps into the unknown. If they won't tell me what I have a right to know, then I won't go along with their wishes.
I started to walk a little faster, breaking out into a run and as I approached each tree the branches seemed to welcome me in. As my breathing quickened, my face began to become gently scratched by the foliage around me. It didn't bother me, though, in fact the feeling was quite liberating.
I stopped to catch my breath and to look around. I was surrounded by beautiful tall green trees but no footpath. What I did notice, though, was the sound of water. I strained to hear where it was coming from and then followed the gentle lapping noise.
Moments later, I stood beside a gently flowing river. I sat on a huge smooth boulder and enjoyed the moment, leaning backwards so that I was flat on my back. I looked up into the blue sky and noticed some dark clouds rolling in, but I didn't care. In fact, for the first time in a long time, I didn't give a damn.
The sounds of the forest and the water beside me gently lulled me and I began to feel tired. And so I closed my eyes, feeling some kind of peace, wondering why on earth my grandfather had tried to stop me from walking into the forest. There was nothing but beauty and peace. I felt myself slowly dropping off to sleep and even though it was exceedingly cold, I enjoyed the feeling. I drifted and drifted until sleep overcame me.
A woman dressed in white appears from nowhere in front of me. She is very pretty with long black hair down her back. Her smile lights up her face and she sits by my side. She says nothing while we sit in silence. Suddenly she lifts her arm and a raven lands on her hand. She looks at me and nods. She's trying to tell me something. I try to ask her what it is but nothing comes out of my mouth. I try to speak again but there are no words. I begin to feel a little frustrated. Why can't I speak? Suddenly the woman disappears and a large cat is sitting by my side, with the raven perched on its back. It opens its beak, “Lilly... Lilly,” it says. I am frightened. The raven speaks? “Lilly... Lilly.” It becomes louder and louder and suddenly it is shaking me.
CHAPTER TEN
“Lilly!”
I woke up and noticed Jo standing beside me, gently nudging me and calling my name, “Lilly, wake up.”
“You had me worried for a little while, then,” she said. “I saw you lying here and, well, I didn't really know what to think.”
“Sorry... I just had to get out of the house and I guess I was much more exhausted than I thought. I suppose it was the sound of the water that sent me to sleep,” I answered guiltily with a yawn.
“How you can sleep in this cold, I've no idea,” she laughed, “You know, Gabriel would be so disappointed to know that you came here... but don't worry, I won't tell him. After all, I come walking in the forest all the time and I know he'd go nuts at me too,” she added with a guilty giggle.
A feeling of relief flooded through my veins. Earlier, I had been intent on rebellion but thinking about it now, I didn't want to hurt my family.
“I haven't been gone very long, have I?” I asked.
Jo reassured me that my nap was only a short one and she had, in fact, watched me leave the house and had followed me ten minutes later to make sure I was okay.
Sitting down beside me, I noticed she had a small rucksack on her back which she took off as she smiled at me. “I figured we might need sustenance, so I grabbed a few bits before running after you.” She opened the bag, revealing scones, sandwiches, fruit and cans of what she called 'soda'.
My stomach rumbled in response.
“I guess I was right,” she said as we delved in and enjoyed our own mini banquet out in the cold as we listened to the peaceful sounds of the running water.
As we ate and drank, we got to know each other a bit better, knowing immediately that we would become not just cousins, but very good friends too. Jo was a few years older than my (almost) fourteen years, and would be celebrating her 18th birthday in a few months.
I confided in her, explaining how it felt like I had come home, but that feelings of guilt and sadness about my parents disappearance engulfed me. She wanted to know about my life in England but I knew she would probably be horrified, but she insisted on hearing all about it.
After she had learned how I had grown up in such a strange and lonely world, she said, “Lilly, that is so sad. I wish you had grown up here with us. We would probably have been the best of friends from the day you were born. You know, for someone that never really had any friends or a loving family, you're very grounded. If I had to guess, I would have said that you grew up happy and loved, judging by your personality.”
I was incredibly touched that Jo could say such kind words, and really mean them.
We chatted a bit more about what her upbringing had been like, how close the rest of th
e family were and I told her what I knew of England, even though I'd only ever seen the area around our apartment and school.
I also told her how upsetting it was to be kept in the dark about something within the family, about something that I believed I had a right to know.
“I do understand, Lilly, but Gabriel never does anything without giving it a lot of thought first. He must have a very good reason not to tell... yet, anyway. I'm sure he will tell you soon enough.”
“Don't you know anything, Jo? Is there anything that you can tell me?” I asked, hoping that she would at least be able to give me just a hint of something... anything to put my mind at ease.
She looked away then and sighed and I knew I was wrong to ask her. She was obviously torn between her love for the rest of her family and her newfound friendship with me.
I decided not to push it. It wouldn't be fair. So as she looked back at me, I smiled and changed the subject.
“Tell me about school, Jo... I guess I'll be attending the same school as you. Can you give me an idea of what to expect?”
Relieved to have a change of subject, she smiled at me with thanks and told me all about the local high school, how it was like any other American or Canadian high school – with popular kids and geeks and football and cheerleading. She told me I shouldn't worry. She knew I would fit in well. I certainly hoped so. I just hoped that I was at the same level as the other kids in my class; it would be so embarrassing to be behind them. Jo just had one school year left, whereas I still had a few to go. I wished we were the same age so I would have at least one person to go to class with. But she reassured me that I would get on with everyone. There weren't really any awful kids there, she'd said.
Didn't every school have their fair share of awful kids?
“Come on, Lilly. We ought to make a move and get back to the party. Everyone will be wondering where we are. We don't want them to worry. Plus, Oliver was asking after you.”
When Darkness Falls - Six Paranormal Novels in One Boxed Set Page 115
