"So you must be the one with no name. The one with no memories?"
Nodding, the old lady took his hand and squeezed it, her eyes closing as she did so. He watched as her eyeballs moved at high speed beneath her closed lids before suddenly opening her eyes wide.
"You must come in and sit down. Come, have some willow juice."
Entering through the long dainty branches of the large tree, the man was surprised to find a warm and welcoming home filled with knick knacks and items from the forest that had been sculpted into pieces of art.
As the four of them sat around a gently burning fire in the centre, the old lady handed them all wooden cups filled with a clear liquid that tasted fruity and sweet.
"I'm sorry. I completely neglected to introduce myself, didn't I? Well, I am Gwynethea, the old wise woman around here," she chuckled. "I also have a few tricks up my sleeve," she added with a twinkle in her eye.
"So you're not a faery?" asked the man while she shook her head, removing her cape to prove it.
"No... just a very, very old lady who can help you recall who you are... Jackson."
The man nearly spilled his drink at the mention of that name. A name that stirred something in his very soul, making him positive she was right. Jackson was his name.
"Jackson," he whispered. "That's me. That's my name. Jackson.... yes, Jack for short! How did you know? he asked as she merely smiled and stood to pour him some more juice.
"Your soul spoke to me when I touched your hand. You told me your name... now we just need to see if we can find out a bit more."
"How? How do we do that?"
"Well, it's not going to happen immediately. It's going to take some time. Ladies, are you okay staying here this evening?"
Zalea nodded but Ameleana shook her head, "I must go back to Xander. He said he would wait for my return."
Gwynethea smiled, "Xander is a good partner for you, my dear. I wish you the brightest future together. You should go... he is waiting by the cherry tree," she chuckled.
Zalea stood up with her friend, "I'll walk you out. I'll be back soon... Jack."
After the faeries had left, Gwynethea knelt by Jack's side and took both of his hands in hers.
"There is much for you to learn about this world, Jack, before you can understand how to return to yours. All is not what it seems... there is much to fear, but I believe you have already encountered that part of our world."
"I... I don't understand."
"You may not understand what I am saying now, but it will soon make sense, my child. Did Sheharazalea explain about her dear sister?"
"Her sister? No, what happened?"
As Gwynethea let go of his hands, she plopped herself down onto the ground and sighed.
"Some time ago, her sister disappeared from Argentumalea and hasn't been found since."
"What do you mean, disappeared?"
"I mean just that... one day she was here, the next she was gone. But she is alive. I can still sense her and I do believe she is being cared for. She is safe, for now anyway."
"Have you searched for her?" he asked, intrigued.
"Of course. But there are certain parts of our world we are not to wander anywhere near. But I don't believe she is trapped there."
"Do you have any idea where she is trapped then?"
"Before I answer any-more questions, I think we need to discover your truths, don't you think? I just wanted you to know about Tiffanimelicomelea, Sheharazalea's sister, before she comes back. She feels your sorrow because she is experiencing it herself. Now, take my hands and close your eyes. I want you to clear your mind."
Doing as he was told, Jack focussed on the old lady's voice, thinking of nothing but the soft gentle sounds coming from her mouth.
With no memories to think of, his mind soon became blank while he felt Gwynethea enter deep into his subconscious.
"I can see... I can see into your mind's eye... you have been through hell these past few years, my dear Jack. Oh my...." She suddenly dropped his hands and opened her eyes wide in shock, just as Zalea walked back into the room.
"Gwynethea! Are you all right?" she said, rushing to her side as Jack opened his eyes in confusion.
"I...I...I saw the...the..."
"What? What did you see?" asked a totally blank looking Jack.
"Oh my... I'm sorry, my dear. I just need to take a moment. Just a moment."
As the three of them sat down and stared into the softly flickering flames of the fire, Zalea held the old lady's hand tightly and waited for her to calm herself down.
After a couple of minutes of silence, Gwynethea turned to look at Jack, her face hiding whatever feelings she had experienced. With her other hand, she took his and squeezed tightly.
"Jack, I don't think you're going to want to remember.... but I understand you must. Your most immediate recent memories should appear first. You must let them re-appear slowly before we start going further back in time. But..." she said, turning to face the flames, "some of them might not want to return. Some might stay locked away forever..."
Jack nodded, still completely unaware of what she had been witness to.
"Sheharazalea, are you sure you want to be a part of this?" she asked the young faery to her other side who nodded vehemently.
"Very well. Then we shall begin."
CHAPTER SIX
Oliver could hear giggling as he knocked on the front door of the old wooden house Lilly called home. A moment passed before it was opened by Moira who greeted him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.
"Come on in, Oliver. The girls are just packing up their things."
"Oh... are you going somewhere?" he asked, surprised.
Lilly swooped into the living room at the sound of his voice, straight into his arms, almost knocking him to the floor... something that was becoming a bit of a habit.
