It was a while ago now and my hair grew fast. My black roots and white ends were not a pretty sight. How Oliver had found me cute with a hairstyle like that, I've no idea. I decided my best option was to get some hair dye and change it back to the way it was meant to be. Black. Like Gabriel said to me when I'd first arrived – I'm naturally dark haired like the rest of my family and should be proud of it.
It was particularly chilly as I walked along the roadside into town and so I wrapped my knee length-parka tightly around my body and pulled my black beanie further down my face in an effort to warm up, but I needn't have worried too much because I was soon offered a ride by Ben who was on his way back from treating an injured horse.
“Hey Lilly. What are you doing here? How come you're not in school? Can I give you a lift?”
I hopped into the passenger seat with the eagerness of a person about to pass out from hypothermia and he laughed and turned up the heat to help warm me up.
To keep up the charade that Gabriel had begun with the school, I explained I'd not been feeling so great emotionally and needed some time alone. But I told him I was feeling better now and was glad of his company.
He told me about his latest patient. It was a horse that had a mysterious injury to his leg and that his owner couldn't understand how it had happened, especially since the animal had been locked in his stable overnight, and had been perfectly alright the previous evening. He had called Ben immediately to attend to the bloody mess but he could offer no explanation either.
“I mean, this poor horse had looked as if it had been attacked by a wild animal. Yet there was no way he could get out of his stable and no way any animal large enough to do the damage could get in,” he said with a creased brow as if he was still trying to fathom the mystery out.
I knew that it was quite possible that the horse had fought with something. Something dark and unnatural, probably.
My gut feeling was that the horse wasn't just a horse. Maybe it had the power of transformation and had let itself out into the darkness. Or some kind of beast had unlocked the stable, crept in and made a frenzied attack on the horse... why, I had no idea. There were so many bizarre theories going around in my head and I couldn't suggest a single one to Ben, which I hated. Being a vet, I believed that it could have been really useful for him to know. But I had been advised not to tell a soul and it was of the utmost importance that I kept this secret, for my family's sake.
I mentioned that I had heard he was looking for a part-time trainee assistant. After he nodded, I suggested myself as a possible candidate. Surprisingly, he was thrilled that I would be interested in the position.
“Are you kidding? That would be terrific, Lilly! It would almost be like keeping it in the family. That's great... really great!”
“Really? I don't want you to hire me just because we're practically family though, Ben.”
“Don't be silly. It's perfect. I'd love you to come and work with me. Great!”
“Unfortunately, I still have a few years to go at high school, otherwise I could start straight away.”
We agreed that I would begin training with him every Saturday and would do the odd stint after school. During the holidays I would work three days a week. I was excited at the prospect of having something important to do, working with animals. And at the same time I would learn everything that I needed to know.
When he asked why I was heading into town, I blushed and told him I was so embarrassed about the state of my hair, I was going to buy a do-at-home hair dye to sort it out.
He laughed “I don't think a simple hair dye will do the trick, Lilly!”
“Thanks, Ben!” but I laughed too, knowing only too well that my haircut left a lot to be desired.
“Look, a really good friend of mine is a hairdresser in town and she owes me a favour. Why don't we pop into her salon and we'll see what she can do?”
Although I was embarrassed that he would be willing to use his favour on me, I agreed that my appearance was in desperate need of an overhaul and so I nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” I whispered shyly and he looked over at me and winked.
It turned out that his good friend was actually more of a girlfriend, judging by the smouldering looks that passed between them when we arrived. I was lucky that she was between appointments and she was delighted to help. Her name was Crystal.
Unlike most of the girls I had met so far in Powell River who had long flowing locks, Crystal's cropped elfin-like hair made her beautiful African-American features more pronounced. She was a beauty, there was no doubt about that, and on top of that, she had a beautiful soul. Her naturally black afro hair had been dyed a golden brown, which made her eyes appear to have so much depth that you could almost sink into them. They reminded me of Scully's eyes, deep, dark and soulful.
Ben only stayed for a couple of minutes, as there were clients waiting back at the practice so he left me there, before assuring me that I was in the best of hands and that I would leave feeling a million dollars.
“Enjoy your date tonight,” he yelled with a wink as he closed the door without giving me the chance to respond.
Did everyone know? I thought, as I followed Crystal to the chair in front of the mirror and sat down while she inspected my hair carefully and thoughtfully before smiling brightly at me.
“So... I'm guessing you hacked at your hair yourself?”
She clearly knew my answer before carrying on, “And I'm guessing you bleached it yourself too. Well, the hair is in surprisingly good condition but it is in some serious need of shape. Do you want the colour back to its natural shade?”
I nodded and she agreed it was the best choice for my colouring.
And so as she went about returning my hair back to some kind of normality, I relaxed and enjoyed the pampering while thinking about the journey my life had begun to take. It was one that I would never have imagined, not in a million years.
Growing up the way I had, trapped within what appeared to be a loveless family, not able to go out and meet people, not even able to see the world through the television. My only glimmer of the world out there was through the eyes of authors like the Grimms Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. When I read these magical tales, I'd had no idea that their worlds had existed, yet here I was with the knowledge that they did exist, yet within a veil of secrecy.
