C H A P T E R E I G H T E E N

            Walking back into the destroyed house, Lila felt a sense of familiarity. She noticed that nothing has changed. The house was frozen in time, nothing changed, nothing moved; everything stayed exactly the same. Not even the shards of glass on the floor moved.

            “This is where Evangeline wants to talk to us?” Logan asked distastefully. Lila just rolled her eyes.

            “Don't judge a book by the covers – hey! Don't touch that!” Lila scolded Logan. She didn't want to disturb the house, it felt wrong to do that. As she was tiptoeing around the scattered remains on the floor, she couldn't help but glance above the staircase into the darkened corridors of the upper part of the house. She shivered; something horrible happened up there. She could feel it.

            Guiding Logan into the broken office, she noticed that somehow it had become fixed. Like when she'd first visited. It creeped Lila out; how could that happen? She knew werewolves existed but she still didn't believe in magic. The only difference she noticed was that there was a bigger object in the room, she guessed it was a mirror but it was covered up so she couldn't tell.

            “Ready?” Evangeline asked Lila.

            As ready as I'll ever be. Lila strolled over to the desk and took a chair, dragging it over to the clothed item. She did the same with the other chair before motioning to Logan to park his butt on the chair. As soon as he did, Lila walked over to the cloth and fingered the fabric. It was soft and Lila was going to do what they did in the films; unveil the mysterious object with drama.

            “I'm just going to warn you it's uh, surprising what you might see.” Lila warned. It had been a real shock to her, so she'd have no idea how Logan would react. Taking a deep breath in, she pulled the cloth of quickly and coughed when dust flew into the air.

            “Could have warned me there's dust.” Lila spoke into the mirror, knowing what was already being reflected.

            “Oh, I'm so sorry!” She heard Evangeline say sarcastically. Lila turned to see Logan's face riddled with shock.

            Lila walked to the chair and slumped down, staring into the mirror. It was odd seeing Evangeline again. Her white hair shone even whiter and her eyes were still jet black. However she was wearing the exact same clothes as Lila was and Lila couldn't help but think that they didn't suit Evangeline; she needed something more elegant.

            Looking at the position in the mirror where Logan was supposed to appear, was Callum Montgomery. Evangeline's lover. Lila looked at his appearance; he seemed to be the complete opposite from Evangeline. His hair was completely black, like the night sky and his eyes were pure white. Whiter than snow; like Lila's wolf was. He, like Evangeline, was in the same as Logan was.

            “So, Evangeline.” Lila started. She didn't fancy being in the house, not with that brooding feeling which was clouding over her. That... thing that was upstairs, that feeling she felt, made her uncomfortable. “Would you like to begin?”

            Evangeline nodded and looked to Callum who huffed, like a child who couldn't get his way. “I don't agree with this at all...”

            “No one is asking you to. Now tell them.” Evangeline snapped. Lila hoped that she wouldn't be like Evangeline, snapping at Logan when it was clearly her idea which put them in the position in the first place.

            “You don't have to be so rude.” It seemed that Callum was unaffected by Evangeline's attitude and harshness towards him. “Evangeline has brought you here so I can explain your 'extra sense' and some other minor details.

            “You two, are both guardians. I know you already know this. You have your normal, extra heightened senses: hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and seeing. Because you are guardians, your body heightens your gut sense.” Lila looked confused and when she looked over to Logan, his once frozen face turned into a similar expression as Lila's. “What I mean is that sense you get when something doesn't feel right, is heightened. It's a useful sense when you need it.” Callum explained.

            “Lila, you've felt it.” Evangeline added and Lila nodded. She looked over to Logan who seemed slightly overwhelmed. She took his hand and squeezed and he gave her a reassuring smile.

            “Y-Yeah.” She turned her attention back to the mirror. “What is upstairs?”

            “We'll save that for another time. Anyway,” Callum interrupted, “you both need to be able to tune this extra sense, as it is, because it will be useful when you find the stone.”

            “What's so important about this stone? Stones can't do anything.” Logan asked.

            “Wow. We really picked opposites to ourselves.” Callum muttered and looked down when Evangeline shot him a look.

            “Shut it, Callum. Anyway, the stone is important because it-” Evangeline started before Callum interrupted her.

            “It's just important.” Callum looked at Evangeline who then huffed. It was clear that Evangeline liked to be in control. “All you need to know is that it's important.”

            “And this is only going to be for a few days? I don't want to spend the rest of my life guarding some stone.” Lila squeezed Logan's hand to stop him from being rude.

            “It's lifelong.” Evangeline told them with a slightly sympathetic tone. “Although it shouldn't take up a big part of your life if you hide the stone well.” Silence greeted all four of them. No one knew what to say.

            “So...” Lila started, wrapping her head around all the information she was given. “If we hide this stone really well, then we don't have to bother with it anymore?”

            “In a sense, yes.” Callum answered.

            “So where is this stone then?” It seemed as if Logan was asking all the questions to get this 'job' (as it were) out of the way. Lila frowned; she wanted to know about their lives and what caused their downfall. She didn't want to make the same mistakes.

            “I would tell you where it is but I'm not allowed.” Evangeline sulked. “What I can tell you is that it's right under your noses.” Lila frowned, so that meant that the stone was somewhere in the town? That didn't help at all, there were over a million places where the previous guardians could have hidden the stone...

