by Suzy Turner
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Gabriel had been asleep for an hour when Jo tiptoed back into the room. When she saw that he was finally asleep, she ushered me out.
“Come on, Lilly, it's time for supper. You must be starving? I know I am. But first, we've been given these clothes to change into,” she said as she handed me a small bundle consisting of a long red dress and black pumps. I noticed she'd been given a similar dress in green with a slightly different pair of black shoes. We quickly changed, before I followed her back through the maze until we found ourselves in what must have been the main dining 'room' within the caves. The ceiling was particularly high, but as there were no windows, it would have been very dark were it not for the hundreds of candles placed at regular intervals along the walls and along the centre of an unusually long dining table.
I wondered how the Elders had managed to get all of this beautifully fine furniture all the way up the mountain but before I got the chance to ask, we were greeted by an abundance of friendly faces – all of the people that had been waiting for our arrival outside the cave.
It was the first time I had managed to get a good look at them and I was surprised at how many normal looking people there seemed to be. Of course there were a fair few rather strange looking ones too. Some looked very old indeed, needing assistance just to move across the floor to their seats where they struggled to sit down, with their old joints creaking.
I noticed a woman with bright red hair and skin so pale that I could almost see through it. I wondered if she was related to Rupert. She was chatting quietly to an older woman who appeared to have dark scales all over her face and when she reached for her chair, I saw that her fingers were webbed. As the candlelight caught her face, the dark scales appeared to sparkle. She noticed me staring and smiled kindly. I blushed and looked away, embarrassed.
The last creature to walk in came as a bit of a shock. He was huge, about seven feet tall and covered from head to toe in fur. He looked like a giant ape, except that he walked exactly like a human and his facial features were soft. He was laughing at something someone had said in front of him. He laughed like a human too.
They all sat at the table and Rupert called Jo and me over to sit at either side of the head. We had figured that Finley would be sitting there, assuming him to be the head of the Elders, but we were wrong. He was sitting a few chairs down from us, chatting quietly to Tabitha who grinned when she saw us.
We waited a few minutes and then everybody stood up – apart from the really old ones. We followed suit and stood up too, waiting for something to happen. We didn't have to wait long. A very attractive young man appeared. Jo gasped at the sight of him and blushed, making me smile.
“Good evening my equals,” he said in a deep smooth voice, “I trust you are all well? Please sit.” We all sat down and waited. “This evening we are honoured to be joined by two of Powell River's greatest changelings. Two very brave young women, Lilly and Jo. Welcome,” and then everybody lifted their glasses to us and we blushed crimson.
“We also have with us another very special guest but he is recovering from a brutal attack. Fear not for him, though. The girls' grand-father Gabriel is recovering well and I believe he is currently sleeping. But we shall lift our glasses to him nonetheless.” And we all raised our glasses and said 'to Gabriel' before everybody began talking amongst themselves while Jo and I sat nervously to the side of what appeared to be the Elders' number one man.
“I'm sorry I wasn't able to come down to help today. I have literally only just arrived back home. I have been away for a few days. But I have been told of the news and I know of your bravery… and yours Jo, too. Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. So young and so brave. Excellent.” We smiled shyly and wondered who this man was.
“Forgive my manners. I haven't introduced myself, have I? I am Carmelo. I founded the Elders many hundreds of years ago. It is a pleasure to meet you both,” he said.
“It's an honour to meet you, Carmelo, but it's a little difficult to understand how you can be hundreds of years old,” I said.
“I am surprised you do not know about me, but yes, I am 435 years old. I am what people call, a vampire,” he smiled.
It made sense. From the research I had done, I understood that vampires were usually beautiful people and Carmelo certainly was that. As I looked at my surroundings, I wondered how many other vampires lived in the caves and I shivered involuntarily.
“Please do not be afraid of us here, Lilly. We are not the kind of vampires you should be frightened of. In fact you should not be afraid of anyone that lives in these caves. You can trust everybody here. Although they are not all Elders, some live here because they have nowhere else to go. You can probably imagine how difficult it is to blend into the crowds when you look like Theodore over there,” and he pointed to the ape man, “or Carla,” and he pointed to the lady with the webbed fingers.
