CHAPTER TWELVE
The following evening, Oliver unexpectedly turned up again. It was almost a re-enactment of the previous night. I was sitting on the couch comfortably reading a book, full from eating a hearty dinner, when in walked Oliver wearing a shy grin.
“Hey Lilly. I hope you don't mind be popping in to say hi again.”
“Of course not,” I answered, as I made a mental note to make more of an effort with myself in future.
I offered him a Coke and he said yes. I ran into the kitchen, via the bedroom again, brushed my hair and put on some lip gloss before rushing back in.
But this time, as I handed him the can and we both sat down, he said, “You know what. Why don't we take a walk instead?” Standing up he placed the can on the coffee table almost as soon as he'd sat down.
Relieved to have something else to do, I jumped up and grabbed my coat, gloves, hat and scarf.
He laughed at me as I wrapped myself up and we stepped outdoors after I yelled to Meredith that we were going for a walk. She appeared briefly with a cheeky smile and winked at me before closing the front door.
“So...” I said.
“So...”
“Here we are again.”
“Yup,” he answered as we walked slowly down the road.
I waited for him to say something to break the ice. We walked for a few minutes until he finally said, “Lilly?”
“Yes?” I answered hopefully.
“Last night when we spoke, you mentioned that you were falling for Canada... well, I wanted to ask you if... if it is just Canada that you're falling for? Or whether there might be something, or someone, that you're falling for too,” he asked. But before I could answer, he blushed and added, “Sorry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to.”
I wanted to answer his question; after all, I knew the answer. I was falling for him, without a doubt. I felt like we had a connection.
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked hesitantly.
“Shoot.”
“Why did you really come to see me tonight?” I asked bravely.
This time, his face turned pink before he replied.
“Honestly... I was hooked the second I laid eyes on you, Lilly. It's weird really, because I've always hung out with girls my age, but I almost feel like you've put a spell on me. Not that I'm calling you a witch or anything,” he laughed, “but I've never been bewitched before.”
During the silence that followed, I swear I could hear his, and my own, hearts beating.
I was so glad that I'd wrapped my scarf around my face... because I was blushing so much and grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
“And even though I barely even know you, I feel like I've always known you,” he laughed, breaking the silence, “and I can't believe I'm actually saying all this. Out loud. To you.”
“Well, I'm kind of glad that you are saying it out loud. To me. I know how you feel, Oliver. I like being around you. It just feels... right. But I guess we'll just have to get to know each other better won't we?” I replied happily, “but now... it's so freezing. Why don't you walk me back home?”
As we turned to walk back towards the house, I looked up at him and smiled. He caught me watching and he laughed.
“In answer to your question... Canada isn't the only thing I'm falling for,” and I laughed cheekily as he took my gloved hand in his.
As we approached the front door, Oliver asked me out on a date, “a proper date,” he said, the following Friday night. I happily accepted and he leaned in and gently kissed me on the cheek. My first kiss!
“I'll pick you up at seven,” he said and then he was gone.
That night I drifted off to sleep happier than I had done for a long time. But my dreams were strange and vivid once again.
I found myself flying freely with the ravens while I was looking down at the cats below. Only this time they weren't small cats, one was a white mountain lion and the other a black panther.
They were stalking something. I couldn't quite see what it was but as I flew closer, I saw that they were stalking Oliver. I tried to get his attention but he couldn't see me, he could only see and hear ravens squawking at him from above. “Oliver, Oliver watch out!” I yelled, but as hard as I tried to get him to understand me, I knew that all he could hear were the incomprehensible noises of a bird.
I tried to reach him in time but it was no good, the cats had already pounced and as I landed nearby, I saw that he was covered in blood. As I approached the bloody scene, the cats seemed to bow down to me and skulked away as I picked him up with ease and carried him to the waterside to try and clean his wounds, but as I looked down into the water, my reflection wasn't that of a raven or a girl... it was that of a mountain lion. I screamed.
I awoke with a start. My face was soaked from tears streaming down my cheeks.
“Lilly, goodness me,” said Meredith as she rushed into my room and switched on the light. Sitting down on the bed, she cradled me in her arms. “It's all right. It was just a bad dream. Just a dream. Shhhh. It's over. It's over.”
The tears wouldn't stop as I tried to tell her that Oliver was in danger. “The cats, the cats,” I sobbed.
“No, it was just a dream, sweetie. Oliver is fine. Calm down.” Eventually, I realised that it had been nothing but a nightmare – triggered by the memory of the words I had learnt just days before... that Oliver and Ben's parents had been killed by wild mountain lions. It was nothing more than my subconscious mind playing horrible tricks on me.
Meredith had been kind, assuring me that all was well. She even made me a cup of sweet cocoa to help soothe me back to sleep. The rest of the night went by quietly.