December Moon (The Raven Saga)

"He was tall, about six-foot-two, shoulder length brown curly hair. His eyes were hazel green until he flashed that scary vamp face at me and then they were black. He was wearing glasses but I guess that was just him trying to blend in. That, and the laptop. We saw him the last time we went into Starbucks," described Lilly as best she could.

  "And both times he kept staring at Lilly," added Tabitha.

  "Oh and the other thing, up close to him I could... I could... well, he smelled of blood."

  "No!" said Ursula, banging her fists on the dining table as the map hopped up into the air with the force.

  Everybody in the room jumped as Carmelo and Jo both shook their heads at the same time.

  "That can mean only one thing. If you can smell blood on him, it means he has recently fed. He must have attacked again."

  The room went quiet as everyone thought about who the poor victim could be this time.

  "I'll go and hang around outside the police station, maybe I can pick up on something over there," said Wyatt, who had come over to the house to see his daughter, Jo.

  "Not alone, Wyatt. You mustn't go alone."

  "I shall go viz you," said Ursula as she headed for the door without a backwards glance.

  "I'll call if I hear anything."

  "Be careful, Dad," said Jo, as she rushed over to him and gave him a gentle hug. As gentle a hug a vampire can give. Jo's strength had multiplied a hundred-fold since she had been turned and she often forgot how strong she really was.

  "Lilly, Tabitha, I want you to go to Emilie and Margot. They're in the silver RV. Give them a description of this vampire. They can create an artist's sketch. It might help us."

  Stepping outside to the silver RV, Lilly gingerly knocked on the door.

  "Come on in, Lilly, Tabitha," said a soft voice from within.

  She pushed open the door and stepped up and inside the vehicle, surprised to find a room full of computers and other technological gadgetry.

  "Wow," muttered Tabitha with a low whistle, "this is sooo not what I was expecting."

  Margot greeted them with a deep dry laugh. Lilly thought she sounded like a 1940s film star. "What exactly were you expecting, cauldrons, toil and trouble and all that kind of thing?"

  Tabitha shook her head and smiled, "Honestly? I've no idea, just not... this."

  "You could say that Margot and I are a new breed of witch. We like to keep up with all the latest technological advances. It's all very useful. Combine that with our other skills, and we rarely go wrong," said Emilie sweetly from behind a desk in the corner.

  "Come on in, make yourselves at home. Just give us a moment."

  Lilly and Tabitha walked further in and took a seat quietly as the two women continued to work on the computers for a couple of minutes.

  All that could be heard was the tapping of fingernails on the keyboards and the occasional beeping of what looked like some kind of satellite receiving device. Before they'd entered the RV, Lilly had spotted a couple of satellite dishes on top of it.

  "Right," said Emilie as she pushed the keyboard drawer beneath the monitor with her long spindly fingers and turned to face the two girls.

  Grabbing a handful of her long blond hair, she twisted it up into a loose chignon and fastened it with an elastic band that had been around her wrist and a clip that had been attached to her blouse, before picking up a pad of paper.

  Margot turned away from her own computer and opened a drawer beneath her desk, taking out a pencil and an electric sharpener. The whizzing of the device broke the silence, before she handed the pencil to Emilie and stood up.

  "So, please begin..." continued Emilie.

  Tabitha and Lilly looked at each other with uncertainty.

  "She means begin describing this man," said Margot with a warm smile, as she brushed her forehead with the back of her hand. "It's a bit warm in here. Let me open a window," and she turned and began opening the four windows around the cabin of the vehicle. As the breeze blew in, her thin brown silk blouse began to flap a little, cooling her down immediately.

  "He was about six-foot-two, he had brown curly shoulder length hair, hazel green eyes - black at times - erm..." said Tabitha, repeating what Lilly had already described in the house.

  "Okay, we're going to need a bit more than this. Perhaps we can help a little... did he have small beady eyes, thin eyes, almond shaped eyes? You just need to be a little more specific," added Margot.

  "Definitely large almond shaped eyes, quite far apart too," replied Lilly.

