Raven Saga 01 - Raven

down your address and wrote to you but we're sure that Vivian disposed of the letters before you ever saw them.”
    “So you've not seen my father since my mother died?” I asked.
    They shook their heads.
    “That must have been so awful for you all... and now we don't know if we'll ever see him again,” I cried.
    “We have no idea what has happened to him... or to Vivian, but I sincerely believe that they are both still alive. The fact that they vanished without a trace suggests more witchcraft though. We have been doing everything we can to find Jack and we have reason to believe that they are somewhere in Canada,” Gabriel said.
    I asked him what they have been doing to try and track them down and why he felt they were still alive but before I could get an answer from him, Rose spoke instead and I certainly wasn't prepared for what she was about to tell me.
    “Lilly, dear, for us to answer that question, you need to learn the truth about who you are.”
    Confused, I nodded.
    The truth turned out to completely change my view of the world.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    The things that I had only read about in fairy tales turned out to be far from fantasy. According to Gabriel, these things were very real indeed... a secret world that I had no clue really existed until my family began to unfold the truth...
    Werewolves, werecats, vampires, witches, ghosts... you name it, it existed within this world. A world that seemed so alien to me, that would soon become my everyday life.
    I was told all about my father's side of the family, that they were descendants of ravens and actually had the ability to morph into the bird. Not just that, but my mother's side of the family had the ability to morph into cats.
    “Okay... this is just sounding ridiculous... how is this possible? Surely you're joking with me now? How can a human being become an animal? It's impossible.”
    Rose shook her head slowly and told me that it was very possible. She said that it was very real and that there was a strong possibility that I had the gift myself.
    “W...what gift?” I asked gingerly, afraid of what they might say.
    Gabriel and Rose both glanced at each other sideways, before telling me that it was possible that I had the ability to change into either a cat or a raven... or even both.
    Clearly the idea was absurd to me and I told them so as I stood up abruptly and paced up and down the room shaking my head.
    “Lilly, these dreams you've been having are the strongest indication so far that you can change into both animals. Remember you told me you changed into a mountain lion and a raven? Well, it appears that may be true. Your subconscious has been telling you so,” said Gabriel softly.
    “Well, can you change, Gabriel? Can you?” I asked defensively.
    “And what about you Wyatt? Meredith? Rose? We're all related... surely you can all change too?” I said, my body shaking as I spoke.
    There was silence for a moment before Rose stood and took both my cold hands in hers. “I can, Lilly. I can change into a lynx. Your mother wasn't able to and sadly we never knew if Neleh had the ability as she died before she became of age,” she said softly.
    I could tell she was telling me the truth by her eyes, those black eyes that became the brightest blue in different lights. I remembered the day that I'd met her. She'd known I was there without even looking, her sense of smell and her sense of hearing were both incredible, just like a cat. I'd even thought she'd looked feline-like at the time. Her home was full of cats and they'd all gravitated towards her as if she was one of them.
    It all made sense. What didn't make sense was the fact that I was one too. Could I really be? Could I really be able to change into a cat or into a raven? I felt as if I was dreaming. I even pinched myself to see if I would wake up. I didn't.
    “What about the ravens? Which of you can change into a raven?”
    “None of us here can, sweetheart. Your great-grand-father could though. He was a great man and a great raven,” said Meredith.
    “What about my father... could he?” I asked suddenly thinking that perhaps that's what happened. He escaped Vivian by changing into a bird, but apparently I was wrong because according to Gabriel he was never able to either.
    “We usually find out around the age of seventeen or eighteen. If it hasn't happened by the time we're twenty, it tends to mean that it's not going to,” said Wyatt.
    I wondered if it had happened to Jo