Raven by Suzy Turner

and then I ran away.
If I'm lucky, I thought, perhaps everybody would just think it's
too much for me to cope with. All those people. Yes, it is a lot to
deal with in such a short amount of time.
    Before I
knew it, I had run to the edge of the tall dark trees. The forest
Gabriel had told me not to enter. I turned briefly to see if anyone
had noticed. I appeared to be alone. What the hell? I thought. What
have I got to lose? So I walked beyond the trees as I zipped up my
coat and put on my warm gloves.
    Adrenaline coursed through my
body, just as it had when I'd chopped off all my lovely long hair
and bleached it. It was the first time I had gone against someone's
wishes. Although I did feel guilty, I couldn't shake the fact that
I was being kept in the dark about something important and it
wasn't fair. It was my life and I deserved to know. And so I felt
free taking those steps into the unknown. If they won't tell me what I have a
right to know, then I won't go along with their wishes, I
thought.
    I
started to walk a little faster, breaking out into a run and as I
approached each tree the branches seemed to welcome me in. As my
breathing quickened, my face began to become gently scratched by
the foliage around me.
    I
stopped to catch my breath and to look around. I was surrounded by
beautiful tall green trees and wide thick tree trunks but no
footpath. What did drift into my ears though, was the sound of
trickling water. I strained to hear where it was coming from and
followed the gentle, soothing sounds.
    Moments
later, the trees gave way to a large open expanse and I stood
beside a gently flowing river. The water was crystal clear and
revealed pebbles and stones of all shapes and sizes laying on its
bed. I sat on a huge smooth boulder and enjoyed the moment, leaning
backwards so that I was flat on my back. I looked up into the blue
sky and noticed some dark clouds rolling in, but I didn't care. In
fact, for the first time in a long time, I didn't give a
damn.
    The
sounds of the forest and the water beside me gently lulled me and
so I closed my eyes, feeling restful, wondering why on earth my
grand-father had tried to stop me from walking into the forest.
There was nothing but beauty and peace. I felt myself slowly
dropping off to sleep and even though my fingers and toes tingled
in the cold, I drifted and drifted until sleep overcame
me.
     
    A woman dressed in white appears from nowhere in front of me.
She is very pretty with long black hair down her back. Her smile
lights up her face and she sits by my side. She says nothing while
we sit in silence. Suddenly she lifts her arm and a raven lands on
her hand. She looks at me and nods. She's trying to tell me
something. I try to ask her what it is but nothing comes out of my
mouth. I try to speak again but there are no words. I begin to feel
a little frustrated. Why can't I speak? Suddenly the woman
disappears and a large cat is sitting by my side, with the raven
perched on its back. It opens its beak, “Lilly... Lilly,” it says.
I'm frightened. The raven speaks? “Lilly... Lilly.” It becomes
louder and louder and suddenly it is shaking me.
     

CHAPTER TEN
     
    “ Lilly!”
    I woke
up and noticed Jo standing beside me, gently nudging me and calling
my name, “Lilly, wake up.”
    “ You
had me worried for a little while, then,” she said. “I saw you
lying here and, well, I didn't really know what to
think.”
    “ Sorry... I just had to get out of the house and I guess I
was much more exhausted than I thought. The sound of the water
must've sent me to sleep,” I answered guiltily with a
yawn.
    “ How
you can sleep in this cold, I've no idea,” she laughed, “You know,
Gabriel would be so disappointed to know that you came here... but
don't worry, I won't tell him. After all, I come walking in the
forest all the time and I know he'd go nuts at me too,” she added
with a guilty giggle.
    A
feeling of relief flooded through my veins. Earlier, I had been
intent on