  Emilie smiled, "That's more like it, now continue," she said as brought the pencil down on the paper and began to draw.

  "He had a nice nose," added Tabitha who then blushed a little, "sorry, so not helpful. It was kind of like those Greek noses. You know the ones on the statues? Sort of straight from base to tip, if you know what I mean?"

  Emilie nodded as Margot stood behind her, arms crossed as she nodded absent mindedly.

  "Yes we understand the kind you mean. Yes that's good. What about his mouth? Any facial hair? And his brow, low, long, wide? You get the picture... just tell us everything," she said as she puckered her ruby red lips.

  "His lips were kind of lush. A bit pouty, very pink. A little girly if that makes sense. A bit like that Spanish model and actress...." said Lilly shyly.

  "Esther Canadas... yes, you're right actually," replied Tabitha as she turned to nod.

  "Sorry, never heard of her. Margot can you google her? It might help," Emilie said as Margot turned and walked back to the computer and typed in the name.

  As the results appeared, she turned the screen to face the girls and they nodded, "yup, his lips were exactly like that."

  "He was very fresh faced, no facial hair. His hairline had a bit of a point in the middle... but not a harsh point, slightly rounded. His forehead was a little high and wide. High cheekbones. Couldn't see his ears as those curls were covering them. He was very attractive, actually," said Tabitha almost dreamily.

  "We're talking about a cold blooded killer here, Tabitha!" scolded her second cousin, who blushed a little in response.

  "Right I'm done... tell me, is this him? Is this the vampire you saw in town?" said Emilie as she turned the pad of paper around to show them, revealing the sketched image of a very handsome young man.

  Both girls gasped as he stared back at them. She had captured him exactly. It was as if they were looking at a photograph. Both nodded quietly, shocked at how Emilie had managed to re-create such an incredible likeness from their relatively brief description of him.

  She placed the image onto a scanner and proceeded to make a computer copy of it before removing the piece of paper and handing it over to Lilly.

  "I'm going to run this through our facial recognition system to see if anything comes up. In the meantime, take this to Carmelo. Thank you girls. You have been incredibly helpful," she said with a broad smile.

  "No, thank you," said Lilly, "I still can't quite believe you created such a perfect image of him."

  "We're witches, my dear. We can do almost anything!" replied Margot with a glint in her eye and a cheeky smile as she returned to sit behind her computer.

  Just as they stepped out of the vehicle, they noticed Ursula and Wyatt returning from the police department.

  They followed them inside, listening to what they told everyone who had gathered in the kitchen.

  "You were right, Carmelo. There was another attack. It was just outside the school... one of the teachers."

  Lilly's eyes widened in shock, "Which one?" she asked, afraid of what she would hear.

  "It was Mrs Ormond, the biology professor."

  Lilly had never liked Mrs Ormond, she had always seemed a little too inquisitive for her liking, but she couldn't believe she was dead. Ripped apart, by a vampire. She hadn't known Frank Jensen or Mrs Murray but she had known Mrs Ormond and the thought made her feel sick to the stomach.

  Tabitha gently took the sketch out of her hand before Lilly managed to screw it up
in her fingers.

  "Here's the sketch. This is pretty much an exact image of the vampire we saw in town," she said, handing it to Carmelo, but before he could get hold of it, Ursula snatched it from his fingers with a loud gasp.

  "My God," she said. "It's Olivier Duran."

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Just as Moira had predicted, December's first day at high school had gone much more smoothly than she could have ever hoped for. Her fellow students were more excited about her British accent than anything else. They welcomed her with open arms and not a single person made fun of her, her name or her red hair. She was delighted.

  But on the other hand, although she befriended many girls and boys on that first day, she missed Lilly more than she had ever missed her before. She even felt a little guilty, like she shouldn't be having fun without her own best friend. But, after a couple of days, the feeling of guilt gradually dwindled and she began to feel like she belonged there. She still longed to talk to Lilly but she knew they would... soon.