I nodded and asked why he had created the Elders in the first place.
“After two hundred years of having nobody to go to for advice, or nowhere truly safe to go to when I needed to hide, I decided to create somewhere myself. I searched for a few years to find the right place and the right kind of people and creatures and we slowly built this place here in these caves. Our kind know this is a safe haven of peace.”
“Wow... that's impressive,” I uttered as I took in more of the surroundings, amazed that this was created because of one man's, or should I say one vampire's, dream.
“That's absolutely amazing,” said Jo dreamily.
“Thank you, Jo,” he said, smiling as she sat staring at him.
“Perhaps I can show you around when we have finished dining,” and he looked deep into her eyes as if he was looking right into her subconscious mind. Jo nodded gently and that was the moment I realised that Jo had fallen head over heels in love with a 435-year-old vampire.
A vampire and a raven? Anything could happen in this world.
After the majority of us had eaten (the vampires just kept us company), Carmelo and Jo headed off for a walk together and I went to check on Gabriel. As he was still fast asleep, I quietly tiptoed out and went to explore a little bit.
“Oops, sorry Tabitha. I was just having a wander around,” I said as we had rounded a corner and, both deep in thought, had bumped straight into each other.
“Sorry, I was in another world there for a minute. I was actually looking for you. I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said as we found a comfy old leather sofa to sink into.
“What is it?” I asked, seeing that she was preoccupied.
“I was thinking about what you mentioned on our way up here. When you spoke about your transformation you said that it had all started happening with the strange dreams.”
I nodded, wondering what was bothering her.
“Well, it's just that a few weeks ago I started having really bizarre dreams, a bit like yours.”
“Everyone can have strange dreams and nightmares. Mine were only significant because of my blood relatives. Well, my genes I guess. Why are you worried?”
“I've been dreaming that I am an animal too, a lynx, actually. Oh, it's probably silly. It's probably nothing.”
“No, go on, what else?” I asked.
“Do you remember Zoltan's reaction to you when he touched your hand?”
I nodded.
“When he first touched me he had the same reaction. Apparently that only ever happens whenever he is very close to cats. He didn't tell me before because he didn't think it was relevant but after having met you, I just wondered whether, somehow, I have the same ability.”
I was intrigued so we decided that we would speak to Gabriel the following day. It sounded like something important was going on deep within her.
I told her about what Charlie had seen at Christmas – that he had thought she was a witch.
“Charlie was there?” she whispered and I nodded. “And he saw our fight?” She laughed. “Zoltan and I are always at each other's throats.
We fight like cat and dog... oh...” as she said it, she realised what she was saying and we both began laughing. “Maybe you really are then,” I giggled.
“But a witch? He got that wrong,” she insisted.
“He said you appeared to be casting spells,” I said and this time she nodded.
“Yes, that's right. I always try to do the right thing and then find out that it wasn't the right thing. That's why I've come back to the Elders now. I want them to teach me where I'm going wrong.”
I didn't have a clue what she meant and so she tried again, “I want to help fight evil, basically. But there have been times when it might have looked like I was evil, when I was just trying to go 'undercover' if you know what I mean. But it never worked and the Elders ended up having to rescue me.”
When I understood, I felt like I had met a kindred spirit in Tabitha.
Later that night as I lay down in a warm and comfortable bed, with Jo gently breathing as she slept peacefully in the bed next to mine, I came to the conclusion that Tabitha was truly a good person, she just needed some guidance. I fell asleep with the most minimal of fuss after such a hard and gruelling few days. Content that we had finally caught the woman responsible for so much pain, but sad that my father was still lost.
Jo woke me up the following morning. She was still in bed but she was desperate to talk to me.
“Lilly are you awake? Lilly? Lilly?”
“No I'm still asleep,” I grumbled and turned away from her.
“Lilly. Wake up.”
I was awake and I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again and so I turned to face her. Her face was bright, as if she'd been awake for hours and she looked excited. I knew why, of course.
I shook my head and chuckled to myself.
“What? What's so funny?” she said, frowning.
“Jo... you're glowing.”
“I am?”
“One word, Jo”
“What's that?”