A secret world. And I knew about it. I was part of it. I shivered.
“Sorry, Lilly. Is the water too cold?” asked Crystal.
I assured her it was fine. The cold came from within. Within the knowledge that I couldn't share. Not even with Oliver – the boy that gave me goosebumps just by looking at him. And he felt the same way that I did. His heart skipped a beat when he was with me too. It was hard for me to fathom anybody could have feelings for me in that way.
I was young, I had never had a boyfriend. I had never been kissed. I didn't know the meaning of love, other than the new love I felt for my newfound family members. I had never even felt love for my father because I had always had the impression that he didn't love me. Not really. A feeling of shame enveloped me. All this time, of course he had loved me. His only way of sharing that love was to sneak those books to me. And I had never shown him that he meant everything to me. Of course it was easy for me to say that now. Now that I knew the truth. He was under a spell. Pure and simple.
It didn't take Crystal long to return me to my 'natural' beauty as she put it and when I left over an hour later, Ben had been right, I did feel like a million dollars. I felt pretty and I hadn't felt pretty in a long, long time. In fact, I had never felt pretty because I'd never been told I was pretty.
Crystal had worked wonders and my new short crop was surprisingly a great shape for my face. I was astounded how much it suited me, considering what a mess I had looked before. As much as I wanted to show the world my new style, I had no choice but to cover it up the second I stepped outside because of the cold, so on went the beanie once again.
&n
bsp; As I glanced back through the window, I waved goodbye to Crystal as she waved back happily before attending to the other young woman who had entered just five minutes before. I hadn't taken much notice of the salon's entrance as we'd arrived so I looked up at her sign. Crystal's Salon was in big bold black lettering on an orange background with a catchy logo featuring a cat with big eyes and long hair. It made me chuckle to myself as it matched her personality perfectly.
I put my hands in my pocket and felt a piece of paper. It was the map to my father's land that Rose had drawn for me. I checked my watch and figured I had plenty of time so I headed in that direction.
As I walked through town, a number of familiar faces smiled at me and said their hellos before hurrying out of the cold. It was still so alien to me to be known by so many people. In London, I knew the faces of the kids at school. I knew the faces of the many teachers. I knew the face of the postman but I didn't know anybody but December, my secret best friend. Vivian had never allowed me to get to know anyone at all. I couldn't even say hello to the neighbours without fear of being grabbed and pulled away by her. Yet here I was surrounded by friendly people that I could get to know if I wanted to. And who wanted to get to know me.
Some even stopped me in the street and made small talk, asking how I was doing, if I was settling in okay and so on. It was rather nice actually. It made me smile and again, I felt liked. I felt loved. It was a feeling I would cherish.
Heading out of town, I smiled to myself happily and checked the map again before taking a turning off the main road. There was tarmac for a hundred or so metres and then I had to take a left down a small and winding dirt track. The track became even longer and narrower then, giving an almost funnel effect.
I continued walking until I eventually came upon a wide open space. In the middle was a large concrete base. I had found it. This should have been the place that I grew up. The happy years that we could have all spent together. Should have spent together. Serena, my father, Neleh... and me. How different my life could have been, I thought as I walked slowly towards what would have been our home.
I looked around and noticed that it was surrounded by trees, hidden away from any kind of prying eyes, perhaps that was the reason my father had chosen it. He knew the family secret and he knew the importance of keeping it just that: a secret. It was perfect and it was peaceful. I understood perfectly why my father had chosen this plot of land. Not only was it well hidden, but it also had a great feeling to it. I tried to picture what the house could have looked like. A large log home a bit like Gabriel's perhaps? No, this would have been quite a bit smaller and even more cosy. It was perfect.
As I wandered around the base, I noticed a large pallet of logs which had become ruined from years of neglect in the outdoors. I felt sad as I approached them and gently rubbed my hand along one of the logs.
I had been so focused on what could have been that I didn't even notice that it had started raining. I looked up as the storm clouds collected over head. I pulled my beanie down further over my face and as I turned away from the logs, I heard a tear and then a click before an almighty crash.
A searing pain went through my leg as I fell to the ground with a thud. A log had come loose and had landed on top of me. I barely remember anything, except that I screamed out in pain. I felt nauseous all of a sudden and, barely conscious, I tried to shout for help yet I knew nobody would hear me. As I had noted before, the house was perfectly well hidden, after all. I could just about feel my face becoming wet from the rain when I heard a loud of clap of thunder.
I felt trapped in a nightmare. One where I couldn't move. The more I struggled, the worse it became. The log was too heavy and I was too injured to move a muscle.
I've no idea how long I was there.
Just as I felt like giving up all hope, drifting in and out of consciousness, I saw movement from beyond the trees and then before I knew it, I heard the voice of an angel. “Don't worry, Lilly. You're going to be alright. I'll make sure of that.”
