DARK FATE (Scarlett of the wolves #1)

Chapter seven

I stayed locked up at the house for the next three days. The rain hadn't stopped for a single minute. This morning, as I got up, I looked hopefully out the window. The sky seemed to timidly want to clear in places, but it was still raining.

As he had told me, Jacob was gone with his father and the general excitement of the past two weeks had subsided. As usual, I didn't have much to do. I was slowly beginning to rust...

I rubbed my eyes and remembered that it had been very hard for me to fall asleep the night before—the owl that hooted each evening must have carried its nighttime visit into the manor gardens. To stop hearing it, I hid my head under a pillow, even the earplugs weren't enough.

I got dressed and decided to go to Wick and buy something to read. For some time now, I had wanted to read Perfume, by Patrick Suskind. I would buy it in the original version, it would make me work on my German. If the rain didn't stop, I might as well occupy myself with reading. Someone could surely drop me off there. I would take a bus or a taxi back.

Millie, on the way out, was just opening the front door when I got down.

“Millie, are you going to Wick?”   

“Yes, I'm going to do some shopping for lunch.”   

“Could you drop me off in the town centre? I would like to take a trip to the bookstore.”   

“Yes, sweetie, but it's only half-past eight. The shops in the centre will still be closed when we arrive.”   

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll stop at Mr Broadman's tearoom for breakfast.”  

“Okay. Don’t forget your umbrella!”   

Despite the bad weather and the early hour, Wick’s town centre was already very busy. I walked over to Mr Broadman's, he was just opening the metal shutters. I preferred to wait a bit for him to finish before entering, it was only nine o'clock. Millie had taken as long as me when I came by bike!

Well sheltered under my umbrella, I strolled past the nearby windows. One, in particular, urged me to stop at the shop window to examine the many curious books that were there. It was a bookstore dedicated to the occult sciences, it was right across from Broadman's place. In the middle of the books on display, you could see a whole bunch of bizarre objects, presented against a background of black and purple velvet. I even saw an amulet that was used to ward off vampires! There are a lot of shops like this in Paris, but I didn't expect to find one here.

I craned my neck as I tried to decipher the title of a book with reverse writing.

“It's nice, isn't it?”   

I turned my head to the right to see, on the steps, a girl of barely twenty, a broom in her hand, smiling, in a Gothic style, with an impressive piercing in the nostril.

“You can come in if you want,” she offered. “I'll open in half an hour, but if you're interested, you can take a look.”   

“Why not... Do you run this shop? I had never seen it before.”    

“Yes. I opened it a little over ten months ago. Are you interested in the occult sciences?”    

“No, not really. In fact, I don't know anything about it. It's not my thing.”   

“You would be surprised to learn that here, we can all find something that is our thing! Come in, I'll show you around!”    

I followed her inside. I thought the light hadn't been turned on yet, but on the contrary, everything was purposely dark. The lamps were dimmed by veils and a few candles were blazing here and there. A strong scent of incense invaded the room and caught my nose, I made a face.

“Don't worry about the smell,” she said smiling, “it doesn't last. It’s a mixture of herbs that keeps tortured spirits away.”    

“Oh, yeah?”  

I didn't know if that should reassure me or not.

Impressed, I looked at the packed shelves. The books were classified by topic. The art of divination, numerology, magic, witchcraft, vampires, spiritualism, werewolves... A festival of the little shop of horrors! I picked up a tiny amulet—the same as the one in the window—the one that was supposed to keep blood lovers away.

“Vampires...,” whispered the saleswoman. “Such bewitching beings... You must always beware of them, they can hypnotize your mind to make you fall into their arms and swallow every last drop of your blood.”          

Brrr... The macabre image chilled me.

“You talk about it as if you've seen them before.”

“The occult sciences are a mystery that should not be underestimated, young lady. You can't imagine what or who you can be surrounded by.”           

“No, indeed,” I replied, amused. “I can’t imagine at all! In any case, your shop is... original.”           

