When Darkness Falls - Six Paranormal Novels in One Boxed Set

by Shalini Boland

  I asked my family and I was told exactly what I didn't want to hear. Neither Oliver nor Ben knew the truth and it was better to keep it that way, especially in light of the fact that their parents were killed by mountain lions. After all, we did not know yet what kind of cat I would have the ability to transform into. It would be heartbreaking for them to know.

  I felt heavy-hearted. Would this mean the end of our relationship before it had even begun? I was saddened because I had felt such a connection to Oliver and was developing such a close friendship with Ben. I certainly didn't want to lose what we had so I had no choice but to keep my secret closely guarded.

  “It is for the best, at least for the moment Lilly. We understand there is a connection between you and Oliver,” said Gabriel and I gasped in embarrassment. They knew? I blushed.

  Meredith smiled, as did Rose, who winked at the same time. “It's no secret. It was obvious the moment you laid eyes on each other that sparks were flying,” she laughed.

  I was so embarrassed that I had hoped the floor would open and gobble me up but I was growing up. I had to act like a grown-up, not like a child.

  “I hate to have secrets from him before we've even got to know each other. But I do understand. I won't say a word to him or to Ben.”

  As I thought about the fact that nobody else knew of our family's remarkable abilities, I was reminded of Vivian. How had she known that there was a raven gene if it was such a guarded secret?

  I was told more about all the weird, wonderful and frankly terrifying things that really existed in our world. That it was a completely different world to that which most people know about. It was a world full of supernatural entities and people with superhuman abilities. This was a world more like that of the fairy tales than the one I'd become accustomed to. I had to be careful who I trusted and I had to watch out for things I wouldn't normally have to look out for...

  A person's excessively beady and watchful eyes could indicate a changeling – a human that could morph into any number of other beings in the blink of an eye.

  A person who avoided the sunlight with the palest of skin and a certain redness to their eyes could be a vampire, eager to feed on the blood of others.

  I might notice someone with sharper looking teeth than usual – this could potentially be a werewolf. Their teeth becoming fangs during the change, and contrary to popular belief they couldn't just change during a full moon, they could change at any time, anywhere.

  These were just some of the beings that I might be able to identify but the most dangerous ones were those that I would have no idea who or what they were. Like me, for example. Nobody would ever think that I was capable of changing into an alternate being (neither did I, for that matter, at that stage) so I had to be ultra careful around everybody, at all times.

  Some of these others could be everywhere and anywhere, including people that could change into a variety of beasts. Gabriel mentioned some of the animals that he knew about, but he was certain there are more.

  Bears, already known as one of the most dangerous animals in the world – imagine one with the intelligence of a human and no way of knowing who could change into one.

  Sharks – provided I steered clear of the ocean I wouldn't have to worry about these, as long as I took note of anyone who had an unusual love of the ocean.

  What he told me next really gave me the creeps. I've never liked the idea of any form of reptiles so to hear that there were people out there that could change into large slithering serpents, that just freaked me out. Give me a bear any day.

  There were also mountain goats, elk and coyotes in these parts too.

  Gabriel described how he had heard of a man who could change into a crocodile, although he'd never seen it with his own eyes. Apparently this man was originally from Africa, where crocodiles are common. He told me that I should note that these beasts were only the ones he had heard of in Canada and the United States – there would undoubtedly be hundreds more across the world. And in this day and age, with global travel at its peak, they could be anywhere.

  I was astonished that we were constantly surrounded by so much danger and yet millions and millions of people had no idea. There were many myths and legends in all corners of the world but to know that they were probably true was shocking almost beyond belief.

  “The only way you can prepare yourself for any of these beasts, Lilly, is to start doing a lot more reading. Not just the supernatural stuff your father gave you, but you need to understand everything you can about these deadly animals. What makes them tick. At least then, in the unlikely event that you should ever come across any in a dangerous situation, you'll at least have some semblance of preparation on how to deal with them,” said Wyatt.

  I agreed that knowledge was important. I also thought that I could learn a lot from Ben, being a vet. I knew then that he would be an asset, as well as a friend.

  As if reading my mind again, Meredith mentioned that Ben was looking for a trainee assistant. She was sure that he would be delighted if I applied for the position. She said I could continue with school and work with him at weekends and then take up the job when I'd completed my studies in a few years. It sounded like a great plan. Something to work towards. I liked the idea.

  The others approved too. I would have a word with him later to see if he would be interested, but I had to make it clear that I didn't want to be a charity case, just because we're friends... practically family.

  As lunchtime approached, I suddenly realised it was Friday and I hadn't gone to school. I voiced my thoughts aloud and was reassured to hear that Gabriel had phoned the school that morning and told them I was unable to attend, for personal reasons. He told me I shouldn't worry because, under the circumstances, they were very understanding.

  It also dawned on me that Friday was when I had a date with Oliver. I blushed at the thought. Meredith smiled. She knew what was going through my mind.