I must have been hallucinating as I remember being lifted higher and higher into the sky before completely losing consciousness.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
When I came to, I noticed a pale green ceiling and green walls. A distinctive smell hovered in the air. It smelt... clinical. Hearing people moving around beyond my room, I realised I was in the hospital. I had absolutely no idea what had happened to me.
“Lilly?” said a deep voice to the side of the bed.
I turned my head and saw Ben sitting patiently by my side, waiting for me to wake up.
“What happened?” I asked.
Apparently it was a mystery to him too. After he had treated his patients, he had been working alone on some paperwork in his practice, when there had been a knock on the door and when he opened it, he found me lying on the floor unconscious.
“I had absolutely no idea what had happened. At first I assumed you had knocked on the door and then collapsed but when I tried to pick you up, I noticed someone had roughly wrapped your leg with these huge leaves. Someone had clearly helped you and then left you there. Do you have any idea what happened?” he asked.
I shook my head, which ached a little and I asked for Gabriel.
“Don't worry, he's here. He's just having a word with the doctor. Rose is here too, and Sonya and Meredith are on their way.”
“They don't need to come. I'm okay... aren't I?” I asked, unsure whether I was or not.
“You've broken your leg and you've got a few bruises but other than that I think you're okay so don't worry. Your hair looks great, by the way,” he said, trying to make light of the situation.
Gabriel walked into the room and thanked Ben profusely for bringing me to the hospital so quickly. “If you need to get back to work, Ben, go ahead. I'll take over for now,” he said.
As Ben nodded, he picked up his coat, leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You had me scared for a while there, Lilly. I'm glad you're okay. You call me if you need anything, okay?”
I nodded as best as I could without my head throbbing and smiled back.
“Thank you, Ben.”
The moment he left, Gabriel closed the door behind him.
“Oh Lilly... what on earth happened? Did you go into the forest?” Gabriel asked.
I explained everything that I could remember, which wasn't much. Just that I had gone to find the land that belonged to my father. I remembered finding it but I couldn't recall much more than that.
“But how did you get to Ben's?”
“I really don't know, Gabriel. But I wish I did.”
I was uncomfortable lying flat on my back, so I asked him if he would help me sit up a little and as I did so, I noticed I was clenching something in my hand. I opened it and found a single black feather. Strange, I thought, I don't recall picking up a feather and why would I still have it in my hand?
Gabriel saw the look on my face and followed my gaze.
“I must have found it there and picked it up, for some reason,” I said innocently as Rose opened the door with a cup of coffee that she handed to Gabriel.
“Hello dear. Are you feeling alright? I've been worried out of my mind,” she said as she tiptoed over to me and leaned over to peck me on my cheek. She hovered for a moment and I could have sworn she sniffed at me a couple of times. As she straightened up she had an odd expression on her face. She turned to Gabriel then and together they shared a quizzical look.
She walked over to my coat and picked it up. As she did so, another black feather, a much larger one, fell to the ground.
This time it was my turn to gasp as she crouched down to pick it up.
Gabriel took it from her and held it up to the light.
“This is the feather of a raven,” he whispered.
“But it is too large, Gabriel,” Rose whispered in reply.
He nodded and they both turned to look at me.
“Lilly, it's very important that you recall what happened to you this afte
rnoon. Is there anything, anything at all that you remember? The slightest thing could make all the difference,” Gabriel said hopefully.
I closed my eyes and thought back to when I left Crystal's, looking up at the sign and smiling, then I'd walked through town and had spoken to a few people and then I'd followed Rose's map to find the land belonging to my father. I remember the dirt track that had started off winding and then had straightened out, giving that funnel effect.
As I walked in my mind, I walked into the clearing where the concrete base was situated. I remember feeling sad. My eyes settled on the logs where I had gently caressed the wood that would have made a house for my family and me. As I explained all of this, Gabriel nodded, waiting to hear more.
“My coat got caught on something and then the log fell on my leg... I remember being trapped and there was so much pain,” I said, flinching at the memory.
“That's obviously how your leg was broken, my dear. It has broken in two places. But if you were trapped, how did you get out? And how on earth did you get to Ben's?” asked Rose.
I tried hard to remember again but there was nothing. I had no memory after that. I was so frustrated. But then as I looked at that huge feather, something was triggered in my subconscious.
“There was a man's voice,” I gasped, “'don't worry, Lilly. You're going to be alright. I'll make sure of that'. That's what he said but I don't know what happened after that.”
“Well, whoever he was, he must have been the one that took you to Ben's practice. We just have to try and find out who he was. We'll ask around and see if anybody saw anything strange this afternoon. There's a lot more to this. I can feel it,” said Gabriel as he drank the last of his coffee and threw the polystyrene cup into the rubbish bin.
“Whoever he was, I'm eternally grateful to him, that's for sure. I don't even care to imagine what might have happened had he not been there,” said Rose as Gabriel nodded in agreement.
“Can I come home with you, Gabriel?” I asked hopefully. I didn't want to stay there in that hospital bed. I was reminded of how my mother had died and I felt physically sick to the stomach at the thought of having to remain there.
When Darkness Falls - Six Paranormal Novels in One Boxed Set Page 120