“Thank you. Come over here, I'll show you something. Here, take this,” she said, handing me a huge book.           

“The Great Book of Occult Mysteries is big.”  

“That's because there’s a lot to say. You’ll find in there everything you need to know about the occult forces. The author reveals things that you don’t even suspect! It's ideal for people as sceptical as you are, and very easy to read. We say popularized in the jargon of booksellers. I'll do it for you at a forty per cent discount if you want to. This is my welcome gift. You're not from the area, are you?”             

“No, I’m not. I’m Parisian. My parents are Scottish and we stay in Wick for two months every year.”          

“That's perfect, then, you’ll have something spiritual to do with your free time! Not in the religious sense, you understand.”           

“Ok, that works, I'll take it.”   

I couldn't believe it myself.

The saleswoman looked at me intently, straight in the eyes, I met her gaze. She was quite pretty, with dark hair and wonderful hazel eyes. She looked very friendly despite her rather peculiar appearance and the way she saw our world.

I bought the book from her, but not convinced that I was going to read it. These things were so unlike me...

"My name is Gwen," she introduced herself.  

“Uh, and I’m Scarlett.”  

“Nice to meet you. Here, I'll leave you the store card with a phone number where you can reach me if you have any questions. Don’t hesitate to call, or come back here!”   

I quickly read the card, Magiki. An almost banal name for a place like this, but very evocative of magic.

“Thank you. Maybe another time, then?”  

“I’m counting on it!”  

I walked out of the bookstore to run over to Broadman's, a paper bag in my hand, which read, "You won't see things the same way anymore." What if it was true? Anyway, it made me smile.

In the tea room, the smell of freshly ground coffee immediately filled my nostrils. I sat down at a table at the far end of the room and ordered milk tea and toast. This place was everything I loved: very welcoming, a bit kitsch I admit, but here it felt like home. I had already suggested that Jacob come and spend some time there, but he told me that this place was more suitable for my grandmother! So we hadn’t been here, and I was finally very happy to be able to enjoy this moment on my own. I wasn't sure Jacob could cope in this kind of place. I imagined him wriggling in all directions, stifled by so much calm because here, we didn’t find the noises of the bar, the beer taps, or even the din of flat screens spitting out music like at Finighan. Broadman's tearoom was a little nook that I called peaceful and clean for true relaxation.

My eyes fell on the paper bag containing the book. I let myself go to open it. You never know, it might make me laugh... The cover was very pretty, purple, with stylized silver letters. I stopped on the first page and read: To all those who doubt.

Of course, this book was for me!

I quickly read the preface and realized that the author took these things very seriously.

I still couldn't believe I'd bought such a book. It wasn't exactly what I was planning to bring back when I was out this morning.

The table of contents presented twenty-five chapters. The first dealt with occult creatures. I decided to start there. In the long list, I noticed that no fantasy creature was mentioned. No traces of elves, fairies, centaurs, trolls, unicorns, goblins or leprechauns. Only demonic, divine, half-human creatures, werewolves, vampires, spiritual entities, and witches were described... After each description, they were represented by a very detailed drawing, one could even read arrow markings indicating the different anatomical parts of each—a bit like Leonardo da Vinci. I sighed and began to read the first description.

The vampire:

The vampire is an ancient creature that is neither dead nor alive. Its main source of food is human blood. To survive, however, it can drink the vital flow of warm-blooded animals.

Its existence is eternal. It can go through the centuries without ageing once it has undergone its transformation.

Its blood contains a substance capable of changing a mortal into one of its fellows. It never doubts; it seduces, it conquers, it acts.

And the explanation continued over several pages, tracing its origins, the places it liked to go, the type of blood it preferred... But what was I going to do with these incredible revelations? Amused, I read the following description.

Vengeful Spirits:

They are merely human beings who have experienced great suffering in their lifetime. Upon their death, if their soul is too blackened, their hatred doesn’t follow them into the Hereafter but brings them back to earth in the form of a human being for revenge.

