Raven (13 page)

“
I
told them about you, dear. They know you're a part of this family
now.”

I
stuttered, thinking of something to say in response but I honestly
couldn't think of anything suitable. Nothing that made much sense
anyway.

Clearly,
being part cat, part human had its advantages when you wanted to
communicate with your fellow felines.

“
In
time, you'll be able to speak with them too. For now, though,
they'll be happy with a stroke and a nice warm lap to sit on,” she
said, suggesting I sit down in the only well-worn comfy armchair
next to the breakfast bar.

I did as
I was told and immediately a cat that was so black he almost looked
blue jumped up onto my lap. He stood there for a few moments
looking deep into my eyes, before hopping onto the armrest and
curling up. I patted him gently on his back before a second one
leapt onto my knees too. This was the one that resembled Rose and
was the one that had greeted me when I had first laid eyes on her.
She was an off-white colour with a faint grey pattern all over her.
The best way to describe her was that she looked like she'd been
run over by a car and had a tyre print across her back. Her eyes,
like Rose's, were so dark, yet as I had seen outdoors in the
sunlight were bright blue.

She did
as the black cat had, stood and stared into my eyes. Her head
dropped slightly to the side as if she was really looking into the
depths of my soul, as if she was reaching inside of me to see what
was really there. Once she had come to some sort of conclusion, she
began to purr. It was as if a smile crossed her face. It was hard
to describe but not only did she remind me of Rose, but she
reminded me of... me. I liked her and she clearly liked me too,
judging by the way she curled up on my lap and began to pummel me
with her paws.

“
She's
happy,” said Rose, “she's very fond of you. Her name is
Scully.”

“
As in
the X Files?”

She
nodded and I remembered the book my father had given me once. It
was a book from the TV series, hence me knowing the name. Having
never watched television, I wouldn't have otherwise
known.

“
Why
did you call her Scully?”

“
It
wasn't my idea. Ben came up with it actually and I liked it so it
just kind of stuck.”

Scully
had been found wandering the streets of Vancouver when she was just
a few months old. Someone had rescued her and taken her to the
local vets – it just happened to be the vets where Ben was training
at the time.

“
You're a lucky cat, Scully, to have found a home here of
all places.”

I
probably imagined it but she appeared to nod at me, as if she was
perfectly aware how lucky she was.

“
I
believe they all came here because they were meant to come here.
Some divine force brought them to me. I'm quite a strong believer
in that,” said Rose, as she put the finishing touches to two tuna
sandwiches and two glasses of milk. Leftover tuna was placed into a
large bowl on the floor to where all the other cats rushed to get
in on the action.

Scully
remained comfortably seated on my knee so I had little choice but
to eat my lunch where I sat.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Rose
began to tell me more about my mother. Even though she had Neleh at
an early age, Serena never dropped out of school – continuing until
she graduated before getting a part-time job at a local
museum.

“
She
loved that place. She felt like she really belonged there. You
should go and have a look around it one of these days. It may also
help you understand a bit more about the Canadian
culture.”

Apparently the museum was almost exactly the same as to the
day she died, so it would be nice for me to see what the place was
like where she spent quite a lot of her time.

Wondering what her life must have been like before I was
born, I asked Rose where she, my father and Neleh had lived. Was it
nearby?

“
They
actually lived with Gabriel for a few years before renting a small
cottage on the outskirts of town. A few years before she died, Jack
bought a plot of land. It took him a long time to save up enough
money to build a house on it but he had scraped enough together and
was planning to start construction just before you were born. Sadly
it was never built because of what happened.”

“
But
he had started to build it?” I asked curiously.

There
wasn't much to it apparently. Just a concrete base and some wood
had been delivered. Rose told me that nothing had been touched
since Vivian took us away. Keen to see the house where I could have
spent my childhood, I asked Rose if she could give me directions so
I could go and find it myself. After we'd eaten our lunch, she drew
a rough map to help me get there. She did offer to take me herself
but understood when I said it was something I felt I should do
alone.

I heard
more about my mother as we sat amidst the cats that afternoon. Rose
told me some funny stories of how naughty Serena could be when she
was a child and how she had made their parents feel young again.
Theirs truly was a happy family and even when their parents died
within a short time of each other, the mourning period didn't last
so long because they both believed that their parents continued to
be together, soul mates forever more. It was the stuff of fairy
tales with happy endings, until of course that terrible day when
Neleh had been killed. A tragedy which led to such heartbreak for
everyone... except Vivian.

“
Is
there any way of finding out more about Vivian? Is there nothing we
can do to try and find her? I feel certain that my father is still
alive and I wish I could do something to help him,” I
asked.

Rose
explained that Gabriel was currently doing everything in his power
to do just that. He had found out a few things about her and he
hoped to be able to inform the family more about her when he had
gathered sufficient relevant information.

“
But
in the meantime, you shouldn't worry about any of that. You're
still only thirteen, Lilly – nearly fourteen, I know! You should be
enjoying your life as much as you can. I understand that it is
difficult to do so when there is so much tragedy surrounding you,
now and in the past. I also understand that you have been told such
overwhelming news since this time yesterday so you need to just
take some time to let it sink in. You must come to terms with it
before you throw yourself in at the deep end, my dear. You've got
nearly fourteen years worth of fun to catch up on. And besides... I
understand you've got a date tonight. You should be preparing for
that,” she laughed.

Meredith
had obviously told her... and probably the rest of the family too,
but I didn't mind. It was wonderful having people actually caring
about me.

“
Perhaps you ought to do something with your hair,” she half
joked. She did have a point.

I left
Rose's house soon afterwards so that I could have some time alone
before my date with Oliver. I'd never been on a date before and
wanted to look as good as possible. This was something that was a
bit difficult considering I had chopped my lovely hair off and dyed
it peroxide blonde.

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 all right 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 full time work straight
away.”

We
agreed that I would begin training with him every Saturday and
would do the occasional 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.