The Raven Saga Box Set

Chapter 7

Sonya looked at me, and I just knew that she understood what I had been thinking. She reached over and squeezed my hand and smiled.

I returned her smile, and my tears retreated as I tried to change the subject on my mind.

“So how come Oliver's birthday party is being held here?” I asked, trying hard to think of other things.

“I guess Ben didn't tell you that both his parents died quite a few years ago,” said Meredith as she kneaded the dough that would later become the most delicious homemade bread rolls.

I was shocked and surprised that he hadn't mentioned it in the car on the way from the airport. In hindsight, though, he probably didn't tell me because he didn't want to upset me.

“What happened to them?” I asked, thinking they can't have been very old at all.

“They were out together one day, taking a long trek when they came across an injured mountain lion. His mother was such a softy when it came to animals, and she insisted they try to help it. But it wasn't alone, and its mate attacked them. It wasn't to know they were trying to help. It was so tragic. Eleanor's wounds were so severe that she died almost instantly, but Jonathan carried her body all the way back to the main road where he managed to find help. He later died in hospital. Ben was 12 years old. Oliver was barely two,” she said.

Sonya explained that Gabriel insisted on bringing the children up himself, as Jonathan had been like another son to him. They had no other family, so it seemed like the natural thing to do.

As I took everything in, I began to understand my grandfather a little more. He was clearly a loving man that cared a great deal for his family and friends, which confused me as to why my own father, his own son, had fallen out with him. Why had they not spoken for so many years? It angered me a little, knowing that I could have experienced this wonderful way of life as opposed to that miserable life I had known in England.

Presumably, this had all happened a few years before I was born. I wondered where my father was during that time. Was it around that time that he had left with my mother? Or had they moved later after I was born? I was making so many assumptions. I needed to know the truth. Someone would tell me... eventually.

As the afternoon wore on, people started to arrive for the party. A few of them had clearly just come to get a good look at me. But they were all friendly and many offered words of reassurance and kindness.

I still had not met Oliver. I assumed he would be the last to arrive. Like a surprise party that wasn't really a surprise.

Ben had arrived and had sought me out before doing anything else. He wanted to apologise for butting in the day before. He'd known that I'd heard what had been said. I laughed as he said it, though, understanding that it was his way of showing that he cared... about my grand-father and about me. It was reassuring.

“I know something is being kept from me and I will find out what it is. Gabriel will tell me, but I do understand that he will only do so when we are both ready, so don't worry Ben, I won't be in the dark for much longer,” I said, thinking of Rose's words. And as I thought of what she'd said to me, I could see her approaching the house. I hadn't realised she would be attending the party, but I was delighted she was.

“Hello, dear Lilly,” she said as she entered without knocking, “hello ladies... you're all hard at work, I see,” she smiled as she handed them a large basket. “I thought I'd better do my bit, so I made some scones with fresh cream. I know how the boys love them. And where are all the boys?” she asked, looking around.

“They'll be along in a little while, but Ben is here already... somewhere,” answered Meredith.

He suddenly appeared, “Hi Rose,” he said as he walked over to give her a hug and a gentle kiss on her cheek. They stood together, whispering quietly, casually glancing in my direction.

Giving them some privacy, I said I needed a little time to be alone and headed to my room where I sat on the bed for a while, staring out of the window into the green foliage of the dark forest beyond.

After a few minutes, I began to feel like it was calling out to me. I stood up and moved closer to the glass which steamed up as I breathed against it. I thought I saw something white move within the trees, but as I wiped the glass with my sleeve, there was nothing there.

I sat back on the bed again and lay down. I closed my eyes and thought of the past couple of days, of the wonderful welcome I had received and of all the lovely people I had met.

As I lay there, I heard a gentle tapping on the window. Before I opened my eyes, I imagined myself back in London with the two ravens who visited every night. It was the same tapping sound, and as I let my imagination run wild, there it was again. Tap tap.

I opened my eyes, and sure enough, there were two ravens at my window. I watched them as they tapped twice with their beaks against the glass, heads c*****g from one side to the other. They looked at me for a few minutes and then flew away. I wasn't frightened, in fact, they made me smile. Then I heard my name. It was very faint, but it sounded like someone was calling me. The sound didn't come from the house... but from further away. I wondered if it was coming from the forest. I sat up and looked out the window again. Nothing. As I strained to listen for it again, there was a knock on my door, and Rose appeared.

“Are you all right, my dear?” she asked, smiling.

I nodded, but I could tell from her expression that she didn't believe me.

