'Is that all the Emelias and Dorises?'
'Yeah. What should we look up next?'
'Try Nameless'
'No, nothing,' Emma said as she thought for a second and typed in, Unidentified.
A list with the title, Paranormal Individuals who remain Unidentified, appeared on the screen. Scrolling through them, the girls subconsciously inched closer together.
'Amazons, Angels, Banshees, Changelings, Demons, Djinns, Elementals, Fae, Ghosts, Ghouls, Harpies, Mothmen, Mermaids, Ogres, Shifters, Sirens, Wendigos, Werewolves, Witches, Vampires, Zombies ... the list goes on, Sis.'
But Lana had gone white.
Turning to look at her, Emma couldn't help but laugh a little, albeit somewhat nervously herself. 'Might as well get used to those names because we're going to be dealing with this kind of thing a lot in our future,' she joked half-heartedly.
'I... I'm not so sure I want this future,' she gulped.
'Really Lana? You don't mean that, do you? Remember how we felt when we attacked those guys in the alley? Yeah?' she said as Lana nodded. 'Remember that rush of adrenaline. That kick we got? Well, we get to feel like that all the time once we pass this task and go to the Academy. This is what we're meant to do with our lives, Lana. It might sound scary now but look how lucky we are. This is phenomenally awesome,' she laughed.
'I... I guess so,' Lana said, calming down. 'It's just a bit freaky that's all.'
Emma leaned her head momentarily on Lana's shoulder, 'I know Sis. I know.'
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Thirteen hours later, the girls hit jackpot. Lana, who was asleep on a mattress on the floor (kindly brought in by Wilbur along with plenty of food and drink), awoke with a start by the sound of high pitched squealing and laughing.
'Wh..what... what is it?' she said, rubbing at her eyes and trying to straighten her unruly bed head.
'I found her, I found her...'
'What?' Lana said, jumping up and staring down at the computer screen where the image of a woman who looked remarkably like Emelia stared back at her.
'Oh...My...God... what did you find her under? What is she?'
'Well, we were certainly right about her not being human. Emelia Doris was an Nereid,' she said feeling very pleased with herself. 'And we should never have disregarded the Greek Mythology link we read earlier on. Doris is actually the name of her mother!' she squealed.
'But what's a Nereid?'
'Kind of like a Mermaid, a Sea Nymph.'
'Really? A Sea Nymph? It just sounds so, well, bizarre. What happened to her?'
'Unfortunately, we don't know the answer to that. All we have here is a photo taken of her in 1952 by a fisherman off the coast of Norfolk. Locals thought it was just a hoax but the image eventually made its way to one of the Praxos offices, which confirmed its authenticity.'
'So we know who she is and where she was spotted before she came to Andilyse and met Joe, but where is she now?'
'Well, according to this, the Nereids originate from the Aegean Sea where they live with their elderly father, Nereus.'
'Is this for real?' asked Lana astounded, 'It's like Greek History all over again,' she shivered, making Emma laugh.
'Well, according to this, it is real. I wonder if she's still alive? I want to know why she disappeared and never returned to the island.'
'Yeah, you and me both,' sighed Lana. 'Come on, now we know for sure, let's shut the computer down and go tell Eleanor,' she said with a long yawn and a stretch. 'You must be exhausted?'
Emma nodded and yawned too, rubbing her eyes and revealing dark circles beneath them. 'What time is it?'
'7am,' Lana said, looking at her watch as they exited the small room with the tray of empty plates, glasses and mugs. Walking through the maze of paperwork and filing cabinets, the girls jumped, nearly dropping the tray at the sight of Wilbur standing on the other side of the door at the very moment that they opened it.
'Wilbur!' exclaimed Lana, 'You're always one step ahead of us,' she smiled as he took the tray out of her hands with a grin.
'Don't forget to lock the door,' he said as they followed him back through the tunnel and into the main hall.
'I have taken the liberty of preparing you some breakfast. You'll find it waiting for you in the dining room,' he said. 'It's on the central table.'
