concerned too. She knew he wanted to talk, but maybe if she just gave out the friend vibe, he'd realise they didn't need that talk after all.
"So, as far as we can tell, this ... this thing can take on different forms. When it attacked me, it looked like a panther, yet when it attacked Ems, it disguised itself as a sheep. But when we were both there together, it started out as a panther. Then, when Ems hurt it, it turned into ..." Matt looked at Emma, his hand on her thigh.
"It was just bones," Emma said. "Bones, dripping in this green liquid. And the smell, oh!"
"But it's not just the attacks. The visions that Ems had ..." Matt gave her a goofy grin, which made Jess smile. "I think her visions helped us get together. We certainly wouldn't have met so soon if she hadn't come to the museum that day. But they also helped us to find you, James. It's like two sides of the same puzzle. The visions are trying to help us, while this monster is trying to stop us. I think."
"Help us or stop us from doing what , exactly?" James asked, leaning forward in his chair towards Matt.
"That's the bit I'm not exactly sure on."
James turned to look at Jess, and she fidgeted under his gaze. "And what about you?"
"What about me?" Jess said, as Emma gently nudged her shoulder. Jess leaned forward and glared at Matt. "I haven't been attacked, and neither has anyone else since you two tried to kill it. My visions, if that's what you want to call them, didn't lead us to James. They haven't got me back together with Miles or with ..." She glanced at Rob. His jaw was clenched, the muscle above it ticking as his lips pressed together in a thin line. She looked back at James instead and added, "Or with anybody else."
"Maybe it's just too soon," Emma said, patting Jess's leg. "Mine changed over time, like yours are, from being chased in Altenbury Hall to being in the fields."
Jess didn't reply. She didn't know what to say.
"You might be right, Ems, but I think the cemetery has something to do with it too. There's a Roman theme to the visions. Well, Emma's at least," Matt said, when Jess turned to glare at him again. "But I had my first vision there, about Gran. We found James in the vault—"
"And my first vision, when I moved back, was about the oak tree there," Emma almost shouted.
James ran his finger along the bridge of his nose, his lips pulled up to one side. "I did some research on the head in the oak tree, but couldn't find much. It just appeared one day, but apparently it's supposed to keep ghosts away or something like that. I remember giving up on it because I thought it was a waste of time, just old ghost stories."
"Oh," Emma said, as she slumped in disappointment. "I wonder why it was in my vision then."
"Maybe because it's related to our family?" James replied.
"Yeah, that would make sense, I guess."
"Look, the way I see it, we need to know what we're dealing with."
"If we're still dealing with anything. Who says it's not all over now?" Jess said, looking from Matt to James.
But it was Emma who answered. "Because, while we might have hurt it, we didn't kill it. And as much as I'd love it to be true, I don't think it just wanted to scare us with a few attacks. And don't forget it also attacked your gran."
"What?" James asked.
"My vision was of Gran. She had the same raised, red marks on her skin," Matt said. "We found her diaries and letters, where she mentioned being attacked several times, and it killed her friend."
Jess didn't want to admit it, but Emma was right. This thing was back, and whatever its plan was, it definitely had one.
And she feared it was only just beginning.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rob listened to the four of them calmly discuss some unnamed monster and couldn't believe he hadn't known about this sooner. He'd known Matt was worried about his brother, but he hadn't really believed anything had happened to him. But now, listening to what they knew, Rob realised James was lucky to be sitting there. With
"So, as far as we can tell, this ... this thing can take on different forms. When it attacked me, it looked like a panther, yet when it attacked Ems, it disguised itself as a sheep. But when we were both there together, it started out as a panther. Then, when Ems hurt it, it turned into ..." Matt looked at Emma, his hand on her thigh.
"It was just bones," Emma said. "Bones, dripping in this green liquid. And the smell, oh!"
"But it's not just the attacks. The visions that Ems had ..." Matt gave her a goofy grin, which made Jess smile. "I think her visions helped us get together. We certainly wouldn't have met so soon if she hadn't come to the museum that day. But they also helped us to find you, James. It's like two sides of the same puzzle. The visions are trying to help us, while this monster is trying to stop us. I think."
"Help us or stop us from doing what , exactly?" James asked, leaning forward in his chair towards Matt.
"That's the bit I'm not exactly sure on."
James turned to look at Jess, and she fidgeted under his gaze. "And what about you?"
"What about me?" Jess said, as Emma gently nudged her shoulder. Jess leaned forward and glared at Matt. "I haven't been attacked, and neither has anyone else since you two tried to kill it. My visions, if that's what you want to call them, didn't lead us to James. They haven't got me back together with Miles or with ..." She glanced at Rob. His jaw was clenched, the muscle above it ticking as his lips pressed together in a thin line. She looked back at James instead and added, "Or with anybody else."
"Maybe it's just too soon," Emma said, patting Jess's leg. "Mine changed over time, like yours are, from being chased in Altenbury Hall to being in the fields."
Jess didn't reply. She didn't know what to say.
"You might be right, Ems, but I think the cemetery has something to do with it too. There's a Roman theme to the visions. Well, Emma's at least," Matt said, when Jess turned to glare at him again. "But I had my first vision there, about Gran. We found James in the vault—"
"And my first vision, when I moved back, was about the oak tree there," Emma almost shouted.
James ran his finger along the bridge of his nose, his lips pulled up to one side. "I did some research on the head in the oak tree, but couldn't find much. It just appeared one day, but apparently it's supposed to keep ghosts away or something like that. I remember giving up on it because I thought it was a waste of time, just old ghost stories."
"Oh," Emma said, as she slumped in disappointment. "I wonder why it was in my vision then."
"Maybe because it's related to our family?" James replied.
"Yeah, that would make sense, I guess."
"Look, the way I see it, we need to know what we're dealing with."
"If we're still dealing with anything. Who says it's not all over now?" Jess said, looking from Matt to James.
But it was Emma who answered. "Because, while we might have hurt it, we didn't kill it. And as much as I'd love it to be true, I don't think it just wanted to scare us with a few attacks. And don't forget it also attacked your gran."
"What?" James asked.
"My vision was of Gran. She had the same raised, red marks on her skin," Matt said. "We found her diaries and letters, where she mentioned being attacked several times, and it killed her friend."
Jess didn't want to admit it, but Emma was right. This thing was back, and whatever its plan was, it definitely had one.
And she feared it was only just beginning.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rob listened to the four of them calmly discuss some unnamed monster and couldn't believe he hadn't known about this sooner. He'd known Matt was worried about his brother, but he hadn't really believed anything had happened to him. But now, listening to what they knew, Rob realised James was lucky to be sitting there. With
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