Chapter 39
Roan had woken up and was lying on something thin and unstable. When she rubbed her eyes and gathered where she was, she found herself in a tree. She gasped and it was enough to make her fall from her branch. She landed on the floor with a crash and she saw stars of black and white. When the dizzy feeling had gone, she sat up. She suddenly felt really sick and her head was splitting. She groaned and stood up. She tried to think about what had happened last night and then she remembered. It all came back to her. Then she realised something else.
"Hazel?" Roan called. "Hazel?" There was no reply so Roan shut her eyes and made a message in her head.
"Hazel, where are you?" She asked sending it out through telepathy.
"I don't know." Hazel's voice came back almost instantly. "I seem to be on a roof of some sort of house." She said. Roan bit her lip. She could be miles away by now.
"Look lets just go home Hazel. I'm tired and my head hurts." She said.
"Agreed. Meet you there." Hazel then shut off completely making Roan's head tingle. Roan clicked her fingers and appeared in the hall. Hazel appeared just after her and she looked at Roan.
"What happened to your head?" She asked Roan.
"What do you mean?"
Hazel took Roan over to a mirror on the wall and Roan had a lovely bruise forming on her head.
"Don't know." Roan said. She couldn't be bothered doing anything about it, so she just left it. It wasn't very big, but it wasn't helping with her headache.
Roan went upstairs and took a nice hot shower. The water rolled down her skin making her feel refreshed. The steam opened up her pores and she felt like she could breathe. She washed her hair thoroughly and got out. She dried herself and pulled on some clean clothes. She towel-dried her hair before leaving to go to her room. She bumped in Darren on the way out.
"You're back then? What happened to your head?" He asked.
"I don't even know. I have a lump on the back of my head from falling out of a tree, but I don't know about this one." She said pointing to the bruise.
"Why don't you...?"
"No I'm sick of that stuff. It stinks and I have used it non stop. This one can heal itself." She said.
"Ok. By the way Liam and Jake have something to tell you."
"It's not about sword fighting is it? Because I'm not helping them now." Roan said.
"No, heck, no! No it's about family." He said.
"Why do they need me then?"
"Just go." Darren said going into his own room. She pulled a face and quickly put some make-up on and went downstairs. She still had wet hair, but at least it was short and wasn't dripping down her back as much. She went into the living room and Hazel also appeared, unhappily. She still needed a shower, but she wanted the news first.
"Look, Ivy is coming to stay with us for a while."
"You don't mean...?" Hazel began. Jake nodded. Hazel shook her head not wanting to hear anymore and fled from the room in a strop. They all heard her race up the stairs and stamp along the corridor.
"Who's Ivy?" Roan asked.
"Our cousin and she's a right pain." Liam answered.
"She's definitely related to you then." Roan said going to the door.
"Roan please! I'm sorry about everything I did, please just forgive me!" Liam said as she placed her hand on the handle of the door. She turned round.
"Sorry just isn't enough Liam." She said. "If your cousin annoys, offends or hurts me, I'm leaving."
"No you can't!" Jake said. He then bit his tongue for speaking.
"Why?"
"We need you." He said.
"I highly doubt that." Roan said opening the door.
"It's true." Liam said. She just rolled her eyes and slammed the door behind her.
Everyone was in a bad mood that evening as they sat down for dinner. No one was talking and no one was hungry. Roan must've eaten five birds that night, so she was feeling sick. To make everyone's mood worse Lewis spoke up.
"Ivy is coming tomorrow." He said.
"What? But the letter said..." Jake said.
"Sorry, but it's been arranged. She's coming tomorrow."
"What's wrong with her anyway?" Roan asked.
"She is like her name." Liam answered.
"Poison Ivy." Hazel said with just as much hatred. "Her animal is a wasp. She is so irritating and spoilt. She thinks the world of Liam." Hazel teased.
"No she doesn't." Liam said going bright red.
"Everyone thinks the world of Liam until they realise he only thinks of himself." Roan said. Everyone stopped and looked at her, except for Liam who looked down.
"Roan aren't you taking this a little too far?" Jake asked her.
"No, I don't think so. If your dad had been taken from you and it was my fault would you be happy with me?" She asked.
"I would bow down to you." Hazel said. "Not like he cares for me anyway."
"That is out of order!" Lewis growled. "And stop making comments about my son. He did the right thing."
"And what's that? Be exactly like you? A traitor? A liar? Or maybe it's just that he isn't the boy I thought he was." Roan said getting up and zooming from the room.
"I need to do something to get her back on my side."
"Don't bother Liam, I have her tied round my little finger. You blew your chance as soon as you let her down. She wont forgive you. I wouldn't." Hazel said running after Roan.
"What can I do to get her back?" Liam asked Darren as he sat at the table by himself, hours after dinner.
"Something extreme. You have to make it up to her." Darren said taking a long gulp from his glass. The blue spirit swirled inside the glass like paint, splashing against the sides and moving freely. Liam was drinking warmed sheep's blood. It was what the wolf craved. He was going to need it, he just didn't think about what he was drinking. He sat for a moment in silence when Harold came back in.
"Harold how much experience have you had with women?" He asked.
"In my early years, a lot. Why?" Harold asked winking.
"If you upset one how would you have made it up to them?"
"Buy them something probably, or gone to the extreme to make it up to them, if I really wanted to that badly." He answered.
