The Lost Soul

Chapter 5

For what seemed like days she had thrown herself against that door in futile attempts to get it open. She had even taken to clawing at the walls to try and dig her way out, but there was no use.

Jemima had given up. Now she wanted nothing more than to curl up and die. But why hadn't she? She knew she should be dead by now and the fact that she hadn't frightened her. She knew, deep down, that she was no longer the person she once was. That beast had done something to her.

As her thoughts swirled around her head in an endless stream of images and memories, Jemima heard a faint sound. Crawling to her feet, she c****d her head, listening to what it might be. She put her ear against the wall and slowly moved along until it became stronger. She banged hard where it was at its loudest and screamed for help for what seemed like hours. When she felt she could shout no more, she slumped to the floor and dropped her head to her knees. At the same time, the noise grew louder. Suddenly, something sloshed onto the back of her neck. She rubbed it and looked up. Something dripped onto the top of her head. Scrambling to her feet, Jemima rubbed her palms along the wall until she found a damp patch.

"Water!" she yelled, clawing at the area to try and loosen it. Sure enough, after hours of scratching at the wall, water began to gently pour out of the small hole she'd created. Although she didn't physically feel the need to drink, she desperately wanted to feel human again, so she swallowed as much as she could. A simple act that made her feel mentally stronger, so she continued to scratch at the hole in the wall.

But when the water began pouring out, Jemima's high pitched laughter turned sour when she realised her feet and ankles were submerged. The water was pouring in... but it had nowhere to go.

"Help me!" she screamed. She was going to drown, and nobody would rescue her. Her body would rot in the water, and nobody would ever know.

Jemima thought of her parents, the pain they must be going through, and the pain that would stay with them for the rest of their lives, never having known what really happened to their daughter.

Sobbing, the sixteen-year-old cheerleader who was one of the most popular girls in school, always happy and sweet to everyone, just sat in the water, doing nothing but watch it slowly rise. She was giving in. She would let the water take her.

As minutes turned to hours, the water-filled the room. Soon there was nowhere left for her to breathe. Taking one last breath, she let her body fall beneath the water. Slowly drifting down to the bottom, her long hair spread out around her. She cast one last look at her surroundings before the pain in her lungs became too much to bear, and her body involuntarily breathed in the water in place of air. She fought it, but it was no use. Her arms and legs kicked out in protest, but soon she was calm. The look of panic was replaced with one of peace. The young girl everyone had grown to love over the past sixteen years was gone.

"Here!" yelled Zoltan as the others followed behind at a super-fast pace. "I have her scent."

The werewolf began to dig with his hands until he hit something substantial. A heavy steel door.

"Let me," said Carmelo as he jumped as high as he could and came down on the door with such force that part of it instantly ruptured. Repeating the movement several times, the door finally broke through, and Carmelo found himself within a small flooded room. He saw the body of a petite girl floating beneath the surface, and so he grabbed her and pulled her into the open air where the rain was granting them a temporary break.

"Jemima!" screamed both Jo and Tabitha in typical girlie fashion.

"Is she dead, Carmelo, is she dead?"

"Please just calm down and give me a moment," he replied as he gently placed her body on the ground and checked her over.

"I'm sorry to say this young girl is no longer with us..."

Jo sobbed, "No...oh no, Jemima. I'm so sorry."

"But, she is far from dead," he added.

Looking up at him, Jo turned to face the girl and saw her pretty features had changed since she had last seen her. She was far more beautiful than ever before. Even after spending weeks beneath the ground, trapped without food, and then drowned, Jemima the vampire was born.

"She is going to need to feed. Zoltan, can you and Tabitha find her something to feed on? Perhaps a rabbit or something like that? That should keep her going until we can get her back to the mountains."

Zoltan and Tabitha disappeared into the forest as Jo gently squeezed her old friend's hands, waiting for her to return to consciousness in her own time.

"It's better we don't rush her. Her body probably needs a little more time to adjust after the drowning. But don't worry, she will be fine."

"Apart from the fact she's a vampire now, and she can't ever see her family again," replied Jo, shaking her head. "They'll have to be told she's dead. They're going to be heartbroken."

"I know darling, but they simply cannot know about our existence. You know that" he replied.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Moira placed the telephone receiver back on its old fashioned holder and looked to the top of the stairs where Lilly and December both sat in their pyjamas eagerly awaiting news.

"That was Jo. They've found Jemima. She's alive."

Both girls squealed with delight and jumped up, running down to the bottom of the stairs where they threw themselves on her.

"But she's no longer human," Moira added slowly, "Duran turned her into a vampire."

The squealing stopped abruptly as the three looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

"At least she's alive," said a voice from the shadows. "That's more than can be said for me."

"Oh, Mother, honestly. But, I suppose you're right. I just hope that poor girl can come to terms with what's happened to her over the past few weeks."

"What happened?" asked Lilly eagerly.

