The Lost Soul

Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 

"I am so very sorry to learn of your daughter's fate, Mrs Dickson. Please accept my condolences." 

Mrs Dickson shook the woman's outstretched hand with one hand and nodded as she wiped her eyes with a silk handkerchief with the other. 

Lilly watched her as the beautiful woman then walked into Mr and Mrs Dickson's house where they were holding a wake for their only daughter. She was the woman from the funeral. Lilly became even more intrigued now she knew Mrs Dickson didn't know her at all. 

The woman spoke to no-one, ate nothing and drank nothing. She merely hung around and watched the people as they mingled and talked to one another. 

"Have you noticed something strange, Lilly?" whispered December. 

"What's that?" 

"Look at all the men in here." 

Lilly did as she was told and turned to look at them all. 

"They're all staring at the mystery woman. So, she's beautiful. What's so strange about that?" 

"Really look at them, Lilly. Look at their eyes." 

It was then that she knew December had a point. The men looked like they were under a spell. The only ones free of the spell were Chris and Walter - the only vampires in the room and Zoltan, a werewolf. Even Oliver was blatantly ogling the young woman, which really irritated Lilly. 

"That woman is not all she's cracked up to be," she whispered. 

December nodded and pulled her friend outside. 

"Maybe she's a witch?" 

"She's not a witch," replied December. 

"How do you know that?" 

"I don't know... I just do. Maybe we should get the others together and go home?" 

"Definitely. I'll go get Oliver and Chris and the rest of my family. You go and get Moira, Millicent and Monty." 

The two girls split up, both going back inside the house but in different directions. 

"Oliver, it's time to go home," 

"Huh?" 

She tugged at his sleeve but he would not take his eyes off the woman. She tugged again, but nothing. 

"Oliver!" she said louder, "I'm tired. Can you please take me home?" she said through gritted teeth. 

When he ignored her for the third time, she tugged his sleeve so hard he spilled his drink down his white shirt, breaking the apparent spell. 

"Huh? Sorry, what did you say? Oh no, my shirt. Sorry Lilly, what did you want?" 

Lilly rolled her eyes at him and then noticed all the men had returned to normal. Looking around, she couldn't see the woman anywhere.

# 

"Hi Jemima. How are you feeling?" asked Lilly after they journeyed to the Elders a couple of days later. 

"Like hell," she answered, "but it's really good to see you," she continued, standing to give her former school friend a long hug. 

"I'm so sorry about... everything that's happened. You don't deserve this." 

"Does anybody?" she asked almost bitterly. 

"You'd be surprised how many paranormals there are, you know. Once they've come to terms with it, they tend to cope okay with it. I'm just sorry about, you know, your family and your friends."