Right on cue, the sounds of faint thunder rumbled around them and Lana laughed, rubbing her tummy. 'I'm starving... thanks Wilbur!' she said, 'Oh, is Eleanor around yet?'
'She'll be out of action for another couple of hours, I'm afraid. She was out much of the night. When she awakes, I'll tell her you're looking for her.'
'Thank you,' the girls said as they entered the dining room and sat down, soon tucking into their hot breakfasts. It hadn't taken long for Wilbur to suss out their favourite kinds of food. Lana enjoyed a full English while Emma ate a more delicate balance of poached eggs on brown toast and a fruit smoothie.
Declan and Saleena walked in after they'd finished eating and were just having a cup of tea.
'Good morning, girls,' Saleena said as she approached and sat down beside them, while Declan gave them one of his trade-mark grins while he headed over to the kettle to pour himself a cup of hot coffee and a green tea for his girlfriend.
'So how did it go last night?' he asked as he handed the cup to Saleena and sat down. 'I understand you found something?'
'How did you know that?' asked Emma, surprised.
But he just tapped the side of his head with a cheeky smile and raised his eyebrows waiting for an answer.
'Yes, we did find something. But maybe you already know what we found?' Lana said pouting, squinting her eyes at him. After watching him for a moment, she opened her mouth, bit down on her lip and said, 'You do know, don't you?'
Saleena started laughing.
'But how?' Emma said, 'I don't understand?'
'Wait a minute, Sis, before we tell him. I want to know if he really does know what we found?' Lana insisted.
Holding up his hands, he nodded, 'Okay, okay... I know you found out that Josiah's girl is a Nereid.'
The sisters gasped, Lana's expression one of profound irritation.
'Does everyone know? Is it common knowledge? Is this just part of the task?' she said, her hands gripping the table.
'No, no, no... it's nothing like that, Lana. I assure you, I only know because I read your thoughts when we walked in.'
'You can read minds?' breathed Emma.
He nodded.
'What else can you do?' she asked.
Saleena, clutching her mug, chuckled into her tea.
'Lots of things,' he tempted.
'Oh come on... tell us, Declan,' Lana pleaded.
'I can see ghosts.'
'So you could see Joe the first day we met?'
Declan nodded, 'And I could read your thoughts.'
Lana blushed, reminding herself how she'd thought he was handsome. Declan chuckled and she turned her head towards him, the faint pink of her cheeks darkening.
Clear your mind, Lana, clear your mind, she thought to herself, totally embarrassed.
'What else can you do, Declan?' asked Emma, not realising what was going on.
'That's not important right now. Tell us about the Nereid,' he answered.
'But you already know,' sighed Lana.
'I do, but Sal doesn't,' he said, and so the girls told Saleena everything they'd learned about Emelia Doris.
'That's fascinating. She certainly was a long way from home. Why do you think she came to England?' Saleena asked, intrigued.
'That's anyone's guess,' Declan said. 'She might have been here for hundreds of years, we don't know. What you girls need to find out though is where she is now and why she disappeared so suddenly.'
'Do you think she loved Joe?' whispered Emma, hoping the ghost wasn't within earshot.
'Judging by those photos, I'd say so,' Saleena replied. 'It's easy to see when a person is in love, their whole face lights up and the
camera captured that,' she added sadly looking across at Declan with the same expression.
Emma smiled as she watched them share a special look.
'Do you think the storm had something to do with it?' Lana said suddenly.
'Quite possibly,' Declan said, 'But Eleanor will probably be able to help you there. She's catching up on her sleep at the moment though. Something I think you two ought to do. Why don't you go and have a kip? Just until she gets up?'
Emma yawned and nodded, 'Yeah, I will. You coming Lana?' she asked.
The two girls cleared away their dirty plates before heading into one of the bedrooms just down the hall from Eleanor's office. As soon as their heads touched the pillows, they were fast sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
She was treading water, it was cold but the temperature didn't appear to have an effect on her body. The waves were getting bigger and bigger and she sensed danger all around her. She could see land not far away but no matter how hard she tried to get there, she was swimming against the tide and she remained a firm distance away.
