"Wait, I could be wrong..." Andrew frowned. His finger was following the old smudged writing in the frail book.
Lily's heart stopped as she was focused on what Andrew just said. What was in that book? Did he actually know? Or was he trying to pull her strings again? She took a hesitant step forward, silence locked around her throat.
Jack jumped in front of her. "What!" She yelled. "You can't just say you know what she is and then back track, dude!"
Andrew grabbed his hair, then the book, too filled with excitement to keep still. "I know! I know! Just, hang on a minute!"
"We've been hanging on for what feels like forever, Lily's been asking this question for her entire life. If you have an answer then say it!" Jack snapped. Ryan subtly stood between the witch and his alpha.
Lily was still too shocked to even speak. She was just staring at Andrew, at his old book, and her heart was racing a million miles a minute. If he was wrong, she was going to scream.
"What..." Lily gulped, clearing her throat from the lump stuck inside. "What am I?"
"Wait." Andrew held up a finger, his eyes darting across the page. "Okay I have an idea on what you are."
Jack threw her hands up, rings sparking. The plant resting on a bookshelf flared its petals as her magic bounced off her jewels. "Oh for Pete's sake!"
Ryan stepped forward. "That's a summary page, right 'Drew?"
Lily's heart was hammering so loudly in her chest she was getting dizzy. She held onto the chair as she sat back down, trying to get her breathing under control.
Andrew nodded. "This...it doesn't say what you are, but what qualities you might have, if I'm right."
"What does it say?" Ryan asked, peering over his shoulder. Most of his attention was still on Lily, who had her eyes shut and was breathing deeply.
"I can't read the writing," Andrew admitted. "It's my grandfather's scruffy writing."
"Give it here." Jack moved to stand behind the desk with Andrew and Ryan, her sharp eyes making out the faded cursive. "It's a diary entry."
Ryan blinked. "This is his Alpha's log?"
Andrew shrugged. "Must be."
"You guys have a log?" Jack squinted, sceptical.
"Some Alphas choose to, for the future alphas to read and learn, or for pack history." Andrew explained, running a hand through his dark curls. "My father had one too, somewhere in this hoard of books."
The fuzz in Lily's head died as she focused on his words. If the alphas kept records like that, they would out-date the school library. They might have a clue on what she is. Andrew might be right - this could hold the answers she's been searching for.
"What does it say?" Lily said quietly. She turned and stared Andrew down. "What did your grandfather say that made you think of me?"
Andrew stared at her, assessing her, before motioning for Jack to read. The witch gently brushed the page with her fingers and began reading the old alpha's journal. Silence enveloped the room as she mouthed the written text, focusing on getting to the important details for Lily.
"Oh yuck!" Jack scrunched up her face.
"What is it?" Ryan asked, leaning forward.
"It's a love letter." Jack gagged. Lily sat on the edge of her seat as Ryan hung his head. Andrew smirked.
"Some girls find that kind of thing romantic, you know." Andrew teased.
Jack rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm a rarity. I prefer blunt honesty over flimsy words."
Ryan lifted his head back up as she peered over the book again. "Any word could help Lily out so why don't you read the whole thing?" He sighed, glaring at the witch. As she grumbled about how torture was illegal, Ryan peered over again at Lily. She was hiding her face behind her long red hair, fiddling with her fingers. He wondered whether she was the type to enjoy a love letter, or blunt honesty, before he shoved that thought to the back of his head.
Jack leaned a little over Andrew to get a better look at the page. Licking her lips, she began reading.
"I met an angel today." Jack paused, raising an eyebrow. She scoffed at the term but continued on.
"We were on another patrol on the outskirts of our western borders when we spotted some rogues chasing a woman. We followed the rogues, ready to attack, before we reached a muddy clearing still pooled with rain."
Lily cocked her head to the side, hooked on every word. It was eerily similar to how she'd encountered Alice last week.