  They had both been too busy to chat online so they had made do with a couple of brief emails just to let the other know each one was okay, making vague promises of visiting each other soon although both knew that under current circumstances, a visit would be virtually impossible. They both had far too much to hide from each other.

  Moira had got stuck into a few interior decorating jobs, Monty had been busy dropping December to and from school as well as gardening and Moira's dead mother Ruby had been busy, just... well, being Ruby. Just over two weeks had passed since they'd arrived and all was working out better than any could have imagined, until Moira received an urgent letter from a friend in the north.

  December returned from school to find her grandmother looking awfully sombre.

  "December... oh, darling girl. We've received some chilling news. Your mother is beside herself with worry..." she said as she paced up and down the hallway.

  Dropping her school bag at the foot of the stairs, she rushed into the kitchen to find her mother frantically cleaning the already spotless work surfaces.

  "Mom... what's happened? Ruby said you've had some bad news. What is it?"

  Finally turning to face her daughter, she hugged her before finally sitting herself down on a stool at the breakfast bar.

  "I vowed to myself the other night that I would not keep any more secrets from you. But please don't be frightened, my angel. I've just received word that a particularly dangerous vampire is terrorising a local town..." she said.

  "It's Duran, isn't it?" asked December, but she already knew the answer.

  Her mother nodded and they hugged again. Ruby tried to hug them too but just went straight through them, creating a chill.

  "It's times like these when I need a hug, myself," she cried, "Oh, what are we to do?"

  "My friend has asked if we will join them. She said the more of our kind there are there, the better. She also mentioned that they've already gathered a little group together but could do with both of us. That means you, Mother. I know you're dead but your input might finally help us to put a stop to this monster."

  "Both of you... but what about me? If you go, I'm going too. You're not leaving me here. I have a right to go as well," said December as she crossed her arms.

  "She is so your daughter, isn't she?" sighed Ruby.

  "I don't like it. I don't like it one bit but I do understand and I guess I can't leave you here, December. Monty can stay and look after the house and the cats and we'll drive up in the other car."

  "But where is Duran, Mom? Where are we going?"

  "Oh, didn't I say? We're going to Powell River."

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  "Duran's savage attacks have been going on throughout the centuries. Ursula helped put a stop to one of his carnages in World War One, but there had been plenty of others before that and probably plenty more since. We know that he first started in France, but his attacks have taken him across the globe," said Carmelo angrily to everybody gathered in the living room. "He must be stopped... and for good this time."

  Ursula sat stone faced in the corner of the room. She hadn't said a word since seeing the sketch of her arch enemy.

  "Ursula?" asked Lilly, "Are you all right?"

  The vampire stood abruptly and nodded much slower than she usually did. A sad smile briefly crossed her lips as she looked back at the young girl. Lilly thought she looked tired and even a little scared.

  "I vill be all right. I had zought. No, I had hoped zat zis monster vas dead, but no. Now ze killing starts again. It all brings back bad memories, zat is all. I really zought he vas finished, dead, in Europe. But no, I vas wrong," she said, shaking her head, adding, "I am fine, Lilly... zank you."

  It was the first time Ursula had shown any kind of emotion and it frightened Lilly somewhat. Ursula was one of the strongest vampires she knew, and for her to appear a little fearful concerned Lilly no end. Duran was clearly a force to be reckoned with. He was pure evil and thought nothing of killing innocent victims and creating havoc in a small community where people talked. He was putting the entire supernatural society under threat.

  A slight commotion outside caused everyone to turn towards the door as it was pushed opened.

  "Gabriel!" shouted Lilly as she jumped up from the armchair and rushed to her grandfather, hugging him tightly and nearly knocking him to the ground in the process.

  Chuckling, he gently patted her on the back as she released her grip and looked up at him, "What are you doing here?"

  "This is my community, my dear. You don't think I could just sit up there in those caves and do nothing, do you? I am here to offer any help that I can. Now, do let me sit down for a moment to get my strength back," he said as he used an old fashioned walking stick to help him walk over to his old trusty brown armchair, where he sat with a long sigh.

