Lottie’s pov
I heard a loud high pitched screams and I raced off in the direction of them. Vera! My heart plummeted. I couldn’t run fast enough. Suddenly the screech stopped. As if the air had suddenly been sucked out of her. I pushed myself faster, smelling the air to find my daughter.
“VERA!” I shrieked. I got to her room but there was no sign of her. I knew by the silence that she was gone. I dropped to my knees digging my fingers into the floor, trying desperately to get a grasp on reality but I felt that I was just too late to save her. An agonised cry ripped from my throat as I screeched at God for taking another of my daughters and then my world went black.
Bastien’s pov
Lacey came running into the bar and grabbed my arm…..she was gasping for breath. Her eyes shut tightly as she tried to speak but failing miserably. I was chatting to one of my regulars, a man called Gavin, in his early 60’s, a very interesting person. Lacey started to pull on my shirt again and was still red in the face and gasping for breath but started pointing in the direction of the door to the main house. I looked at her now properly and excused myself from Gavin, rolling my eyes, my guess was that it was Opal again upsetting her. I quizzed her about Opal but she shook her head vehemently and continued pointing to the door.
“Afton can you get Lacey some water please” I asked him and he landed over a second later with some for her. She greedily drank it and then screamed at me.
“Lottie!” and made for the door, looking back at me like a dog wanting you to follow it. My heart lurched.
“It’s Lottie! She needs you! Go now!” She didn’t have to say it twice I bolted for my home and to my beloved wondering what the hell had happened? She knew I had to be in the bar at the moment, why couldn’t she just call me. What with that troublesome kid coming in and causing trouble. But as I got closer to my home I got a sudden creepy feeling down my neck, call it intuition. It was too quiet. I looked back and saw Lacey way behind me so I let myself into the house and found my beloved mate on her knees on the floor, acute pain etched on her face, her mouth open in a silent scream. OH GOD, VERA! I know that look on Lottie’s face, it happened before. I ran through the house looking for Vera, knowing as I did that her scent that normally drenched the house was faint and vague. I knew she was gone. I raced to Lottie and shook her to try and snap her out of her stupor. Her head flopped back and forth on her neck.
“LOTTIE!” Please I need you to come back to me. I can’t lose you too. LOTTIE PLEASE!” I roared, to no avail. Lacey finally got to the door and was now bent over, breathing heavily, her hand on her side, panting trying to catch her breath. I asked Lacey had she seen Vera anywhere and she nodded but held up a finger so she could catch her breath. Dammit I needed to know now what the hell had happened. I pinched my nose between my eyebrows, a trick I had picked up from Edward. Edward! he could help me. But no he won’t want to come near us cause of all the blood. Maybe Alice has had a vision. I went and got Lacey some water and she gulped it down. Finally she seemed ready to talk.
“Bastien, she’s gone, they are all gone!” she declared and began to cry.
“Start at the beginning please!” She took a deep breath and forced herself to stop crying. I looked over at Lottie, she hadn’t moved since I got here and at least I know it was because of Vera.
“It all started when Ortho started seeing his sister, who’s dead by the way. I thought he was being paranoid and imagining things, but he was, is my friend” she corrected herself. “Is my friend, the only one in this mad house we live in. But he thought he was losing his mind cause he’d look up and point out to the woods and one day I did see a little girl of about 5 years old standing in the woods with an older boy with her. “I nodded at her wondering what the hell that had to do with Vera and Lottie.