"The rainstorm from the night before had created a mudslide flowing off the field to the river beneath. The rogues were slipping, their claws couldn't find grip, but the woman ran on with feet sturdier than mountains. Her scent wafted to my nose - I cannot describe it, only that it was the same as the water beneath her feet, the storm that was brewing on the horizon. Charged but radiant. A wild nature bottled beneath the skin of this woman. Her power was greater than my own as alpha.
"The mud ran the rogues off the field into the stream but the woman remained still in the slippery wet. She saw us, saw me, and how I loved her immediately. She was no creature I'd seen before, smelled before. She was a rare jewel I had uncovered in this spontaneous run.
"She blew a kiss and ran off the mudslide. Despite all my best efforts, those of myself and my patrol, we could not find her again. All we smelled was the fresh rain on the ground."
Jack frowned. "This is a later entry, dated 50 years later? Does the year 2004 mean anything to you Andrew?"
Andrew stilled. "That's the year my grandfather died."
Jack didn't have a response to that but slowly read on. "I never saw the woman again in all my years after this but it is the one day I remember the most. I am ashamed to say it was the best moment of my life setting my eyes on the woman. She had hair like the rare blood moon and eyes the colour of the brightest stars, but her smile was dangerous. If you, my son or grandson, see this woman I can only offer you one piece of advice."
Jack lifted her head, locking her eyes with Lily. "Run." She finished reading.
Lily was quiet as she sat on her chair. The others were staring at her as the old alpha's words rung in their ears. A headache pulsed in her temples. She rubbed them gently as she stared back at Andrew.
"What makes you think that this woman's the same as me?" She asked.
Andrew pointed at one of the paragraphs. "When Ryan mentioned your eyes shifted to a silver or grey. I've read this book a hundred times when I was young, and his description reminded me of the woman."
Jack gestured between the book and Lily. "Both have red hair? But that's not much to go off."
"Eyes like the brightest stars though." Andrew stared at her. "It's why I grabbed your arm before, to see if under 'threat' like the woman was, your eyes were the same as hers. I had to see if I was right."
Lily didn't trust her knees not to give out if she stood, so she just gripped the chair tightly. "This was over fifty years ago though." Her voice cracked. "We'll never find her, even if she's still alive."
Ryan pointed at the book as he moved away. "He said the western border?"
Andrew frowned. "Yeah, but the territory's grown since. We've grown northwards but our western border's less than it was in those days."
Ryan spun around a bookshelf, heading to another row. Lily couldn't help but wonder how much of his life was spent looking at these books, at the lives of the old alphas. What she'd give to have a day in here reading their stories, what secrets they kept hidden away for her to discover.
She heard Ryan move something around, the rustle of papers plagued their ears. He finally emerged holding a large roll of paper with a tag hanging off the corner. He unrolled it on the desk. Lily got up off the chair, her knees wobbling slightly, as the four of them looked at the map that was staring at them.
It was older than they were, at least. Lily frowned as she looked at the time stamp on the tag. "From fifty years ago?" She said.
Ryan nodded, smiling softly at her. "It's the pack's borders the time of that entry."
Jack raised a brow, unimpressed. "Why did the pack border look like a pear?"
Ryan glared at her. "If Andrew's grandfather mentioned the west border, he would have been here when he saw that woman." He pointed to the bottom curve of the 'pear', at the forest that separated their town from the town on the other side, almost a couple of hours away and lining the beaches.
"That's a lot of area to cover." Andrew mused. "And that's even thinking she's alive and living in the forest."
Jack shook her head. "We often go into the forest for Witch Ag, I'm telling you the only things in that forest are animals. There's no people in there."
"And you'd know that just by standing in it, would you?" Ryan sneered.
Jack narrowed her eyes. "When you have a class of thirty witches and a teacher like Mrs Khan, she makes sure the forest is clear of humans before we practice. I'm telling you, there's no one living there."
Lily pursed her lips as she looked over that forest. It was too large to search, even if Jack was right. There was no chance of finding the woman who was apparently so much like her.
Her eyes skimmed over the town on the other side of the forest and her heart stopped, staring at the name.
Marlin's Bay.
Her headache slammed into her and she turned away from the table, the other three bickering about the forest unaware that panic was ricocheting in her belly. She pressed her hands to her temples to try and calm herself down but she couldn't stop the onslaught that was beginning in her head.
Memories flooded her vision. Her parent's happy faces, her sister Rio's cocky smile and Delta's calming singing voice. Lily's memories of her family blurred in her mind as they rolled aside to see the views and places they had all been made.
Marlin's Bay.
It was the town she grew up in with her parents and sisters. Lily jolted as she remembered the other member of the family who often visited. Her mother described her as a traveler, a daredevil and an adrenaline addict. She'd fly into their lives with a smile of adventure and a light in her eyes Lily always thought was magical. Lily's memories of her were when she had dark, brownish red hair streaked with grey that Lily often spent hours trying to count when she told her stories to the three Morgan sisters.
Lily turned as they stared at the map, contemplating the forest the old alpha spoke of, but Lily knew who that woman was - and they'd never find her.
In all the years Lily had known her grandmother, she never left anything behind to give away where she went. She was a living, breathing, river of adventure.
"Did it ever mention a name?" She said, and then repeated when they didn't hear her the first time.
Jack frowned, rereading the page. "No, he only called her an angel, or saying she had red hair and bright eyes."
"And a dangerous smile." Lily finished.
Ryan frowned, reading her body before Lily could hide her thoughts. "You know the woman?"
Lily shook her head, a pointed look at Andrew. "I have an idea on who she is."
Jack smirked. "Oh do you?"
"I need to ask my aunt, though." Lily went for her bag. "If I'm right, looking in the forest would be pointless."
"Oh really?" Jack crossed her arms, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "Do tell."
Lily smiled playfully. "Not until I'm right, wouldn't want to get it wrong and get your hopes up."
Jack laughed and grabbed her bag. Andrew had a deep scowl on his face, hearing the dig they were taking on him. "Hey, I helped!"
"Oh yes Andrew. You discovered Lily was an unknown supernatural creature. No one knew that before. Well done." Jack exaggerated a bow. "Gold star for you!"
Andrew snarled, eyes lighting up in challenge. "How about a kiss instead, little witch?"
Jack's sharp green gaze narrowed but the edges of her mouth turned up. "How about you kiss my arse!" She retorted, opening the door and leaving, waiting for Lily in the hallway.
Lily herself paused before leaving, turning to Andrew and Ryan. "Is it okay if I come over tomorrow? I'd like to spend some time with Alice, and if it's okay, look through your library too. It may have something we've missed."
Andrew's frown eased but Ryan spoke up before the alpha could answer. "Of course. We'll be here from breakfast, if you want to join us?"
Lily smiled. "Thank you. I'll arrive a little after though. See you tomorrow."
As Lily left the office, Andrew turned to Ryan with a pointed look. "Since when are you giving orders on who can go into my office?" His smile said he was joking but the glare in his eyes was deathly serious.
Ryan dipped his chin a little. "You would have answered the same."
Andrew slapped his shoulder. "I wouldn't have asked her to breakfast like that - why don't you take her actually out?"
Ryan scoffed. "Nah I don't like her like that."
"Oh yeah? And pigs fly dude." Andrew rolled the old map back up. "If you need advice with girls just say so."
"Like I need advice from someone who says, 'how about a kiss instead'?" Ryan laughed. "Who even says stuff like that?"
Andrew had the sense to blush. "I never said that."
"Oh really?"
"No one will believe you." Andrew walked away from the desk, from Ryan's laughter, to put the map away.
Ryan's laughter died down as he stared at the old alpha's entry. The love letter, as Jack called it. That pestering thought came back from the depths of his mind, gently swimming in his head. He let it sit there for a while, thinking it over, before he shut the book, dust flying between the pages.
He'd think about that later. What mattered now was Yuric's band of rogues and Lily's safety.
Definitely wasn't wise to be distracted by love letters to a red-haired girl with eyes that glowed like stars and a smile, not dangerous like her punches, but refreshing and always seemed to drown Ryan's focus.
~
Let me know what you think, as always.
Libby x