“People are always going to get hurt because of the thugs,” she said. “And everyone’s in danger from them, not just me. I just had a close call with them. But I’m luckier than most because I’m a Morpher – and now, thankfully, my morphing is fixed so I can protect myself and my mum. Plus, we have six guards watching the house! Don’t worry about me. Raphael, your dad’s right. You told me yourself that he’s trying to bring the Pearsons' down; if we take the thug out, it would provoke all-out war.”
“If we don’t take him out, everyone continues to live under their siege. Skye, can you come round tonight? Just for a couple of hours. I want us to talk with my dad. See if we can come up with something.”
Crucial as she knew it was that they formulate a plan to get rid of the leader of the thugs, Skye’s stomach heaved rather nastily at the thought of returning to his house. Last time she had been there she had been so head over heels and enjoyed the time she had spent with his family. Now it was a different story. She also found herself worrying on a number of occasions that, if he did invite her round again, would Sasha be there? She simply wouldn’t be able to bear that type of embarrassment; it had been bad enough seeing the two of them together. The sickening image still haunted her.
“There isn’t going to be anyone at your house tonight, is there?” said Skye hesitantly.
“No? Just me, my dad and my brothers. Why?”
“Just wondering,” said Skye in relief and actually hoping that Raphael never revealed to her about any relationship he might have with that spiteful girl. She had just got back on track and realized she would rather not know. It was hard enough being in his company at all …
“Oh wait, there is someone.”
“Who?” said Skye nervously.
“That friend of yours. What’s her name again? Begins with D …”
“Daphne?” said Skye, looking incredulous.
“Yep, that’s the one.”
“What is she doing at your house?”
“Ricardo invited her over. They’re in the garden. I haven’t seen him like this before …”
Skye stiffened.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to her about your brother, actually,” she said.
“What about him?”
“Well, it’s no secret that your twin brothers have a reputation when it comes to girls.”
“Right? So … what’s the problem?”
“The problem is I don’t want my friend to have her heart broken, that’s what.”
“Hey, don’t worry. I admit, they have been known as heartbreakers –”
“Must run in the family,” muttered Skye.
“Huh? Didn’t hear you.”
“Nothing.”
“As I was saying,” continued Raphael, “they’ve left a trail of broken hearts behind a few times, but I seriously haven’t seen Ricardo like this before. He’s really into your friend.”
“And is he aware that she already has a boyfriend?”
“Apparently she told him she finished with him.”
“Did she?” said Skye with a raised eyebrow. “Funny, she forgot to mention it to me. Anyway – point is, she’s my best mate and I’m not going to stand by and watch while your Casanova brother plays her about. I’m really grateful to your brothers for helping me out obviously but this is concerning something completely different. I’m going to talk to her about it when I see her.”
“Chill out, Skye, she’ll be fine. As long as there’s no funny business going on, there isn’t an issue.”
“Yeah, funny business; you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” said Skye, before she could stop herself.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” said Skye quickly and she swiftly changed the subject before Raphael could probe any further about that remark. “Anyway, yeah, I’ll come round. You picking me up or am I catching the bus?”
Raphael’s eyes scanned her gently.
“I’m picking you up obviously. You think I’m going to let you catch the bus at this time of the day?”
“It’s seven o’ clock and not even dark yet.”
“So? You can’t go wondering about outside by yourself, it’s too dangerous. Plus your mum would freak out.”
“You seem to be forgetting that I have regained control of my Morphing ability.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not letting you walk around by yourself.”
“And since when do you get off letting me do anything?” Skye flared up.
“Since you almost got killed the other day, that’s when,” replied Raphael in an equally fiery tone.
“I don’t know why you care so much anyway,” said Skye bitterly.
“And what is that supposed to mean? Of course I care if you get hurt, Skye!”
“Yes, we Morphers need to stick together, right? Only, since I got myself back on track, I think I’m more capable than you think, so you can just go and bestow your attentions on S –”
She caught herself in the nick of time, horrified that in her passion she was about to reveal how much she knew about him and Sasha.
“Bestow my attentions on what?”
“Well – you know what; don’t pretend you don’t,” said Skye huffily, while desperately trying to think of something to say.
“I really don’t?” Raphael's face was the epitome of puzzlement.
“Go give your attention to – to Snake,” she blurted.
“Snake?”
“Yes … Snake. The animal. Or are you unaware that in the Chinese Zodiac, tigers and snakes are commonly known as enemies? You mentioned to me once that you were interested in Chinese Astrology so I’m surprised you haven’t been doing any research on it!”
“Er … I don’t recall ever saying to you I was interested in Chinese Astrology …”
“Oh, didn’t you? Well, maybe you should start taking an interest. My sign is a tiger actually. What’s yours?”
Raphael was staring at her as if she was completely insane.
“Do you feel tired at all?” he said slowly, clearly concerned for her mental state. “Perhaps you’d like to lie down … It’s OK, you can come round another day if you like …”
“No, I said I’d come!” Skye snapped, feeling rather hot around the collar. “How long will you be?”
“Well, if you’re sure …?”