“Carmelo.” The second I said it, she glowed even more and her eyes lit up. “I can't believe you're falling for a man who is hundreds of years older than you,” I said as I lifted myself up in bed.
“He's 25... he just happens to have been 25 for a very long time. And... I'm not falling for him. Don't be ridiculous,” she said, trying not to giggle.
“It's written all over your face, Jo. I could tell the second it happened last night at the dinner table.”
“It is? And you could? Oh, Lilly... I've never had this feeling about anyone before.”
“How long did you stay up with him last night?”
“For hours and hours. We talked for ages and then he walked me here. He was such a gentleman, Lilly. I can't stop thinking about him,” she said almost to herself as she peered up at the cave's ceiling.
The dreamy look on her face reminded me of how I had felt when I was with Oliver. I missed him and I still had that horrible feeling of emptiness in the pit of my stomach whenever I thought of him. I wished things had happened differently and that he had accepted who I was. Perhaps we would still be together if he had. But I couldn't think about him. He hadn't accepted me and I wouldn't dwell on it. I had moved on. At least I'd thought I'd moved on.
“But doesn't it bother you that he's a vampire, Jo? He survives by drinking people's blood,” I asked.
“Technically, he survives by drinking the blood of animals. He hasn't drunk human blood for a long, long time,” she answered and I knew that she had already made up her mind about him. Deep down, I doubt that it would have bothered her even if he drank human blood. She was in love and when love hit you like that, nothing else seemed to matter.
Later that day, when Gabriel was feeling a little stronger, I took Tabitha to see him. For a split second, he'd looked at her as if he knew her. When I asked him about it, he just said that she looked familiar, that's all.
And then we told him about her dreams and her concerns. He was quiet for some time and Tabitha and I exchanged glances.
“Tabitha, tell me about yourself. Tell me about your family, where you have come from, how you ended up here.” And so we made ourselves more comfortable and she began to tell him all about her upbringing, everything that she had told me the day before.
After about an hour, Gabriel turned to me and asked if I would mind making some tea for us all, “I'm quite thirsty and you must be too, Tabitha, after all that talking,” he laughed. I did as I was asked and went in search of some tea.
On my way, I noticed Carmelo and Jo laughing and talking together as they walked through the maze of the caves. They were holding hands like lovestruck teenagers and I could easily see that he had fallen for her in just the same way she had fallen for him. She glimpsed at me and winked when he wasn't looking. I laughed and carried on looking for the cave's main kitchen.
I followed the sounds of voices and the clanking of pans and sure enough, found a large room containing everything necessary for the preparation of food and drink.
Two elderly women were gossiping while they prepared what looked like soup over a large open flame. Before I could introduce myself I heard them talking about Carmelo. “I've never seen him act this way before. This young girl seems to have bewitched him,” said one.
“But don't they make a lovely couple. It's about time he found true love. It's been a long long time since Dharma died,” said the other.
I cleared my throat to make myself known and they both turned and smiled widely at me.
“Hello, dear. You probably heard that,” chuckled one.
I nodded and she continued “But it's true. That cousin of yours, Jo, seems to be brightening Carmelo's day. He's quite smitten. It's been an awfully long time since he knew love. What can we do for you, dear?”
We spoke for a little while longer before I thanked them and left the room carrying a tray with tea for the three of us.
When I eventually found my way back to Gabriel's room, he was alone. Tabitha was nowhere to be seen.
“Where's Tabitha?” I asked, noticing that he was smiling more than he had been before.
“I sent her to find Carmelo.”
“What for?” I asked, and he told me that there was something important he needed to speak to him, and us, about.
As I set the tray down I asked Gabriel what he thought about Carmelo.
“He is perhaps the most remarkable man I have met, the most remarkable vampire anyway,” he chuckled, “why do you ask?”
Not sure whether to say anything or not, I decided that rumours were already doing the rounds so he should know.
“Because it seems that Cupid has shot him with his arrows,” I grinned.
“Cupid is here? When did he arrive?” he asked seriously.
I shook my head in disbelief, “Cupid is actually real?”
Gabriel began to laugh and I grinned.
“Very funny,” I said, gently punching him on his good shoulder. “What I meant to say was, it appears that Jo and Carmelo have bonded.”