Looking up at the grandfather clock as it began to signal five o'clock in the morning, Moira shook her head and started to walk towards the kitchen.

"Come in here, I'll make us some hot chocolate while I tell you what Jo said."

".... and she thought she was as good as dead," said Moira after relaying what she had been told.

"Well, she would have been if she wasn't a vampire. Goodness only knows how long she was unconscious in the water. The poor girl. She must have been terrified. She must still be terrified. Where is she now?" asked Ruby.

"Jo was calling from your house, Lilly. They were just freshening themselves up before heading back up to the Elders."

"B... but surely she's a real danger to everyone at home? When Jo was first turned, she had to be restrained..." said Lilly, jumping up and heading back towards the phone.

Moira stopped her before she could get any further, "Honey, there's nothing to worry about. Jemima is incredibly weak. She couldn't hurt a mouse. That awful craving that usually happens has been seriously dampened down because of what she's been through. There's really no danger at all. Please don't worry, honey. Your family and friends are perfectly safe and besides... Carmelo is there, as is Zoltan. They are very strong," she smiled.

"Oh... okay... Sorry, I guess I panicked a bit. I just worry about them, you know?"

"Of course you do. We understand. Plus, this is the first time you've been away from them all since you moved to Canada. It's only natural. You can call them later on if you need to but let them get some rest for now, okay?"

Lilly nodded and walked back into the kitchen, where she sat herself up to the counter next to December. They watched Moira finish making another hot chocolate before handing each a cup. December mumbled her thanks, followed by a wide yawn.

Like a domino effect, Lilly yawned too, causing Moira to open her mouth for more oxygen. The three of them giggled as Ruby over-exaggerated her effort to stretch, making a long, loud yawning sound in the process.

"It's been so long since I needed to do that... oh how I miss it," she said with a wink.

Later that morning, after returning to bed for a few hours, the girls woke to the smell of a cooked breakfast in the kitchen. After they'd showered and dressed, they'd rushed downstairs, with tummies rumbling loudly, to find Monty in the kitchen waiting for them.

"Morning, girls! I trust you had a good night's sleep?" he asked as he began to serve the delicious eggs and bacon with toast and tea.

"Mmmm, this smells gorgeous Monty, thank you!" said Lilly tucking into it as December opened one of the cupboards, taking out a bottle of Brown Sauce and proceeded to pour loads of it onto the side of her plate, followed by curry flavoured ketchup.

"Urgh, December... you have such weird tastes. That looks horrible. Curry flavoured ketchup for breakfast? With Brown Sauce? You're just too weird for words," she laughed as she shook her head.

"Our December has always had eclectic tastes in food. Even when she was a toddler, she used to love Yorkshire pudding with jam and ice cream. Mind you, her Aunt Penelope never allowed it. We used to sneak it to her after she'd gone out."

"Eww, December!" laughed Lilly as December pretended to ignore them.

"Where's Mom?" she asked eventually after the giggling had stopped.

"She had to pop out to buy a few things for the spell. She said she wouldn't be gone too long. Oh, and Lilly, she said for you to feel free to use the phone if you want to call your family."

Lilly nodded in thanks while she took the last few gulps of her tea before hopping off the stool, placing her dirty dishes into the dishwasher before she headed into the hallway where she picked up the phone and promptly dialled home.

All was fine, of course. Lilly had just missed Carmelo, Jo and Jemima who, according to Sammy, was totally out of it.

"It was almost like she was on medication or something. She is in serious shock, and she hasn't come to terms with everything that has happened yet, but I guess that's to be expected. It's so sad. Tiffani and I are going to go up and spend some time with her when you guys come home. Maybe you could come too. I think she's going need the support from people she knows."

"That's a good idea, Sammy. We'll definitely come up with you. Poor Jemima. Is she feeding, okay?"

"She's actually quite disgusted at having to drink blood, but she can feel she needs it so yeah, I suppose she is. She's going to need some serious looking after though, Lilly."

"She needs to be with the Elders right now. It's the best place for her. Jo will make sure she's okay too. I'm just so glad she survived... well, in a manner of speaking."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

The sound of a car door slam made Lilly jump.

"Oh, that must be Moira. I'd better go. Give Tiffani my love, and we'll see you next week, okay?"

"Okay, Lilly. Have a great weekend. Take care. Bye."

"Bye."

Just as Lilly replaced the receiver, the front door opened to reveal Moira dressed from head to toe in emerald green.

"Wow, you look amazing in that colour, Moira."

"Thanks, honey. You're so sweet. Did you manage to talk to Jo?"

"No, I just missed them, but Sammy's assured me everyone's okay though."

"Well, that's all that matters," she replied, closing the front door behind her, "if you and December have finished your breakfast, we ought to go downstairs and get started."

Lilly nodded and called for her best friend, who had been chatting to her dead grandmother. They both walked into the hallway as they heard Moira's voice. Well, December walked into the hall. Ruby floated.