“Yes, I’m sure!”
“OK … I’ll be at yours in about half an hour.”
“Right, see you then!”
And she slammed her finger on the ‘End Call’ button, highly relieved that the conversation was over so that she could not betray any of the emotions she had been working so hard to eliminate.
*
“It’s good to see you again, Skye,” said Lord Renzo, who gestured towards a sofa as the two Morphers entered the fire-lit room. “I heard about what happened with the Pearson boy and I was gravely concerned for your well-being. I trust the security I have sent to you is setting your mind at ease somewhat?”
“Yes, it is more than helpful, thank you,” replied Skye, taking a seat on the sofa. “I’m sure we won’t need them in a few days and we can get back to our usual –”
“Skye doesn’t mean that obviously,” interrupted Raphael, who took a seat next to her. “The guards are staying put. Besides, Mrs Archer appreciates the guards and would prefer their presence on a permanent basis.”
“That’s not exactly what she said,” said Skye through gritted teeth, not liking the way Raphael was speaking for her.
“The guards are at the disposal of you and your mother,” said Lord Renzo, echoing Raphael’s earlier words. “You keep them for as long as you need. Your safety takes first priority.”
“Look, Dad,” said Raphael, getting straight to the point. “We need to take action on Pearson. Him and his boys could have killed Skye. You can’t say that we should just sit and do nothing after they broke into her home!”
Lord Renzo sighed.
“Raphael, we have had
this conversation before. What happened with Skye frightened us all and it is a blessing that she came out safe and sound. But you cannot attack the Pearson boy. I recently received word from your brother in China. Negotiations with the Empire have been successful. In the event of war, we can rely on them to help us.”
“But when will that be?” said Raphael, frustrated. “How much longer do we have to sit back and wait? You know that Pearson is going to try and hunt us down. News travels fast, he hates Morphers with a passion. Plus what he said to Skye about ‘Morphers ruining his fun’ confirms it.”
“Couldn’t we just perhaps, I don’t know, scare him a bit? Force him into backing down?” suggested Skye, rather nervously.
Lord Renzo shook his head.
“That wouldn’t work, no matter how badly you frightened him. The Pearsons are not known for backing down. They are proud and ruthless.”
“So what are we to do?” said Raphael, eyes blazing.
“Wait.”
“And have to watch our backs every five seconds? To live in fear in case he appears without warning?”
“It appears you refuse to take my word for it.” Lord Renzo rose from his seat. “So I will show you what will happen if you act recklessly and attack Finn Pearson. I would like you both to transform please.”
Raphael and Skye looked simultaneously confused.
“Transform? Why?” said Raphael.
“I am going to create a Memory Transference,” was the calm reply.
Raphael’s eyes widened, but Skye just continued looking baffled.
“What’s that?” she said.
“It is an ability that Morphers share, similar to the Survival Pact. When a Morpher transforms, he is able to transfer his memories to another Morpher if he or she is also in their animal form. The memory will be replayed exactly as it happened, but the Morpher on the receiving end will view it only in black and white, for animals do not see the same colours that humans do. I wish to show both of you my memories of the riots thirteen years ago, perhaps to deter you from the notion of an outright attack on the Pearson boy and his clan. Skye, is this something you would be agreeable to?”
Skye nodded, amazed. She’d had no idea this was even possible.
“We will turn away from each other. Skye, please go behind that curtain and you can undress. Raphael and I will transform here.”
Obediently, Skye walked over to behind the wide velvet curtain by the window. She undressed herself, staggered by the revelation that Morphers could transmit memories to one another. She focussed on transforming into her inner beast and moments later she was sniffing the room, which looked hazy and unclear. But she could sense two powerful predators some distance away; she came out from behind the curtain, fighting back the immediate urge to run from the tigers. Raphael in the first few seconds snarled at her, his instincts overpowering him as they always did, but Lord Renzo was a long-time veteran of Morphing and his human mind controlled his animal one in an instant. The wolf laid down in a submissive stance to the tigers and the young tiger sniffed her. The old tiger sat on his hind legs.
What happened next was instantaneous. There was a strong current of electricity that shocked each beast and Lord Renzo gave a mighty roar. At once, Skye saw exactly what he wanted them to see …
Children were screaming. Buildings burned with unstoppable flames; in the distance, the tall, erect shopping centre that had once been Westfields looked like nothing more than a vast ball of fire. A woman cried out in terrror as she was snatched by a gang of men in balaclavas and dragged into the middle of the road where they proceeded to strip her and brutally defile her. Three men were being repeatedly stabbed by another group of masked men, blood pouring from their wounds and mouths, until they were kicked carelessly to the ground. Thugs yelled wildly with laughter as they doused petrol over the row of shops and buildings, striking matches and flicking them so that the buildings rose up in blazes. A group of thugs, men and women, seized two children who were wailing in the street, slapping them harshly, and throwing them into the back of a van, which drove off amidst the horror. Several men and women could be seen fighting the thugs, but they were outnumbered five to one.
“My Lord, it’s no good! There’s too many of them!”