"We're going to December's for the weekend."
"What? Down to Seattle?"
"Well, technically it's not Seattle exactly, it's the outskirts," she replied with a cheeky smile. Oliver's smile dropped. But before he had the chance to say anything else, Lilly giggled again, "and then December's coming back.... to stay... for good!"
"Oh wow, that's awesome," he laughed just as December appeared from the bedroom struggling with a large backpack.
"Let me get that for you," he said, taking the bag from her with ease. "Would you like me to put it in the car for you?"
"That's kind of you, Oliver, thank you," answered Moira who was stood by the kitchen door with a drink in her hands. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"No thanks, I just had a coffee up at the Lund Hotel," he replied as he quickly walked out of the room to Moira's hire car.
As he returned, he tried to straighten his hair from the blustery conditions outdoors. The girls, who had been joined by Sammy and Tiffani, were eagerly waiting for him.
"What happened in Lund? We forgot you were heading out that way this morning? Did Chris go with you?" asked December.
Nodding, Oliver told them about the search and of the impending storm.
"In fact you girls ought to get going before the weather takes a turn for the worse. I wouldn't want you to get caught up in the worst of it."
"He's absolutely right, of course. We should leave right now before it's too late. There's not a lot I can do to help if it hits en route," said the glamorous red haired ghost who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Mom, there's nothing you could do... at all, anyway. But yes, are you girls ready to go? We should really leave now."
As the girls nodded and Lilly ran back into her room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Moira went and sat in the car, leaving them to say their goodbyes in private. She was soon followed by December.
"Erm, thought I'd better give the two love birds a moment on their own," she winked, climbing into the back with her dead grandmother.
Ten minutes later, the four of them were en route to Moira's home near Seattle, leaving Oli
ver with Sammy and Tiffani. The three of them stood looking out of the window as the wind began to howl through the forests beyond. All of them were thinking about the poor missing cheerleader who was out there somewhere, alone. And it was about to get much worse.
#
Water gushed from the top of the hill, culminating in a heavy downpour that looked more like a waterfall than rain. But it had been pouring non-stop for over five hours and it didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon.
Carmelo, Jo and Chris crouched beneath a tall brown tree temporarily protected from the onslaught of water by its overly large leaves. They were soaked through.
"We've searched everywhere. I just can't think of anywhere else that would make a suitable hiding place for Jemima. I can't sense her either."
Jo looked at her fiancé. She wasn't ready to stop searching for her old schoolmate. Not just yet.
Suddenly springing into action, they were alerted to the fact they weren't alone as a combination of scents filled the air. They jumped up, their eyes scouring their surroundings.
Carmelo was the first to laugh at the sight of their two friends, Tabitha and Zoltan, who had almost managed to creep up on them.
With a slap on the shoulder, Zoltan grinned, showing a set of razor-sharp white teeth, "We nearly had you there."
"Nonsense... we knew you were there the whole time," Carmelo replied as he playfully punched his buddy on the back.
"Anything yet?" asked Lilly's cousin, Tabitha.
"No... you?"
The two shook their heads in dismay.
The darkened sky was given a temporary reprieve from the blackness of the clouds as a massive fork of lightening lit up the evening sky, followed seconds later by a deafening clap of thunder that seemed to go on for ages.
Once the deep reverberating sound had quieted down, Jo spoke softly, "Wherever she is, whatever she is, Jemima will be terrified. We have to find her. I refuse to stop until we do."
Tabitha lifted her rain splashed eye lashes up to her friend and squeezed her hand as she looked into her eyes. "We'll find her, Jo, we will."
Another massive clap of thunder almost shook the ground beneath their feet as the lightening continued to shoot bright forks across the sky, lighting up the small islands that sat calmly in the rough waters beyond.
"That's it!" yelled Chris, all of a sudden. That's why we can't sense her. She's not here on the mainland... she's over there... buried beneath one of those islands."
"Chris, you're a genius," yelled Carmelo as he stepped out into the open air, where the rain splashed off his face. "Duran knew we wouldn't be able to hear her. The surrounding water is blocking out all the sounds. Anybody ready for a swim?" he said with a grin, looking around at his friends.
"Well, we're already soaked to the bone. What difference is a bit of ocean water going to make?" laughed Zoltan as the five of them ran towards the water. Not one hesitated as they dived straight into the rough, freezing cold water of the Pacific Ocean and began swimming as fast as they could.
#
As Jemima laid curled up on the floor in foetal position, she thought about the short life she had led. She was an only child. Loved. No, adored by her parents who had spent so many years and money on fertility treatments to have her. Her mother had been forty-four when she'd given birth to her nearly seventeen years ago and her father was fifty at the time. They doted on her. Always had, always will, thought Jemima. And now they must think I'm dead, she sobbed hopelessly.
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 cocked 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 solid. 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 from? 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."