  “I think perhaps we've put rather a lot on poor Lilly since last night. We should all go home and leave her to think about everything. After all, it is a lot to take in,” she said, standing, “plus, John will be coming home for lunch so I'd better go and get him some food ready.”

  She kissed me on the top of my head, kissed everyone else before putting on her warm green coat and walked out the front door without a backwards glance.

  The others stood and said similar things, before they prepared themselves for the cold weather outside with coats, scarves and gloves before following along behind her.

  As Rose stood up, she took my hand and offered to make me some lunch at her house if I wanted to walk her home. As Gabriel had also gone out, I locked up and wrapped up warm as we headed off in the direction of her home. Instead of walking along the roadside, we chose to take the scenic route, the way I had walked when I had first come across the lovely Portuguese music.

  I thought back to that day, to my first impression of Rose and wondered if I looked anything like a cat... or a raven for that matter, but I couldn't see it in myself. Perhaps others saw me that way. Although I hoped that the dangerous ones couldn't tell, I certainly wouldn't want them to know.

  As we wandered along the shoreline, I heard the plops again of the fish jumping out of the water and back again, wondering if they were simply fish or fish that had another secret side to them. A human side.

  They looked pretty harmless so I assumed, and hoped, that they were of the simple fish variety. They were small creatures so it was hard to imagine them changing into human form. But then, so were ravens and cats. I wished I knew how the change took place. I didn't feel the need to change myself, but I would have liked to witness someone else changing – perhaps then I would feel better prepared for what was to come in my own life.

  Just 24 hours ago I would have walked down there by the sea and I wouldn't have had a care in the world (other than that of my missing 'mother' and father). I would have seen everything in a completely different light. Innocent and naïve to the real
world. That was me... yesterday.

  How things can change in less than a day. Now everything I looked at appeared different. Everything that once would have taken my breath away because of its natural beauty would be scrutinised in a way I never dreamed possible. Even the other birds that sat innocently in the trees above us could be more than just birds. Were they really birds? Or were they humans that could change? As they watched us, what were they seeing? Did they see innocent bystanders to the world? Or did they see us as threats? Particularly Rose with her catlike appearance? Could they sense the cats in us?

  The world was a completely different place to what it was yesterday.

  As we wandered through those immensely tall cedar trees and I noticed glimpses of the bright blue sky between the branches, Rose stopped and turned to face me.

  “I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you the truth when we first met, my dear. I do hope you understand that I had to wait for your grandfather to speak first. It was between him and you.”

  I told her that I did understand the reasons behind the decisions and I didn't hold it against her. It was irritating at first but not any more.

  “I so wanted to tell you about your mother.”

  “You can now, though,” I responded hopefully as we wandered through the trees along a winding pathway that had probably been created by my family over the years.

  It was what she wanted to hear and so she began to tell me what my mother was truly like. Beautiful, honest and playful. From childhood until her early death, she was the same. Devoted was another word she used. “Devoted to me. To our parents. To Neleh. She was devoted to you the whole nine months she carried you, too, Lilly. You mustn't forget that. Although you didn't have the chance to know her, you two developed a bond during that time and that's a bond that can never be broken. I think this is why she is able to get through to you so strongly in your dreams. You need that bond to be able to do that.”

  That simple sentence meant the world to me. Even though I had never had the opportunity to know this remarkable woman, I did have an unbreakable bond with her. She was my mother. She gave birth to me. She loved me and she would never forget me. Not even in death.

  “I was always very envious of her thick dark hair. She only ever had it trimmed – so it grew very long over the years and she didn't have a single grey hair!” Rose reminisced. “Whereas I had grey hair from my early twenties,” she laughed.

  “But isn't that because of the cat... business?” I asked.

  “That's a good way to put it, dear. Cat business,” she laughed out loud again, a graceful deep sound that matched her own grace and beauty.

  “I guess you're right. It must be the siamese in me,” she chuckled as she unlocked the white wooden back door of her house. Four of the cats were already with us, they had joined us in the forest a good few hundred metres away. The others gathered in the kitchen as we walked in. When they had first seen me, they hadn't appeared interested at all. Now, they all made a point of brushing up against my legs, purring loudly. It was as if they were welcoming me.

  “I told them about you, dear. They know you're a part of this family now.”

  I stuttered, thinking of something to say in response but I honestly couldn't think of anything suitable. Nothing that made much sense anyway.

  Clearly, being part cat, part human had its advantages when you wanted to communicate with your fellow felines.

  “In time, you'll be able to speak with them too. For now, though, they'll be happy with a stroke and a nice warm lap to sit on,” she said, suggesting I sit down in the only well-worn comfy armchair next to the breakfast bar.