“Are you ready to come back out? Almost everyone is here – including Oliver.”

I nodded and followed her towards the door.

Pleased that I had decided to join the party, I came to the conclusion that I needed to make more of an effort to make friends. I wanted my new life to be full of people. As I walked into the living room, all the guests were already mingling and milling around. Although I was dreading being the object of everybody's attention, I needn't have been concerned as it seemed that a lot of people were more interested in the birthday boy himself. And everyone else was talking and laughing among themselves. If only December were there.

But before I had a chance to dwell on that thought, Ben made a beeline for me and took my hand in his. “Hey, Lilly. Let me introduce you to Oliver.” He gently led me to the centre of the attention where a group of people ranging in age from 16 to their mid-twenties appeared to be listening intently to a story being told by the tall young man in the centre, with his back towards me. They were clearly enraptured by his funny tale, which was about werewolves and vampires.

After he'd given his punchline, the group burst out laughing and began talking among themselves. Ben tapped the young man on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Oli... there's someone here you should meet.”

I wasn't prepared for what happened next. As he turned, I let out an involuntary gasp. I tried to make it sound like a cough. I failed, totally embarrassed.

Oliver was, without doubt, the most beautiful boy I had ever seen... but it was his eyes that I couldn't pull mine away from. They were so deep and dark, almost jet black. I could quite easily have sunk into them. It was quite extraordinary, actually. I had never seen anything quite like them. And I liked the feeling. I liked the feeling a lot.

Even though he was 10 years younger, Oliver was taller than Ben and was as blonde as Ben was dark with strong features, a slightly pointy nose and a chiselled chin.

“Hi. You must be Lilly. It's great to finally meet you after all this time,” he said with a smooth voice that belied his young years.

It was the first time that the sight and sound of anyone had taken my breath away, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say either, so I quickly mumbled 'hi'. With my cheeks burning, and before I could make even more of a fool of myself, I turned around and walked as fast as I could, away from him. I didn't even give him a chance to reply. I just carried on walking, without a backward glance. Away from the other guests. Away from the party. I rushed back into my room and sat on my bed for a few minutes, trying to catch my breath. But it wasn't enough. I needed to get out. I needed some fresh air. So I grabbed my coat and, careful not to be seen, opened the front door and ran away from the party.

CHAPTER NINE

I felt like such a fool. An i***t. I hoped that nobody had noticed me, but I was sure that Oliver's first opinion of me was not a particularly good one. How could it possibly be? I was rude, and then I ran away. If I'm lucky, I thought, perhaps everybody would just think it's too much for me to cope with. All those people. Yes, it is a lot to deal with in such a short amount of time.

Before I knew it, I had run to the edge of the tall, dark trees. The forest Gabriel had told me not to enter. I turned briefly to see if anyone had noticed. I appeared to be alone. What the hell? I thought. What have I got to lose? So I walked beyond the trees as I zipped up my coat and put on my warm gloves.

Adrenaline coursed through my body, just as it had when I'd chopped off all my lovely long hair and bleached it. It was the first time I had gone against someone's wishes. Although I did feel guilty, I couldn't shake the fact that I was being kept in the dark about something important, and it wasn't fair. It was my life, and I deserved to know. And so I felt free taking those steps into the unknown. If they don't tell me what I have a right to know, then I won't go along with their wishes, I thought.

I started to walk a little faster, breaking out into a run and as I approached each tree, the branches seemed to welcome me in. As my breathing quickened, my face began to become gently scratched by the foliage around me.

I stopped to catch my breath and to look around. I was surrounded by beautiful tall green trees and wide thick tree trunks but no footpath. What did drift into my ears, though, was the sound of trickling water. I strained to hear where it was coming from and followed the gentle, soothing tones.

Moments later, the trees gave way to a large open expanse, and I stood beside a gently flowing river. The water was crystal clear and revealed pebbles and stones of all shapes and sizes laying on its bed. I sat on a huge smooth boulder and enjoyed the moment, leaning back so that I was flat on my back. I looked up into the blue sky and noticed some dark clouds rolling in, but I didn't care. In fact, for the first time in a long time, I didn't give a damn.

The sounds of the forest and the water beside me gently lulled me, and so I closed my eyes, feeling restful, wondering why on earth my grandfather had tried to stop me from walking into the forest. There was nothing but beauty and peace. I felt myself slowly dropping off to sleep, and even though my fingers and toes tingled in the cold, I drifted and drifted until sleep overcame me.