Chapter 6; Meet Abigail

Natalie's POV

It felt like we had been driving forever. I was becoming tired but distracted myself by looking out of the window. Raph and I had gone back to the college to rest before driving to his friend's house but we had been in the car for three days now, nearly four. We stopped for rests and so Raph could hunt.

I had never hunted before and I had no idea about the full capability of my abilities yet. My mum normally gave me blood mixed into strawberry milkshake if she felt I needed it, as I didn't need a large amount.

"Abigail will teach you to hunt. It's not really my place...I'm just here to get you to her, as a favour to your mother."

"Wait, what-" He ran off before I could finish with a flask in his had to collect blood after he fed. Raphael came back roughly ten minutes later, whipping blood off his face and from round the flask before throwing it at me.

"Here, that should do you." He said.

"What do you mean; you're here to get me to Abigail as a favour to my mum?" He just carried on walking past me and to the car. "Raph!" I shouted before running at him, tackling him to the ground like a squabbling child.

"Abi's gonna kill me." He started, "It's very uncommon for an Animorphyte to live so long with their genetic families, even now. Abi has been a friend of your mothers since your mum was in college herself. This has been decided for you since you were born, it was just a matter of when you were ready to leave."

"Ready to leave? My cousin is in a coma, my other cousin has had her heart broken twice including me leaving, one of my sister's is getting bullied, another is having an identity crisis and don't get me started on what in hell my biological dad is doing, more and more half siblings seem to be sprouting out of the ground for me." I splurted.

"Natalie, breath. It's not healthy to panic." He interjected, "How many siblings do you have?"

"From what my mum's told me, including her kids with Michael, there's nine."

"Wow."

We started driving again after that. We were silent, too, but it wasn't uncomfortable. We were an eight hour drive from Abigail's house now. It had taken longer than Raph had expected due to traffic, we had gained a day to our estimated travel time.

It was odd being somewhere so inland. I was used to living in a cold, wet beach town. In Nebraska, there were city scapes and villages, and not forgetting the sun shine. It was beautiful compared to La Push and Forks.

Abigail lived in a small, desolate town somewhere on the far side of Nebraska. Her home was up a long, swirling road in a forest. When we got to the house, I was speechless. I imagined her to live in a small cottage as it was normally just her most days while Raph was at college in LA. The house like one of those large white Town Hall type houses, only more homey...if you got past the gravestones on the front lawn, which were under a blossom tree. I made my way over to them as soon as I got out of the car.

I couldn't help but look at them. The first said 'Hasani, beloved husband and father, and Farida, beloved wife and mother, givers of a love that could never end.' The next read 'Theo, Nile and Seb, beloved sons and brothers, fighters, defenders and loved by all.' It was the third gravestone that punched a hole in m heart. 'Theodora, beloved daughter and sister, freed from the cruel world before it could needlessly punish.'

"She wasn't even a week old when she was murdered." A women's voice came from behind me. "I'm Abigail, but you can call me Abi." She said, holding out her hand.

"Natalie," I started, shaking her hand, "How..." My voice trailed off before I could finish my sentence, too distracted by the gravestones.

"My families master, a long time ago. He's still alive, I know it. But I won't strike back until the right time presents itself. I haven't even completed the first step yet."

"Dimetri." Raph said, "She loves him, knows where he is and yet won't go to him."

"His mind is occupied by those of his kind in superior positions to him. I don't need to repeat myself to you again." Abi said angrily.

Abigail was stunning. She had long, dark red hair. It reminded me of Kim's hair only it was a few shades lighter as well as wavy and to the waist, where as Kim's hair is naturally curly and comes to the middle of her torso. Abi also had emerald green eyes and tanned skin, the colour of dark brown sugar but not as dark as muscavado sugar. She wasn't as curvy as me but she curvier then Leah and Emily. Abi was like a goddess in modern clothes. She wore a tight fitting, white vest top tucked into blue, high waisted jeans with a black belt, black knee high flat boots and a black cardigan that had a hood. Her hair was left down to place itself however it felt like.

After she had finished glaring at Raph over something, she looked at me and smiled.

Would you like some...hmmm...Chai Tea? Interesting...

The voice was hers but it was in my head.

Yes, I'm like Professor X from X men, only I'm searching for someone who can reply to me.

Can I? I thought to myself. I was curious.

She jumped, then laughed. Yes, you're mother was the same.

Why is it that everyone knows more about my mother than I do? Raphael and Abigail were practically strangers and yet I was going to live with them.

How is this supposed to work?

We were sat in the lounge; it was all decorated in ivory and plum. It reminded me of those rooms you see in paint catalogue's, all light and airy and beautifully decorated.

Raph had made some tea. I had some Chai Tea, he had plain tea and Abi was sipping from a cup of Green Tea sweetened with honey.

"Now," she started, "I have to let you know that we do serve a coven of vampires. There are four of them and they won't talk much. We basically just guard them from threats, if there are any, and help draw in their prey, not that they need help being vampires but that have a thirst for dramatics. It's not hard work but you'll still be seen as serving them. You'll finish your current college curse before starting work for them, but our home is here. It will always be here and will be just the three of us for now. When the time comes, I will turn you but not until then and only if you want to."

"Ok," I replied once she finished, "How often can I visit my family?"

"You'll have one 'holiday' per year and even then it will only be for a few days. It's time you start distancing yourself Natalie. I know it's hard and I know you love them but they will all grow and age and someday will die, where as you won't. It'll be easier this way, in the long run."

The thought of someday leaving my friends and family one forever, one day, horrified me.

Luckily it wasn't a situation that was going to happen, not including causes of 'unnatural death'.

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, I didn't know.