They are neither dead nor alive. They can disintegrate into a cloud of black dust to move around or quickly disappear. They neither feed nor quench their thirst.

Anyone who crosses them feels invaded by an indescribable discomfort, which can lead to death.

Charming! It made me shudder. If such a thing were to exist I would hate to find myself in its way. Let's move on... I studied the index of creatures. The Werewolf, page 56. Let’s see!

The werewolf:

Like the vampire, the werewolf is...

“Interesting reading?”   

I looked up, transfixed, my ears reddening.

Elgin Sutherland! I quickly closed the book as my backbone shook with shivers.

“Magiki, am I wrong?”   

I took a few seconds to answer. I was in shock, what was he doing here? Apparently, he and I were lining up the chance encounters...

“No, that's it. I was convinced by the saleswoman to buy it. (My cheeks flushed immediately.)        

“Gwen... She's very strong! Can I sit?”   

“Uh, yes, of course.”   

I quickly put the book back in its bag.

He sat down with a smile and twirled a tall, steaming cup of take-out coffee in his hands.

Damn it! Was he aware of being so handsome? And even more in broad daylight... It was difficult for me not to drool.

All right, let's calm down!

Staring at him wasn't going to help me, but too bad, I couldn't help myself. He had tanned skin, unusual in these regions, and a mouth so... and eyes so... Stop! Impossible, I continued... I noticed on his right cheek a long, thin scar that I hadn’t seen during our first meeting.

His green eyes stared at me without blinking and I suddenly felt a rush of heat wash over me. This boy was making me nervous.

“I come to Broadman's almost every morning,” he explained. “His coffee is the best in town. I saw you in the back, you looked so focused... Have you recovered from your evening?”                

“What? Uh, yeah, yeah. I’m fine thank you.”  

“Brown is your boyfriend?”   

“Not at all, just a friend!”  

The way I answered was a little too rushed for my liking. I should have seemed more detached.

He smiled, then his eyes darkened.

“He drinks too much.”   

“Yes, that's his problem. (He raised his eyebrows.) I mean, that's the thing that's wrong with him. He’s very friendly otherwise.”             

“Yeah... what are you doing in Wick?”   

“I spend the summer holidays here, with my parents.”  

“At the Eagleson manor... your family?”  

“Yes, May Rittel is my paternal grandmother.”   

Again he stared at me insistently. It was terribly embarrassing. I slipped my hands under the table, they were shaking. I twisted my fingers to calm myself down.

“How old are you, Scarlett?”   

“Eighteen soon," I replied immediately. “July twenty-fifth.”           

He pulled his chair back and stood up. (Oh no ... already.)

“Nice to see you again.”   

“Me, too," I whispered under my breath.  

Too many emotions went through me, I didn’t know how to control myself, it was so unlike me.

He turned around and walked towards the exit. Eyes lost on his back, I couldn't help but whisper his name as if to myself.

“Elgin...”  

He turned around immediately, he had heard me. He wasn't even surprised that I knew his first name. He was smiling.

“Yes?”

I wasn't sure what to say, I was caught off guard, I had spoken so quietly.

“Uh... it was you at the airport, right?” I hesitated.  

That's all I could find to say.

He smiled again—with a wink this time—turned on his heel and left as he had come. I followed him with my eyes and tilted my head to try and see which way he was going. He entered Magik's shop. I got up and sneaked over to spy on him. Through the window, I saw him hug the saleswoman and kiss her on the forehead. My heart sank. Gwen was surely his girlfriend...

What did I expect anyway? That he might be attracted to me?

Idiot, i***t, i***t!

I quickly picked up my bag and the book from the table. I paid the bill and almost ran out of the tea room.

Without even looking in the direction of Magiki, I rushed towards the bus station. The sky was now very clear and the sun promised a beautiful afternoon. But I was in a rather sullen mood...