  I did as I was told and immediately a cat that was so black he almost looked blue jumped up onto my lap. He stood there for a few moments looking deep into my eyes, before hopping onto the armrest and curling up. I patted him gently on his back before a second one leapt onto my knees too. This was the one that resembled Rose and was the one that had greeted me when I had first laid eyes on her. She was an off-white colour with a faint grey pattern all over her. The best way to describe her was that she looked like she'd been run over by a car and had a tyre print across her back. Her eyes, like Rose's, were so dark, yet as I had seen outdoors in the sunlight were bright blue.

  She did as the black cat had, stood and stared into my eyes. Her head dropped slightly to the side as if she was really looking into the depths of my soul, as if she was reaching inside of me to see what was really there. Once she had come to some sort of conclusion, she began to purr. It was as if a smile crossed her face. It was hard to describe but not only did she remind me of Rose, but she reminded me of... me. I liked her and she clearly liked me too, judging by the way she curled up on my lap and began to pummel me with her paws.

  “She's happy,” said Rose, “she's very fond of you. Her name is Scully.”

  “As in the X Files?”

  She nodded and I remembered the book my father had given me once. It was a book from the TV series, hence me knowing the name. Having never watched television, I wouldn't have otherwise known.

  “Why did you call her Scully?”

  “It wasn't my idea. Ben came up with it actually and I liked it so it just kind of stuck.”

  Scully had been found wandering the streets of Vancouver when she was just a few months old. Someone had rescued her and taken her to the local vets – it just happened to be the vets where Ben was training at the time.

  “You're a lucky cat, Scully, to have found a home here of all places.”

  I probably imagined it but she appeared to nod at me, as if she was perfectly aware how lucky she was.

  “I believe they all came here because they were meant to come here. Some divine force brought them to me. I'm quite a strong believer in that,” said Rose, as she put the finishing touches to two tuna sandwiches and two glasses of milk. Leftover tuna was placed into a large bowl on the floor to where all the other cats rushed to get in on the action.

  Scully remained comfortably seated on my knee so I had little choice but to eat my lunch where I was.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Rose began to tell me more about my mother. Even though she had Neleh at an early age, Serena never dropped out of school – continuing until she graduated before getting a part-time job at a local museum.

  “She loved that place. She felt like she really belonged there. You should go and have a look around it one of these days. It may also help you understand a bit more about the Canadian culture.”

  Apparently the museum was almost exactly the same as to the day she died, so it would be nice for me to see what the place was like where she spent quite a lot of her time.

  Wondering what her life must have been like before I was born, I asked Rose where she, my father and Neleh had lived. Was it nearby?

  “They actually lived with Gabriel for a few years before renting a small cottage on the outskirts of town. A few years before she died, Jack bought a plot of land. It took him a long time to save up enough money to build a house on it but he had scraped enough together and was planning to start construction just before you were born. Sadly it was never built because of what happened.”

  “But he had started to build it?” I asked curiously.

  There wasn't much to it apparently. Just a concrete base and some wood had been delivered. Rose told me that nothing had been touched since Vivian took us away. Keen to see the house where I could have spent my childhood, I asked Rose if she could give me directions so I could go and find it myself. After we'd eaten our lunch, she drew a rough map to help me get there. She did offer to take me herself but understood when I said it was something I felt I should do alone.

  I heard more about my mother as we sat amidst the cats that afternoon. Rose told me some funny stories of how naughty Serena could be when she was a child and how she had made their parents feel young again. Theirs truly was a happy family and even when their parents died within a short time of each other, the mourning period didn't last so long becau
se they both believed that their parents continued to be together, soul mates forever more. It was the stuff of fairy tales with happy endings, until of course that terrible day when Neleh had been killed. A tragedy which led to such heartbreak for everyone... except Vivian.

  “Is there any way of finding out more about Vivian? Is there nothing we can do to try and find her? I feel certain that my father is still alive and I wish I could do something to help him,” I asked.

  Rose explained that Gabriel was currently doing everything in his power to do just that. He had found out a few things about her and he hoped to be able to inform the family more about her when he had gathered sufficient relevant information.

  “But in the meantime, you shouldn't worry about any of that. You're still only thirteen, Lilly – nearly fourteen, I know! You should be enjoying your life as much as you can. I understand that it is difficult to do so when there is so much tragedy surrounding you, now and in the past. I also understand that you have been told such overwhelming news since this time yesterday so you need to just take some time to let it sink in. You must come to terms with it before you throw yourself in at the deep end, my dear. You've got nearly fourteen years worth of fun to catch up on. And besides... I understand you've got a date tonight. You should be preparing for that,” she laughed.

  Meredith had obviously told her... and probably the rest of the family too, but I didn't mind. It was wonderful having people actually caring about me.

  “Perhaps you ought to do something with your hair,” she half joked. She did have a point.

  I left Rose's house soon afterwards so that I could have some time alone before my date with Oliver. I'd never been on a date before and wanted to look as good as possible. This was something that was a bit difficult considering I had chopped my lovely hair off and dyed it peroxide blonde.