Scanning the view in front of her, she gasped at the familiarity of it all. The pier at the far end and on the promontory that jutted out from above, the old church stood proudly. But there was a difference, the pier was completely intact and the church stood in its entirety, no holes in the roof and no fallen steeple.
It was Andilyse Island, there was no doubt about it.
As she looked on, Lana spotted a lone figure walking along the beach. Her dark hair and knee length red dress flowed in the brisk wind. She carried a long stick which she dragged along the sand, leaving a long trail behind her. She stopped and started to write something in the sand in huge letters. I heart J... suddenly, a massive wave came from nowhere. It was like a huge hand reaching out from the water, stretching until it enveloped the woman, pulling her into the water.
'No father... no...' the young woman screamed.
Lana's eyes widened in terror as the woman was dragged beneath the surface.
'No!' yelled Lana, letting water enter her mouth. But suddenly she was back on dry land. Looking out at the calm sea, she turned and gazed upwards. The church had been destroyed and beneath it, the pier was no longer in one piece. Lana rubbed her eyes and dropped down to her knees, sobbing. Curling up into a ball on the shore, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
'Good morning, sleepy heads,' said a woman's voice as they eventually came round, momentarily losing all sense of where they were, and Lana forgetting what she had been dreaming about.
Opening their eyes, the girls sat up and faced Eleanor who stood holding two steaming cups of tea. 'I figured you'd want waking up. It's 10.30. Here you go,' she said handing it to them.
'Thanks,' said Emma as she took a long sip and rubbed her eyes.
'We found out who she is,' Lana said before doing anything else. 'She's a Nereid, Eleanor.'
'A Nereid? Well that's interesting,' she said, sitting down at the foot of Lana's bed. 'It's been a few years since coming across any of those.'
'I wonder...' she pondered to herself, her wrinkly hand rubbing her chin.
'What?' Lana asked as she gulped down her tea and placed the empty mug on the bedside table before sitting upright.
'I have a friend in Ireland who I believe has associations with a group of Nereids in Greece. Perhaps he might be of assistance?'
Emma's eyes widened with the prospect of finally finding out the truth.
'Really? That would be amazing,' she said, almost spilling her tea as she stood up quickly.
'Can you call him now?' she asked.
Eleanor smiled and nodded, 'Of course.' Standing up, she straightened her long full skirt before taking the two empty cups from them and turning to exit the room.
'Thank you Eleanor,' they piped up simultaneously.
A niggling feeling kept irritating her, like she needed to remember something. Whatever it was though, Lana couldn't seem to grab hold of it. When they walked into Eleanor's office half an hour later, she'd managed to push it from her thoughts. Instead, concentrating on finding out the truth about Joe's true love.
The screen was focussed on St. James Park. Emma only knew because behind it was The Mall and Buckingham Palace. Since their introduction to the Praxos Foundation, they had been learning everything they possibly could about London, including its geography, its history (much to Lana's disgust) and its beautiful buildings and architecture.
Eleanor beamed at them. 'Please sit down, girls. I have news,' she said almost bursting with excitement, like a little girl who had just been given a pony. 'I've just been on the phone to Nikolaos and he told me a very interesting tale...'
Lana and Emma leaned forward expectantly.
'It is believed that one of the daughters of Nereus fell in love with a man somewhere in the United Kingdom. Much to her father's dismay, she made a decision which angered him terribly. She refused to return home to his side, instead choosing to marry this young man. Nereus, however, had other ideas. Because she was already promised to another, her father threatened her with a great storm to kill her beloved. Her father had always been such a gentle soul and she refused to believe him. But she was wrong. On the night of 31st January, 1953, Nereus did indeed create a massive storm so fierce that it whipped the coasts of England, Scotland and parts of Europe. As you already know, many many innocent people were killed. His daughter, however, was captured and returned to the Aegean Sea where, it is believed, she was forced to marry the man she did not love. It is alleged that she remains there, mourning the death of her one true love...'
'Oh My God... Eleanor... I... I...'
'What is it, Lana?' she asked, standing up and walking around the desk.
