Raven Saga 01 - Raven

pram for a walk and they never returned. Nobody saw them. It was a complete mystery,” she stuttered, trying to hold back the tears.
    “Rose, I'm so sorry,” I said wishing I could do something but knowing full well that I couldn't. When my father had disappeared it must have been absolute hell for poor Rose. It was as if she was re-living history.
    I felt her pain. Not only had she lost the man she adored, but she had lost their only bond, a tiny little daughter.
    “How old was she?” I asked.
    “Six months exactly,” she said as she blotted her eyes with a white cotton handkerchief, “her name was Lori.”
    “When did they disappear?”
    “A long, long time ago, my dear. He was 30 years old. I had just turned 21,” she answered before closing the album and putting it back in its resting place, before continuing, “we had known each other for many years and had begun dating when I was 16. Some people weren't so keen on us being together because of the age gap but we didn't care what they thought. We were so in love. We were soul mates and little Lori was the icing on our cake. That's what we used to say,” she said.
    “Did he know about your... your 'abilities'?”
    She chuckled then and nodded, “Things were a little different back then. I didn't know I could change until I was eighteen and it wasn't because I was told. It was because it just happened one day. I was terrified. I didn't know what was happening to me. Luckily it happened while I was at home and my mother was visiting. Walter was out at the time and my mother had heard a commotion in my room. She walked in and I was no longer Rose the teenager. I was Rose the Canadian Lynx. You can imagine my shock when she began speaking to me softly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She calmed me down though and I soon changed back to my human form. It was while I was changing back that Walter came home.”
    “I bet that gave him the shock of his life,” I said and she nodded.
    “It was the only time I have ever seen a man faint,” she laughed. “When he eventually came to, he thought he'd had a strange dream but then he saw my ripped clothes and knew it hadn't been a dream at all. He took it surprisingly well. It was a shock to the both of us on the same day, and so we had to come to terms with it together.”
    “So he accepted that it was a part of who you are?” I asked eagerly, thinking that perhaps Oliver would do the same.
    “I was very lucky,” she nodded before slowly adding, “but his parents weren't killed by wildcats.”
    The excitement that had been building within me was ripped out of me and I slumped back in the chair, closing my eyes and fighting back the tears that threatened to break loose.
    “Lilly, Oliver and Ben have been through a lot over the years. They have had to come to terms with the fact that both their mother and father were killed by two wild mountain lions. If you told them now that you may well be an animal of the feline variety, they could see you as a huge threat. It's very risky,” she said gently. “You're still very young, Lilly. Oliver is your first boyfriend. Are you absolutely certain that he is the one? Because if he's not... and he finds out about this family, all hell could break loose. There are so many things you need to think about, to take into consideration. Ultimately though, it's up to you. We can't tell you what you should be doing with your life. That's for you to decide.”
    Of course I knew what she said was true and, although it hurt in the pit of my stomach, I had gone to Rose for a reason. I trusted her and so I knew I had to think long and hard about my decision.
    There was so much going on in my life and perhaps stringing Oliver along was the worst thing I could do. The problem was that my feelings for him were getting stronger. They were strengthened every time I saw him.
    But on the other hand, I had to think of him and I did know that he would undoubtedly be safer not knowing the truth. But how could he continue to be such a big part of my life and not know? I felt so confused.
    As I watched Rose continue to prune her beloved flowers, I couldn't help but think what a remarkable woman she was. She had been through so much, losing her true love and their daughter – and had never known what had happened to them – and yet she had remained clear-headed and, well, normal. She had continued to be a strong and loving woman in spite of it all.
    It was then that I