            Lila then remembered; Evangeline said she couldn't mention certain things in fear of history repeating itself. “How did the previous guardians die?” She asked, curious. She didn't want to end up like them. She did want to live, get married, have kids... She wanted to experience the world!

            “The League.” Evangeline spat out, the words leaving a disgusted feeling on her tongue. 'The League' – a name that Lila had heard once before from the mouth of the vicious Augustus. It, again, almost triggered a memory but it didn't.

            “Before you ask, The League is a group of... well, it's unknown what it's a group of. No one can tell. They've been around before we were even born. What they do? No one knows, but it's horrifying.” Callum gulped before carrying on. “If you are being hunted by The League, you are doomed.” Lila felt fear seep into her skin. She was being hunted. By The League.

            Logan seemed to realise that Lila became scared and squeezed her hand before crouching in front of her. He took her face in his hands and forced Lila to look at him.

            “It will be okay, no one is going to touch you. No one.” Logan told Lila with determination and she nodded. She was still in shock from that bit of news. She stiffly nodded when she gained some control of her body. “Just... Think of something happy. Close your eyes and imagine a happy memory.”

            Lila did as Logan told her to. She closed her eyes and thought back to when Papi was alive. How he'd always cheer her up; he'd always tell her how he survived his younger days. How she shouldn't be frowning so much... Her mind went back to a few days after Papi had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and he only had a few days left to live.

~ * ~

            Lila and Justin walked hand-in-hand to the hospital room where Papi had been kept. They hadn't been wanting to face the hospital; it made everything real. It meant that they couldn't pretend that Papi would live to see them get married, they couldn't pretend that they didn't have to say good-bye. No, as soon as they stepped in the hospital, they couldn't live in their make believe world any more. They had to face reality.

            Stepping into the hospital room, they could hear the heart machine beeping and they could smell disinfectant. They scrunched up their nose at the overwhelming smell – it was everywhere. Due to their heightened senses, it filled their noses and they could pinpoint where the disinfectant was.

            “Twins.” Papi croaked from the bed. He was starting to look even more pale than usual. Lila and Justin separated to sit on either side of Papi, Mamaw wasn't here because she had to sort out Papi's things; what was in his will and what-not. They each took the hand which was lying at their side.

            “Hello, Papi.” They both greeted in unison.

            “Have you both caught up, yet?” Lila could tell that Papi was trying to keep the tension at bay and act like he had just had a bad cough. Not an illness which would take him from their small family very soon.

            “Yes, Papi. I told Justin about the boarding school.” Lila smiled at Papi. She'd flown back from Manchester to see Papi. She wasn't going to miss any days with him. Thankfully, it was the half term so she could spend the whole week here.

            “She mentioned that she set the fire alarm by causing a fire in the girl's toilets!” Justin told Papi and Lila's jaw dropped. That was so not true!

            “Lies! I did not!” She protested.

            “You totally did! The science ones!” Justin started to laugh at Lila's reaction.

            “Papi, I did not! I would never commit vandalism!” Lila told Papi, even though she knew that he knew it was false.

            “Are you sure, Lila? It's always the quiet ones who are the worst.” Papi looked at Lila seriously and she groaned whilst Justin was bending over on the chair from laughing too hard.

            “You guys are so mean.” Lila pretended to sulk as she sat back.

            “Aw, Li, it's alright. You know we love you really.” Justin started to sober up and wiped tears from his eyes. Lila couldn't believe Justin!

            “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” She mumbled, a small smile appearing on her face even though she didn't want it to be. They sat in the room talking for a while about meaningless things: what they were having for dinner, how Justin Bieber had such a high voice, who should be number one on the charts, why Donkey Kong was a better driver on Mario Kart than Bowser... Things that meant nothing. Things that kept their mind off the situation.

            Mamaw came in later with some flowers.

            “Hello, Mamaw.” The twins greeted her in unison; just like they had with Papi. It was the one thing that freaked everyone out, even more than when they finished each other's sentences.

            “Evening, darling.” Papi coughed out.

            “Hello everyone!” Mamaw cheerfully greeted them all and trotted over to the spare seat as Lila had gotten out of the seat for Mamaw to sit in; she was now perched on the arm of the chair. Mamaw thanked Lila as she sunk into the chair. “Have the doctors got any news?”

            “No. Not today.” Papi replied before turning to Justin and motioning for him to come closer so that he could whisper in his ear. As soon as Papi and Justin had finished their secret moment, Justin looked in the cupboards for something. Mamaw looked puzzled at their behaviour. It was soon revealed when Justin handed Mamaw a bright red gem which sparkled in the light. It seemed that even Justin didn't know what it was.

            “I probably won't be here for very long, so I want you to take this. I found it on my travels and I want you all to have it. In memory of me. Keep it safe.” Papi told the three of them and they all nodded whilst Mamaw cradled the glittering jewel with her shaky hands.

~ * ~

            Lila suddenly knew where the stone was. She pecked Logan on the lips as a thank you, for both calming her and for helping her find the stone... Well, half find the stone – at least they knew where about it was now. Now came the harder job of finding it, who knew where Mamaw hid it?

            “I know where the stone is.”

-------------

Picture of the Painite stone on the side!

Just going to mention that this is based in England & I made up 'Lockhart' (the town where this book is set).  Lockhart is in the southwest of England and the boarding school (place I made up; the name is probably real though) is in Manchester.  Thought I'd just mention that...

Um yeah!  Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! (Don't forget to check out Amor Immortalis, if you haven't)! x