'I just dreamed about that. I saw the beach the night of the storm, there was a woman in red, she was writing something on the beach - I heart J... - before a huge wave reached out and pulled her into the water. It must have been Emelia and her father. She was obviously writing I heart Josiah,' she said, her face paling considerably.
'Yes, I think you're right. Oh the poor dears,' Eleanor said like an old lady.
'Wait a minute,' breathed Emma, 'So she's still alive? And she thinks Joe died the night of the storm? If we can find her, we can tell her the truth. Maybe then they can both move on?'
'Yeah maybe, but there is one thing here that really sucks. She's alive and he's... well... dead.'
'Yes,' sighed Eleanor, 'But she has aged apparently. Perhaps they can be together again one day in the not too distant future.'
'Is there any way of tracking her down?' asked Emma.
'I've already asked Nikolaos. He promised me that all his resources are already on the case. We just need to wait patiently.'
The girls sat back, relaxing their tense shoulders and watched as people wandered through St James Park, some of them sitting on park benches and chatting to each other.
'And the world goes on as usual,' smiled Eleanor. 'Speaking of which, you girls are going home tomorrow. How do you feel about that?'
Emma smiled, 'I'm looking forward to seeing Mum and Dad, Lucy Joe and Greg.'
'And Scott and Henry,' Lana added.
'Henry?' Emma said, confused.
'The dog!'
'Oh yeah, I'd totally forgotten about him. Maybe we should ask Joe what his real name is?'
'Nah, not such a good idea. How would we explain that to Lucy Joe?'
Emma laughed, 'I guess so.'
Lana turned back and said, 'I'm quite happy to be going home... because there is a possibility we'll be coming back soon, isn't there?' Lana asked questioningly as she looked across at Eleanor, hoping for a response.
She smiled broadly, 'We'll talk about that tonight with the rest of the group. Oh, by the way, wear your party dresses,' Eleanor added with a cheeky smile as they walked out of the office.
After popping back to the boat for a quick shower and change into casual clothes (carrying their party outfits in bags with them), the g
irls walked back from Westminster where they were once again moored, towards the Foundation with Declan and Saleena. On the way there, they met up with Liam, Diarmuid, Zane and Marian.
The adults went on without them, suggesting the four of them take some time on their own before heading back. The meeting wasn't going to commence until 6pm, so they had plenty of time to kick back and relax first.
Liam casually draped his arm over Lana's shoulder, while Diarmuid and Emma firmly held hands as they walked along Leicester Square, stopping to gaze at a pretty water feature with a statue of Charlie Chaplin in its centre and spouts of water shooting up into the air.
'I can't believe the two weeks is almost up,' said Diarmuid as he squeezed Emma's hand.
'Yeah I know,' Lana added, 'But at least we're closer to the school year.'
'Yeah, that's great if we've been accepted into the Academy,' Liam replied lazily. 'If not, I'll be stuck in Chelmsford. What about you, Diarmuid? Where will you go if you're not accepted?'
'Somewhere in Oxfordshire, I guess. Unless Mum wants to go back to Ireland.'
'I'm sure we've all been accepted... I hope so anyway,' Lana whispered as the sun glistened on the rippling water. 'I really don't want to go back to Andilyse for good. Not now that I've had a taste of this life.'
'Come on, let's not mope around. Let's enjoy our last few hours together. Let's go get a drink,' Lana said all of a sudden, pulling them away from the fountain.
Emma's eyes glazed over as she thought about what Lana had said. Their last few hours together. The idea that she may not see Diarmuid again was the same as being punched in the stomach, and so she held back for a moment. Her sister and Liam carried on walking as she and Diarmuid stood looking at each other sadly.
'Stop thinking what you're thinking, Emma. I can see it in your eyes. We are coming back in a few weeks. I just know it,' he said as he gently held her chin in his hand, using his thumb to stroke her cheek.
A cyclist whizzed passed them, followed by a small group of kids eating burgers who stopped and sat beside the fountain. But Emma didn't notice them. She didn't notice anything. All she saw was Diarmuid, his sweet smile revealing an almost perfect set of white teeth, just one was slightly askew. I could drown in those eyes, she thought as he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips.