Raven Saga 01 - Raven

were two ravens at my window. I watched them as they tapped twice with their beaks against the glass, heads cocking from one side to the other. They looked at me for a few minutes and then flew away. I wasn't frightened, in fact they made me smile. Then I heard my name. It was very faint but it sounded like someone was calling me. The sound didn't come from the house... but from further away. I wondered if it was coming from the forest. I sat up and looked out the window again. Nothing. As I strained to listen for it again, there was a knock on my door and Rose appeared.
    “Are you all right, my dear?” she asked, smiling.
    I nodded, but I could tell from her expression that she didn't believe me.
    “Are you ready to come back out? Almost everyone is here – including Oliver.”
    I nodded and followed her towards the door.
    Pleased that I had decided to join the party, I came to the conclusion that I needed to make more of an effort to make friends. I wanted my new life to be full of people. As I walked into the living room, all the guests were already mingling and milling around. Although I was dreading being the object of everybody's attention, I needn't have been concerned as it seemed that a lot of people were more interested in the birthday boy himself. And everyone else was talking and laughing among themselves. If only December were there.
    But before I had a chance to dwell on that thought, Ben made a beeline for me and took my hand in his. “Hey Lilly. Let me introduce you to Oliver.” He gently led me to the centre of the attention where a group of people ranging in age from 16 to their mid-twenties appeared to be listening intently to a story being told by the tall young man in the centre, with his back towards me. They were clearly enraptured by his funny tale, which was about werewolves and vampires.
    After he'd given his punchline, the group burst out laughing and began talking among themselves. Ben tapped the young man on the shoulder to get his attention.
    “Oli... there's someone here you should meet.”
    I wasn't prepared for what happened next. As he turned, I let out an involuntary gasp. I tried to make it sound like a cough. I failed, totally embarrassed.
    Oliver was, without doubt, the most beautiful boy I had ever seen... but it was his eyes that I couldn't pull mine away from. They were so deep and dark, almost jet black. I could quite easily have sunk into them. It was quite extraordinary, actually. I had never seen anything quite like them. And I liked the feeling. I liked the feeling a lot.
    Even though he was 10 years younger, Oliver was taller than Ben and was as blonde as Ben was dark with strong features, a slightly pointy nose and a chiselled chin.
    “Hi. You must be Lilly. It's great to finally meet you after all this time,” he said with a smooth voice that belied his young years.
    It was the first time that the sight and sound of anyone had taken my breath away and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say either, so I quickly mumbled 'hi'. With my cheeks burning, and before I could make even more of a fool of myself, I turned around and walked as fast as I could, away from him. I didn't even give him a chance to reply. I just carried on walking, without a backward glance. Away from the other guests. Away from the party. I rushed back into my room and sat on my bed for a few minutes, trying to catch my breath. But it wasn't enough. I needed to get out. I needed some fresh air. So I grabbed my coat and, careful not to be seen, opened the front door and ran away from the party.

CHAPTER NINE

    I felt like such a fool. An idiot. I hoped that nobody had noticed me but I was sure that Oliver's first opinion of me was not a particularly good one. How could it possibly be? I was rude and then I ran away. If I'm lucky, I thought, perhaps everybody would just think it's too much for me to cope with. All those people. Yes, it is a lot to deal with in such a short amount of time.
    Before I knew it, I had run to the edge of the tall dark trees. The forest Gabriel had told me not to enter. I turned briefly to see if anyone had noticed. I appeared to be alone. What the hell? I thought. What have I got to lose? So I walked beyond the trees as I zipped up my coat and put on my warm gloves.
    Adrenaline coursed through my body, just as it had when I'd chopped off all my lovely long hair and bleached it. It was the first time I had gone against someone's wishes. Although I did feel