A Little Touch of Magic | The Callers #1

Chapter Eight

The house was massive. It took me the better part of that first day just to find my bedroom, never mind exploring the house properly. To his credit, Mr Ravencroft stayed out of my way, sitting inside a large room that looked like a library but was probably his study judging from the massive oak desk plonked in the middle of the room. I was tempted to stay and look through the hundreds of books - finding new stories was always a fun way to pass the time after all.

I didn't though. There was too much house to explore. Stories could wait for another day, probably a rainy one.

My room was like a dream. It was easily double the size of my old dorm room that I shared with Annie and the others. A large four poster bed was against one wall, an empty fireplace on the wall opposite. The wardrobe on the far side looked like it would lead me to Narnia and I almost ran over to check if it would. Throwing my small bags on the bed, I went to the full length window to see what views I would be enjoying.

The view was better than the one I'd had at the Home... but that was only because the windows were all too high there to see anything other than sky. Right outside the window was a large tree, its branches reaching out to almost touch the glass. I wonder if any birds will visit my window here, and what will happen to the birds back at the Home?

I couldn't see anyone else feeding the birds, but then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. They were a bit of a nuisance. I couldn't see a lot through the branches of the tree, but there did seem to be a small creek at the end of the garden. I definitely wanted to see that.

Turning to leave the room, I spotted a shadow moving quickly past my doorway. Was someone just watching me? I ran over to the door and stuck my head out, hoping to see whoever it was disappear. All I caught was another fast moving shadow at the end of the corridor.

Barely taking in the fancy decorations and expensive carpets as I rushed past them in my chase of the shadow, I wasn't really surprised when I ran into something solid as I turned a corner.

'And just where might you be off to in such a hurry, hm?'

I backed up as I looked into the curious face of the driver, Peter. I didn't answer him, just narrowed my eyes and turned back to go back to my room. I wasn't about to tell him I had been chasing a shadow, especially since it might have been him spying on me.

I knew I was being paranoid, but after the things that had gone on lately, I wasn't taking any chances. If Mr Ravencroft did know about my faerie friends, I wasn't about to let him know anything about me or them without finding out what he wanted from us first.

It wasn't exactly how I had always pictured my first afternoon in my forever home, but it was also more exciting than I'd pictured too. When I was safely tucked back in my new room, door firmly closed and a chair placed in front of it so I would know if someone tried to peek through the door, I sat in the centre of the plush bed and took a deep breath.

If there was ever a time I needed my friends, it was then. I had no idea what I was going to do.

'Oh Ilaina,' Papua said, placing her tiny hand on my finger. 'What have you gotten yourself into?'

'I don't know,' I whispered. 'Can you help me?'

'We only know so much,' she replied. 'We'll do what we can but please stay safe while we see what's going on.'

'Okay,' I said. 'I'm just not sure if I can trust my new father. He seems to expect something from me, and he knows about you too!'

Papua paused and glanced at the door. 'He knows about us? Are you sure?'

'Yes,' I replied. 'He gave Miss Haver a message to pass on and he mentioned faeries in it.'

'This is bad,' Papua said, taking a step away from me again.

'No, no don't leave me again,' I pleaded.

It was too late though, they were already gone. They didn't seem to be the playful sprites I had first encountered years ago. Something bad was going on and it was effecting them as well as me. I could only hope that it wouldn't cause them to abandon me completely.

***

I spent the first week in my new home mostly hidden away in my room. I came down for meals, answered politely any questions Mr Ravencroft asked, then dashed away as soon as I could. If it bothered him, he never said. I even heard him chuckle once as I skid around a corner in my haste to get away from him and up the stairs.

In need of a late night snack, I crept back down the stairs after dark. My bare feet padded lightly across the plush carpet and none of the stairs groaned against my weight as I went down step by slow agonizing step. I didn't want to wake anyone else up - although I wasn't sure if Peter stayed in the house and I'd never seen Mr Ravencroft awake any later than ten.

The clock in the hall chimed eleven as I snuck across the front hall into the kitchen. There were biscuits kept in a low cupboard and I grabbed a couple, replacing the tin and sneaking back into the hallway.

Then I heard the voices.

Instead of heading back up the stairs and into the safety of my bedroom, I stepped across the hallway until I was outside Mr Ravencroft's study.

'She'll be ready,' the old man was saying. 'I'm not going to rush her into things. Let her enjoy being an ordinary child for a few more days. If she hasn't come around to me by then, I'll push the matter more.'

'But we need to act now,' Peter's voice demanded. 'What if they come back?'

'They won't,' Mr Ravencroft said, sounding sure. 'They have plans of their own for now.'

Be ready? They? None of it sounded good.

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Hello! Thank you for reading this chapter of A Little Touch of Magic. I plan to update this story every Thursday so be sure to add it to your Reading List so you don't forget to check for updates! If you've enjoyed reading this story, please do take a moment to vote and comment and I'll make sure to respond to any comments received.

Thank you so much again for reading. I hope you have a lovely day :)

-Heather