When Darkness Falls - Six Paranormal Novels in One Boxed Set

by Shalini Boland

  Gabriel checked with the doctor who said it shouldn't be a problem for me to go home, as long as I stayed horizontal and was well looked after. The doctor had known the Tulugaqs for many years and therefore knew that we were a strong family who cared for each other deeply. He was confident that I would get even better care than at the hospital itself so he discharged me immediately.

  Using his cell phone, Gabriel called both Meredith and Sonya and told them to go straight home instead of coming to the hospital. Then, for the first time, I was driven by Gabriel. He and Rose had struggled to get me into the back seat with my broken leg in plaster but eventually they managed and we were on our way.

  As I lay there, barely able to move, I tried so hard to remember what had happened that afternoon but the memory could not be tempted out of my subconscious mind. It was deep in there somewhere and I knew it would eventually come out... most likely during my sleep.

  Laying on the sofa later, I felt awful that I would miss out on my very first date with Oliver. Why couldn't I have just walked straight home? Why couldn't I have gone to see my father's house another time? Instead I had completely messed up my chances with Oliver.

  As if on cue, there was a knock on the front door. Sonya stood up and went to see who was there. At the same time, Meredith smiled at me and made a quick exit into the kitchen. Clearly, she knew who it was.

  Oliver rushed into the living room and sat by my side immediately, “Lilly, are you alright? I was really freaked out when I heard what happened. What were you thinking going out alone like that?”

  His reaction actually made me laugh out loud and he suddenly stopped talking and he looked at me before laughing too. “Sorry, I guess I sound like Gabriel. I was just worried,” he said.

  The fact that he was there with me helped ease the pain tremendously and I felt utter relief that he cared that much for me already. And we hadn't even had our date yet.

  “I'm glad you're here, Oliver. Thank you for coming,” I said shyly, nervously running my hand through my hair, which I had completely forgotten actually looked good.

  “Wow... I've only just had the chance to really look at you. You look amazing. I love the new hairstyle. You certainly don't look like someone who has just had a near death experience.”

  I felt myself blush. “It was hardly a brush with death. I just had a log fall on me, that's all.”

  “Are you kidding? Do you know how much those logs weigh?” he joked.

  We sat together for a few minutes in silence, enjoying each other's company, when Sonya and Meredith walked in carrying two big plates of food for us.

  “We figured you'd both be hungry and seeing as you aren't able to actually go out, we thought we'd bring the restaurant to you... oh and we brought you a few movies too, just in case.”

  “Aww thanks,” said Oliver.

  “We both have to get home now so we'll leave you to it. Gabriel is over at Rose's house. He said if you need anything just buzz him on his cell and he'll come right over. You look after our patient, Oliver,” said Meredith with a wink and then they were gone.

  They were all well aware that I was supposed to be having a date with Oliver that night so it was very sweet that they had all left and allowed the 'date' to happen at home instead.

  “So how did you know about my little accident?” I asked.

  “Actually I had a few phone calls,” he laughed, “first Ben rang me as soon as he'd got you to the hospital. Unfortunately I couldn't get out of work otherwise I would have come straight over. And then Meredith called me to let me know and then Rose did too! It appears everyone knows that we're close now,” he added, with a cheeky smirk.

  To hear him say that we were close, out loud, was just amazing – it really made my heart leap and certainly helped take my mind off the bad day I'd had.

  As we sat there on the sofa, me with my leg stretched out in front of me and my dinner on my lap and Oliver sitting so close to me with his dinner on his lap, we looked a right pair.

  “So what are these movies that Meredith mentioned?” I asked as I ate a mouthful of pasta.

  Oliver leaned forward to pick up the DVDs that had been left on the coffee table and laughed, “Well, I don't quite know if they're your sort of thing but there's Twilight, Van Helsing or League of Extraordinary Gentleman. Not really date movies but if you're into supernatural stuff...”

  I laughed at the choices, clearly Meredith or Gabriel had been responsible for them but I appreciated the thought all the same. It was just a shame I couldn't share the joke with Oliver.

  I opted for Twilight, at least there was a little romance in with the vampires – it seemed more appropriate than the others and at least it had a bit of action for Oliver too.

  He stood up to put the film on and then sat back down so we could finish dinner together. Although the film played on in the background, there was too much to say to each other to really take any notice of it. We had a lifetime of experiences to share with each other. Well, Oliver had a lifetime of experience to tell me about. I, on the other hand, was a little embarrassed that I didn't have an awful lot to tell him about me.

  He told me about his parents' death but that he was too young to really understand what had happened and he admitted to not being able to remember them, sadly. He still liked to look at their photos but the memories just weren't there. “But I still miss them, if that makes sense?” he asked and I nodded with a mouthful of pasta.

  He talked a little about his brother, whom he was clearly incredibly proud of. “To become a vet because of what happened to our parents is just awesome,” he said and to which I wholeheartedly agreed, “and I think it's fantastic that you're going to be working with him,” he added happily.

  I raised my eyebrows and he laughed, “Ben told me when he phoned me earlier... he's really thrilled and wanted to share it with me.”