“Fall back!” commanded Lord Renzo. “Fall back!”
“Sir – what of the women and children trapped in the cinema?”
“There is nothing we can do … Fall back!”
At that moment, Skye felt Lord Renzo’s pain and she howled in despair.
Lord Renzo and the man who had spoken to him dashed away from the burning buildings and from the terrified screams. To their left, a man screamed at them, pleading with them to save him as he was battered with bargepoles by a gang of masked men. But they kept on going. They could not help him. They would be slaughtered if they remained and then this nightmare would never end. Everywhere they turned, buildings burned, people were being killed, thugs laughed uproariously at the evil they had created; policemen lay dead on the ground in pools of blood while children screamed for their parents; one child was snatched away into the darkness by a masked man; two hysterical girls had been pinned to a wall and several thugs were shooting at them with guns from a distance as though they were playing a sick game of darts; Lord Renzo and his companion kept running, but there was no escaping the terror …
Skye could not take anymore. With a great howl she broke from the circle and raced round the room several times, trying to alleviate the horror that she had witnessed. Raphael roared so loudly that he shook the walls. Suddenly, in her mind, Skye could hear Lord Renzo’s noiseless voice conveying to her to return back to the curtain and transform into a human. But she had to run two more times around the room, for the awfulness of what she had witnessed was too much for her to handle and she had to get it out of her system. Eventually, she made her way back to the curtain, whimpering. She transformed back, dressing herself once more, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
When she emerged, she saw Raphael sitting on the sofa, his face deathly white and Lord Renzo, stiff yet calm, on a nearby armchair. She took a place beside Raphael, still trembling. Of course they had all heard stories of what had happened thirteen years ago … She herself had witnessed, powerlessly, the horrifying attack on her father as a child …
But to see what had happened so vividly … To have actually been there while people were murdered or tortured in such violent ways … To witness such overwhelming evil and be in the midst of it … So shocking and horrendous was this memory that Skye had not been able to handle it.
“That was a daily occurrence back then,” said Lord Renzo quietly, breaking the silence. “It went on … for weeks. If you think the thugs are bad now, they are nothing compared to what they once were. I witnessed many people being murdered, abducted or raped. But I was powerless to act. As you could see, there was no choice. It haunts me still, every day. But had I jumped in, the riots would have never ended. Our men, at that time, were outnumbered. It was only when we successfully gathered enough reinforcements that we could stand as a true fighting force against the thugs. But that took time. And in that time, people suffered greatly. I showed you this because I want you to abandon any thoughts you have of attacking the Pearsons head on. I did not want to show you; I would have rather protected you from this sight. But if this is what it takes to convince you that a headlong battle is the wrong idea, then so be it. If you engage in all-out war, you run the risk of history repeating itself. Sometimes we have no choice, but to choose the lesser of two evils. Please think very carefully about what I have shown you. You are adults. You are your own people. But you must know the consequences that may be suffered if you act with your hearts and not your heads.”
With that, Lord Renzo ambled slowly from the room, opened the door and closed it quietly behind him. The two sat in silence for a while, the dreadful images from the memory replaying over and over again in their minds.
“That was horrible,” croaked
Skye finally.
“Yes,” said Raphael, his voice numb. “It was.”
“Your dad’s right. We should forget about this idea of dealing with Pearson. Your dad knows what he’s doing. He even said your brother has been successful with the Chinese.”
Raphael’s mouth was dry.
“What we saw … It was terrible beyond belief. Seeing it is so much more different than hearing about it. Those people … those poor people.” He buried his head in his hands as the dismay washed over him. “But … we must do something about Pearson. We’ll just have to be really careful …”
Skye stared at him in shock.
“Your dad said to leave it! Going anywhere near him could provoke more riots! He’s right, Raphael! Just leave it. Trust that your dad knows what he’s doing. He was there, he knows better than anyone!”
“Skye, it could be years before my dad acts. In the meantime, people are in danger from the thugs –”
“People will always be in danger from the thugs! If you do something, you might just make it worse!”
“But if I was careful … if I forced him to submit … The thugs are getting more powerful every day! There’s a risk of the riots whether we act or not! They might just decide to break loose! We’ve seen it – mini-riots up and down the city for the past few years! Thankfully, nothing on the scale like back then, but it’s as though it’s a ticking time bomb. They exist purely to hurt others, there’s no humanity in any of them.”
“Your dad said it was like choosing the lesser of two evils! Why don’t you just listen to him?”
“And in the meantime?” flared Raphael. “We just sit back and wait? I can’t even transform and take any of them out anymore! Pearson and his men broke into your home – they might come back for you –”
“Oh, will you stop going on as if you care about me?” cried Skye, jumping from her seat, her eyes flashing a brilliant blue; the pain she had experienced because of her unrequited feelings rose to the surface once more.
“What do you mean, stop going on as if I care about you?” said Raphael, his fists clenched into balls. “Obviously I do care about you, hence why –”
“This isn’t about me! And I don’t need you looking out for me, Raphael, I don’t want it either!”
How The Wolf Lost Her Heart Page 20