  After everybody had made a fuss of him, bringing tea and biscuits and a blanket, Gabriel turned to Carmelo, "Now, tell me. What's the latest news?"

  Gabriel, who had joined the Elders several months earlier, had taken a few days to travel down the mountains with the help of a small group of friends. They had travelled at night and hidden themselves in a number of secret caves during the day. Once Gabriel had reached the water, he had insisted on travelling by boat alone in order to reach his family as quickly as possible. It was the middle of the day and so the others had no choice but to stay put, at least until darkness fell.

  With all that had been going on, Lilly felt that she needed some time to herself so she headed back into the privacy and the quiet of her bedroom. She gently closed the door behind her and sat on the bed. Leaning back, she watched the rainbow effect flash across the walls from the crystals that hung at either side of her window. She thought back to her fourteenth birthday when Oliver had given them to her. Sighing, she turned and opened her laptop where Oliver's face smiled back at her. She reached out and stroked the picture on the computer screen. She missed him.

  I wish all of this wasn't happening, and I wish you had never found out the truth, Oliver. I just wish you were here, where you're meant to be.

  Seconds later, the computer let out a buzz and up popped a messenger window.

  DECEMBER MOON: You there Lill?

  Smiling, Lilly leaned over and picked up the laptop and placed it on her knees.

  LILLY TULUGAQ: I'm here! How's things?

  DECEMBER MOON: Good, I guess! How about you? Is everything ok with you up there in Powell River?

  LILLY TULUGAQ: Yeah, everything's fine here.

  Lilly knew she couldn't say anything more to her best friend, even though she was dying to tell her the truth, to finally tell her everything. She ached knowing she wasn't able to. She was even tempted to tell her that she was coming to Powell River... but her reasons for going prevented her. She had to keep the secret.

  DECEMBER MOON: That's good. So, you're all safe and well then?

  LILLY TULUGAQ: Of course! Why? What gives you the idea that it's not?
r />   DECEMBER MOON: Nothing... just checking, making sure.

  There was a knock on Lilly's door and a second later, Jo walked in.

  "Hey Lilly. Can we talk?"

  "Sure."

  LILLY TULUGAQ: Sorry December but I have to go. Catch up with you soon ok? XX

  DECEMBER MOON: OK hun. You keep SAFE. XX

  "What's up?" she asked her beautiful cousin as she closed the laptop and returned it to her bedside table.

  "Huh? You mean what's not up... it's crazy, all this killing and this mad vamp doing the rounds. I mean, I'm a vamp myself, I know it's hard work keeping the bloodlust in check and everything but you don't see me running around killing innocent people... poor Mrs Ormond!"

  "You never really liked Mrs Ormond, Jo. Hardly anyone did!"

  "But that's not the point is it? I never wanted her dead... well, occasionally maybe it crossed my mind... but no, seriously. This is getting crazy."

  Shaking her head with a sad smile, Lilly rolled on to her stomach and looked up at Jo, "What's up Jo? It's not just Duran the crazed vamp bothering you is it? Is there something else on your mind?"

  "I'm just worried about you guys. I can defend myself. I'm a vampire, for goodness sake, I'm pretty strong. I can fend for myself, but you guys..." she choked.

  Lilly rolled over and almost fell off the bed in a rush to stand up. She turned to Jo and hugged her.

  "Don't worry about us, Jo. Didn't you notice the multitude of witches, vampires, werewolves and other weird folk out there? They're all here to help us catch this guy. Duran has got no chance! And besides, aren't you forgetting that I'm actually a bit of a beast myself?!" she said with a smile and a wink.

  Nodding, Jo pulled away and smiled back, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth, "yeah, you're right. I know you're right. We'll get him."

  Later that night while Lilly was drifting off to sleep, she thought about December. The fact that she had seemed intent on knowing if all was well in Powell River. Did she know something? Was there something she wasn't letting on? Lilly remembered the strange occurrence that had happened to December before she had moved to Seattle and it worried her a little. She hoped her best friend was all right.