  “Do you realise that you still haven't told me what you do for a living?” I asked, eager to know everything about him.

  He looked surprised and I felt a momentary stab of guilt for not asking anybody else. Ben could have told me. I felt a bit silly but still, I guess it had just never come up in conversation.

  Oliver explained that when he had left high school he hadn't got a clue what to do with his life. He wasn't like Ben who had known from a young age what he wanted to do.

  “All I did know was that I didn't really want to go to college. I was never very academic; I was more of a hands-on sort of guy. Gabriel had always said I was good with my hands and I ought to do something creative instead, so I ended up working for a construction company where I am currently learning the tricks of the trade. My favourite part of it so far is building log homes like this one. So my long term plan is to start my own wooden home building company,” he said energetically as if it meant the world to him. It was exciting to see him so enthusiastic about his career, especially since he wasn't interested in college like so many other kids these days.

  I told him I was impressed. He was even cuter when he blushed.

  Having grown up in this house and raised by Gabriel since he was just a boy, I wondered why he no longer lived here.

  “There is no real reason except for the fact that I like my independence and so I rent a small lodge on John and Meredith's land. It's like a separate little house, an annexe, I guess,” he answered. “It's a great little place. Great for my life at the moment anyway. Eventually I'd like to build my own place. A log home, of course,” he grinned.

  For some reason his words took me back to earlier in the day when I had accidentally found myself underneath a very heavy log. The memory had an instant effect on my stomach and I felt a strong urge to throw up.

  Oliver immediately stood up and helped me sit upright as I fought the urge.

  “Are you okay? You looked a bit pale for a second there,” he whispered.

  I shook my head and he rushed into the kitchen to get me a glass of cold water. As he returned and stood above me, his movement triggered a
nother memory and I heard that voice again: 'don't worry, Lilly. You're going to be alright. I'll make sure of that' and then I felt as though I was flying.

  Unfortunately, the whole thing caused me to vomit suddenly with little warning.

  Again, Oliver rushed to the kitchen to get some kitchen paper, a bowl and a damp flannel.

  When he returned he handed me a few sheets of the paper for me to clean myself with, he swiftly cleaned up the mess and then sat by my side as he very gently mopped my forehead with the flannel.

  I felt very sorry for myself and stupid at the same time.

  “I'm so sorry Oliver,” I said, feeling like such a child.

  “Don't be silly... it's only natural that this would happen. You had quite a day today. You're on some heavy duty painkillers and here I am keeping you awake and talking when you should be completely resting. I'm the one who should be sorry. Not you,” he smiled as he patted my forehead again.

  “I'll wait for Gabriel to come back and then I'll leave you to get some sleep. Do you want me to help you to your bedroom? Or would you rather I brought you an extra blanket in here?”

  I opted for the blanket, knowing that trying to move too much might make me sick again and I was already so embarrassed at having thrown up in front of him to start with.

  Oliver came back from my bedroom with my duvet cover and another pillow. He then went into the bathroom and returned with my tooth brush, tooth paste, a glass of water and a bowl.

  “I figured you might want to brush your teeth. It might make you feel better,” he said handing everything to me like a father would probably treat a sick child.

  I told him I was grateful for such a loving and kind 'boyfriend' even though my mouth was completely full of frothed up toothpaste. I grinned in an effort to make him laugh. It worked, as he shook his head, chuckling at me.

  Just as I spat out the water, we heard the door open and Gabriel announce he had returned home. He greeted Oliver like a son and looked at me with concern.

  Oliver explained that I'd been sick and so Gabriel reassured him that he would look after me, giving Oliver his cue to go home.

  “Well, I'd better go now, Lilly, but I'll be back in the morning... er, if that's okay with you Gabriel?”

  Gabriel smiled and said “Yes, providing Lilly wants you to come back, of course,” he chuckled.

  Oliver was clearly unsure whether it had been a joke or not, until he saw his face crack up in a wide grin.

  “I certainly do,” I answered, as he leaned down and gently brushed my cheeks with his lips.

  “Try and get some sleep. See you in the morning. Goodnight Gabriel,” he said as he wrapped up for the cold.

  “Goodnight!” he yelled again before the front door shut behind him.

  A minute later I heard the revving of his car and then there was silence. Just the sound of my breathing, before Gabriel came and sat down opposite me and then I could hear his gentle breath too. He didn't say anything. He just let me fall asleep in peace.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  I slept right through the night. Not a single dream managed to wake me from my stupor. The shock of the previous day's events must have taken its toll and pretty much knocked me out. That and the fact that Oliver had come over to have our 'date' at home. Snuggling under the duvet, I slowly forced my eyes open to see rays of sunlight through the window. It soon dawned on me that Gabriel had left me to sleep in the living room. My leg throbbed beneath the covers and as I turned to try and manoeuvre myself off the sofa, I heard voices coming from the kitchen. Gabriel was not alone.

  I could easily identify the voices of Gabriel, Meredith, Wyatt and Rose. I came to the conclusion that they had joined forces once again to talk about me or my father. Either that or they were waiting for me to wake to talk further about the news they'd hit me with a few days earlier.