"Ok thanks." He said. Harold nodded and carried a couple of empty glasses into the kitchen. He was washing up in the kitchen when Hazel came and sat at the table in there.
"Can I have some Spirit Harold?" She asked. He looked round at her, used to her creeping up on him.
"Sure what do you want? Weakness, Teen or Adult."
"Adult, I'm not in the mood for the sweet taste of boys my age. Makes me feel like a vampire sometimes, just with their souls and not blood. I am a bird of prey though to be fair." She said.
"Very true." Harold said, opening a glass bottle, the lid pinged off and slid across the counter. "Want a glass?"
"Nah." She said. Harold handed it over and she sipped it.
"What's wrong with you then?" Harold asked.
"Just stuff. Don't want Ivy over tomorrow. She ain't going to like Roan, but I'm trying to persuade Roan to look a little more like a breathing spirit rather then an ordinary teen. Ivy is going to go ballistic about it."
"I'll talk to her." Harold offered.
"Thank you Harold, you are my hero."
"I know what would you do with out me?" He asked.
"Don't push it." She said. Harold smiled.
"She usually comes in here before she goes to bed, I'll speak to her then." He said. Hazel nodded and gulped down the last of her drink. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and licked her lips.
"Yummy." She said smiling.
"Right, be off with you I have things to do." Harold shooed her away and she left as he asked. He wasn't sure what he would say to Roan, but he thought it would just come out naturally. It usually did anyway.
Harold was right and Roan came down before she went to bed. It was about half eleven and Harold thought he might have to speak to her tomorrow, but she came down just in the nick of time.
"Your down late." He said. Sliding over a bottle of weakness. He also passed her a glass and she poured it in. she began to take big gulps as Harold began speaking.
"You know this Ivy girl?" He asked and she nodded. "I think it would be a good idea if you tried to wear red, green or black, like a breathing spirit would." He said.
"Why? Hazel was having a go at me about this as well." She moaned.
"Look Roan, she is a well respected high classed young lady. She will judge you and you wont like it. Even Liam and Jake try and make an effort, or they will just be judged. Let Hazel sort you tomorrow." He said. Roan thought about it.
"Fine." She said. Harold smiled and sat back in his chair. She got up, said goodnight and entered the hall before climbing up the stairs and going to her bedroom. As she passed Liam's door, it opened and he called her name as she went the push down the handle.
"Roan." He said. She looked round at him. She had no emotion on her face, she just looked lost. "About tomorrow..." He began.
"Save it, I've heard everything, just...go to bed." She said pushing on her door and walking inside. She closed the door and it clicked. Liam sighed and did as he was told and went straight to his pit. It was going to be hectic in the morning and everyone was dreading it.
When morning came Hazel lent Roan a green top to wear and she reluctantly put it on with her black jeans. She stared at herself in the mirror. She wore army boots to finish off her look. She did her make-up a little darker then usual and finished off with a red lipstick. She fluffed up her hair and sprayed loads of hairspray until she was gagging. She sprayed perfume all over herself and went down to breakfast.
"Wow Roan, that's a....new look." Jake said.
"I wouldn't usually wear this sort of thing. It's not my style." Roan said. Liam made no comment as he sat munching on his toast.
"No you look great." Jake reassured.
"Thank you." She nodded sitting down and starting her own breakfast. Harold was busy tidying and cleaning for the arrival of the guest. It was not going to go well with Ivy there and everyone knew it. Liam wondered if he could hibernate for two days, Roan thought she could disappear off somewhere and Jake and Hazel thought they might just punch her. It was a stupid idea and if someone was killed no one would blame anyone else.
Roan looked out of the window and a black car came up to the gates and they were let in straight away. She swallowed the lump in her throat and prepared herself. The girl then got out of the car and she was just as pretty as Hazel. She had blue/black hair obviously dyed and she was average sort of height. Her figure was fantastic and she had a slim waist and good legs. She was wearing a little green dress and a denim waist coat over the top. She tottered to the door in her black high heeled boots and Harold let her in, taking her suitcase off of her father.
"Thank you Harold." Uncle Derek said. Harold just nodded as Ivy greeted her cousins one by one. She had these amazing dark green eyes, which Roan only noticed when she came out into the hall. Ivy pounced on Liam and gave him a hug which Roan was uncomfortable with. She did the same for Jake.
"Hazel." She said holding out her arms. Hazel smiled a fake smile and gave her cousin a hug. "Liam, who is...this?" Ivy gestured to Roan.
"This is Roan, she has your normal room so you will be placed elsewhere..." Liam began.
"What! That is my room and I will stay that way." Ivy demanded. Roan decided she didn't like this girl and she wasn't going to.
"Sorry, but you will have to stay in another spare room." Jake said. Ivy rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Where did she come from anyway?"
"She's Liam's..." Hazel started and she wasn't sure how to finish it. "...friend." She went for. Roan shot her a look and Hazel just shrugged.
"Well Roan, it's a pleasure to meet you." Ivy said sarcastically.
"The pleasure is all mine." Roan smiled. Ivy nodded and rolled her eyes and she headed up the stairs. "What a little cow." Roan said. Jake and Hazel nodded.
"Yep." They said together.
"Are you sure she is blood related?"
"Yep." They answered again.
"Boy this is going to be a long couple of days." Roan sighed.