Gabriel smiled and relief flooded through me. “You're okay with it?” I asked.
He nodded, “Since you arrived Lilly, my outlook on life has changed quite a lot. You have helped me become more open minded,” he whispered gently, stroking my face as he spoke. “Especially since you brought Sammy back into our lives.”
Before I could answer, Tabitha returned with Carmelo and Jo in tow.
“Gabriel. How good to see you. My apologies for not coming to see you sooner. I was away for a few days and only returned yesterday evening and I certainly did not want to disturb your sleep last night,” said Carmelo as they gently shook hands.
“And you have had far more important matters to attend to, Carmelo,” Gabriel replied, looking at Jo, who blushed and smiled at the same time.
“Ahh, so the cat is out of the bag,” laughed Carmelo.
Gabriel nodded and said, “Well, it's funny that you should use those words exactly Carmelo because I believe that the cat is quite literally out of the
bag... that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I believe that Tabitha here is, in fact, of the feline variety.”
Jo moved forward to sit at the foot of the bed, clearly curious. Carmelo followed, standing behind her with his hands lovingly on her shoulders.
Tabitha sat on one side of the bed and I sat on the other.
Gabriel took a sip of his tea and then handed it to me to put down.
“I believe Tabitha is part of our family.”
We all gasped.
“But how?” I asked.
“Tabitha has kindly filled me in on her life but it wasn't until she mentioned, right at the very end, the name of her mother... Lori,” he said and he turned to look at her, “that's why you looked so familiar to me when you first arrived. You are Rose's grandchild, Tabitha. You are Lilly's second cousin.”
And we both shrieked and laughed and leaned over Gabriel to hug each other.
“That means that Lori is still alive!” I gasped, “We must return home to tell Rose.”
“This is wonderful news, Gabriel. Would you like me to send news to Rose?” asked Carmelo.
But Gabriel declined, “I think this is something that needs to be done in person by Tabitha and Lilly. But thank you, Carmelo. In the meantime, I need to decide what I am going to do. And you, Carmelo, and you, Jo, need to decide what you are going to do too. If you understand my meaning.”
Jo turned to look at Carmelo and he smiled down at her.
“Perhaps you would like to discuss this in private?” asked Gabriel.
“Well, actually. We've already decided,” Jo answered quietly, “I'm going home to finish high school and then I'm going to return to live with Carmelo and help with the Elders,” she said and Gabriel smiled.
“That is a wise decision, my dear. It also gives your parents a few months to come to terms with this situation and to accept Carmelo into the family... but don't look so worried Jo, I believe that your parents will understand. After all, this family has a long history of love at first sight,” he chuckled.
His earlier words hadn't gone amiss with me and I asked nervously, “But what about you, Gabriel? What do you mean you need to decide what to do?” as I remembered that the Elders had invited Gabriel to live with them in the mountains.
“We will leave you two alone for now, Gabriel. So you can talk,” said Carmelo as he, Jo and Tabitha walked out of the room.
“So what did you mean, Gabriel?”
“Lilly, I already knew that I would one day come and be with the Elders. I just thought that it wouldn't be for a few more years but since this has happened to me, I feel like an old man. I don't think I will ever fully recover from the fall. I think you know that too,” he said sadly. “This is my destiny and I have therefore decided not to return home with you.”
I sobbed, not just because he wasn't coming home, but because Vivian had hurt us once more. She had injured my grand-father and although he would recover, his body would never be as it once was.
“What am I going to do without you?”
“You'll be fine. You'll be absolutely fine. And with your amazing ability, you can come and visit me whenever you want to, okay?”
I nodded sadly. “But what will I tell the people in town?”
“I will give you letters to give to my close friends. I will tell them that I had to move away to take care of an elderly relative in the north. They will understand.”
“But what about Ben? He'll be devastated,” I whispered.
“I will tell him the same thing. He will get over it. He is young.”
I knew he would, but he would be hurt not to see Gabriel for one last time. Not to be able to say goodbye. I knew how he would feel and I didn't want him to have to go through that.
“Through you, we can exchange letters. Then it won't be so bad for him, okay?” and I agreed.