  Or were they eager to find out who had rescued me from my close call yesterday?

  As I tried to stand up, I managed to knock over a bottle of water with my leg. Crashing to the floor, it alerted them to the fact that I had woken up.

  Hurrying in, they all made a fuss of me. Meredith offered assistance where I needed it the most. Having a shower with a broken leg isn't the easiest thing to do, so she ran me a bath and helped me in. I was grateful. Although I felt such a nuisance and a hindrance, I also felt a massive sense of gratitude for having such caring people around me. It would have been a very different story had I been in England with Vivian and my father. Goodness only knew how I would have managed there with a broken leg.

  After I'd managed to get dressed, Meredith helped me back to the sofa where I lay down, exhausted by the exertion. Barely a minute went by before Rose whizzed in with my breakfast on a tray. A lovely hot cup of tea and a plate full of eggs and bacon. I was thoroughly spoilt, a feeling I relished.

  The others joined me while I ate. We chatted about general things like the weather, friends and neighbours and our plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas which were both fast approaching.

  But ultimately I knew the conversation would move on to more pressing matters. The unusually large raven's feather was cause for some concern, as Gabriel explained to me. When our ancestors had first changed, they morphed almost magically into the bird's actual size. He had never seen or even heard of anybody having the ability to change into a raven the size of a human. Yet there we were presented with evidence to suggest it was possible. What we didn't know was who in our community possessed the ability to change and why wasn't Gabriel aware of it?

  It troubled him as he knew all of the members within the Tulugaq clan and was on friendly terms with pretty much all of the residents of Powell River. It was possible that whoever had saved me came from further afield but why not show themselves?

  Gabriel was desperate that I recall exactly what had happened. I wished I could remember but I had fallen unconscious and that made it considerably more difficult.

  “I believe the only way to tap into your unconscious mind and find out the truth, Lilly, is to take you on a journey to meet some very unique and special people. But it will be quite a long journey and much of it needs to be taken on foot and you are certainly not able at the moment. Your leg must heal first and then we will travel to the mountains to see the elders. We will do so in the spring. Until then we must not worry about any of this. We must continue life as usual. Although we do not know who this person, or creature, is, we do know one thing. He saved you, Lilly. So clearly he wishes you no harm. You must not dwell on your father's disappearance either. The elders are aware of what has been happening within our family and they are keeping eyes and ears open for any news,” he said while the others nodded solemnly behind him.

  “He's right, dear. You haven't been here all that long and look what has happened to you already. You must completely settle in to life in Powell River. When you've recovered and the weather starts to get warmer, you and Gabriel will go and visit the elders. But until then... just concentrate on your studies and making friends. Okay?” Rose said with her eyebrows raised, waiting for my reply. I nodded reluctantly. They all meant well.

  But that didn't mean I had to agree with them. Of course I couldn't. My father was out there somewhere and he might be in danger. I didn't want to wait until the spring. But I had no choice. I could do nothing alone, especially with a broken leg. I couldn't even start my part-time job.

  There was still a possibility that my memory might be triggered during one of my vivid dreams, but until that happened, I imagined the next few months would include an awful lot of reading and very little else.

  Later that morning after everyone, except Gabriel, had left and I had spent hours with my head in a book, Jo arrived.

  As she walked in, her brow was furrowed so deep with worry that she made me laugh. “I'm okay, I'm okay,” I said to her with my hands held up, before she'd even opened her mouth.

  “I was so worried for you. Especially seeing as you didn't turn up for school. I've obviously heard
from the others but I want to hear from you. What on earth happened, Lilly?”

  I told her everything that had happened the previous day, and she was relieved that we could finally open up to each other about our family's secret.

  “I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you anything before but I was literally sworn to secrecy by the whole family. I really wanted to. It was killing me. I have to admit, finally having a friend, a girl, to be able to talk to about all of this crazy stuff is brilliant. Sometimes it really eats you up when the only people you can talk with are parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts,” she said, barely taking a breath.

  I totally understood where she was coming from. Even though I'd only known the truth for a very short time, I did feel the need to have a close friend to confide in.

  She told me about the time she'd had the 'family of ravens' talk with the rest of the family and, although it came as a bit of a shock, she'd always known our family was special. It was just a feeling she'd had.

  “But you've never transformed, have you?” I asked, eager to know more about the physical change.

  She shook her head, “No, not yet, but I've had all the weird dreams too so we're just waiting for it to hit me one of these days. I have no idea when it will happen though. It's a bit scary, isn't it? Not knowing how we turn. I worry that it will be painful,” she said, twirling her hair around her fingers nervously. “But Rose told me once that provided you relax completely and just let your body change of its own accord, the pain should be controllable. She said it's all mind over matter. I've been doing meditation and yoga ever since!” she laughed.

  “Seriously?” I asked, wondering if she was joking or not.

  She nodded enthusiastically and jumped up from the armchair, demonstrating a few awkward-looking poses. “The yoga poses are easy once you've done them for a while. When I first started, my muscles were so stiff, I struggled even with the simplest moves. I'll teach them to you and we can do it together,” she said eagerly.