Raven Saga 01 - Raven

to pass out from hypothermia and he laughed and turned up the heat to help warm me up.
    To keep up the charade that Gabriel had begun with the school, I explained I'd not been feeling so great emotionally and needed some time alone. But I told him I was feeling better now and was glad of his company.
    He told me about his latest patient. It was a horse that had a mysterious injury to his leg and that his owner couldn't understand how it had happened, especially since the animal had been locked in his stable overnight, and had been perfectly all right the previous evening. He had called Ben immediately to attend to the bloody mess but he could offer no explanation either.
    “I mean, this poor horse had looked as if it had been attacked by a wild animal. Yet there was no way he could get out of his stable and no way any animal large enough to do the damage could get in,” he said with a creased brow as if he was still trying to fathom the mystery out.
    I knew that it was quite possible that the horse had fought with something. Something dark and unnatural, probably.
    My gut feeling was that the horse wasn't just a horse. Maybe it had the power of transformation and had let itself out into the darkness. Or some kind of beast had unlocked the stable, crept in and made a frenzied attack on the horse... why, I had no idea. There were so many bizarre theories going around in my head and I couldn't suggest a single one to Ben, which I hated. Being a vet, I believed that it could have been really useful for him to know. But I had been advised not to tell a soul and it was of the utmost importance that I kept this secret, for my family's sake.
    I mentioned that I had heard he was looking for a part-time trainee assistant. After he nodded, I suggested myself as a possible candidate. Surprisingly, he was thrilled that I would be interested in the position.
    “Are you kidding? That would be terrific, Lilly! It would almost be like keeping it in the family. That's great... really great!”
    “Really? I don't want you to hire me just because we're practically family though, Ben.”
    “Don't be silly. It's perfect. I'd love you to come and work with me. Great!”
    “Unfortunately, I still have a few years to go at high school, otherwise I could start full time work straight away.”
    We agreed that I would begin training with him every Saturday and would do the occasional stint after school. During the holidays I would work three days a week. I was excited at the prospect of having something important to do, working with animals. And at the same time I would learn everything that I needed to know.
    When he asked why I was heading into town, I blushed and told him I was so embarrassed about the state of my hair, I was going to buy a do-at-home hair dye to sort it out.
    He laughed “I don't think a simple hair dye will do the trick, Lilly!”
    “Thanks, Ben!” but I laughed too, knowing only too well that my haircut left a lot to be desired.
    “Look, a really good friend of mine is a hairdresser in town and she owes me a favour. Why don't we pop into her salon and we'll see what she can do?”
    Although I was embarrassed that he would be willing to use his favour on me, I agreed that my appearance was in desperate need of an overhaul and so I nodded in agreement.
    “Thank you,” I whispered shyly and he looked over at me and winked.
    It turned out that his good friend was actually more of a girlfriend, judging by the smouldering looks that passed between them when we arrived. I was lucky that she was between appointments and she was delighted to help. Her name was Crystal.
    Unlike most of the girls I had met so far in Powell River who had long flowing locks, Crystal's cropped elfin-like hair made her beautiful African-American features more pronounced. She was a beauty, there was no doubt about that, and on top of that, she had a beautiful soul. Her naturally black afro hair had been dyed a golden brown, which made her eyes appear to have so much depth that you could almost sink into them. They reminded me of Scully's eyes, deep, dark and soulful.
    Ben only stayed for a couple of minutes, as there were clients waiting back at the practice so he left me there, before assuring me that I was in the best of hands and that I would leave feeling a million dollars.
    “Enjoy your date tonight,” he yelled with a wink as he closed the door without giving me the chance to respond.
    Did everyone know? I thought, as I followed