Chapter Seven

Thistle's POV

I was now in England and I was thirsty. I needed to drink soon or I was going to completely lose it. I allowed myself to calm and let my senses take over. I had become accustomed to using my senses other than scent over my past week in the water (because you can't smell underwater) and it was a relief to have it back. I smelled the air and caught several scents but discarded the human ones and I followed a trail towards several animal ones.

I jumped a chain link fence and stalked a pack of lions. Wait? Lions? In England? Still, I was too engrossed in the hunt to pay any attention to the animal I was hunting. I then noticed a human in the middle of the pack. The human was in no danger and I could feel that the lions were comfortable to have her in their midst. As I got nearer, I spotted that the human was cradling a lion cub that was near sleep. I then heard the human say, "You know what, Lauren? I really didn't expect you to come back here after what we agreed." Lauren? How did she know dad? "I will give you ten seconds to get out of here or face the consequences." I straightened up and spoke.

"Two things: One, my name is not Lauren. Two, What could you do to get me away from here?"

"Regardless of your name, I want you to get off this land and go somewhere else to do your hunting."

"You are probably in the most dangerous position that a human could possibly be in right now." I answered.

"These lions are perfectly tame."

"I wasn't talking about the lions, I was talking about me."

"You don't stand a chance against me and the lions. Get out now or I'll set them on you."

"Try me." I jousted.

"I really don't want to hurt you."

"And vice versa." I teased.

"This is your last warning." She threatened.

"I'm ready." I accepted.

"You have been warned," she said calmly as she set the complaining cub onto the floor. She then stood up slowly and ran off, I turned because I had lost sight of her and I then saw she was standing inches from my face. I jerked away instinctively and she lifted her arm. She then struck me across the face, hard. And when I say hard, I mean hard. The force of that blow sent me flying twenty meters across the ground and onto an area of gravel. It really hurt and I felt like I had had a cheese grater dragged down my cheek. I was very angry and it didn't help when the stranger yelled. "NEVER, EVER, COME NEAR THIS PLACE AGAIN!" she screamed at me, inches from my ear. All the lions roared, I covered my ears and started crying. I had had a very stressful day and didn't need this. I was tired and scared. I only wanted to feed. I then did something I was obviously becoming accustomed to lately. I passed out.

Laurens POV

I tracked her scent and it lead to the cliff. I looked over the edge and saw where she had stood just hours before. What had she done? Had she tried to drown herself? No, she can't have, we don't drown. When we're threatened, our body stops breathing and somehow manages to survive without oxygen, don't ask me how. I floated down the cliff side and onto the water. Her scent was there; still floating inches above the water. It was a faint trail, but it was still there. I followed it, walking about a foot above the water, over to another coast where I picked up the scent again. I followed it to a zoo. This was the right place. I realised that Thistle must have found out about Marie Opel. I wondered how, but I suppose I really didn't care at that moment. I passed through the wall around the zoo and into the nearest enclosure, looking for either Thistle or Marie. Wait. I didn't know if they could see me. I needed to have a little test.

There was a bungalow in the zoo; it was the home of the zoo vets and their children. I drifted through the walls and into one of the children's bedrooms', the child was a young girl, three or four, and I whispered in her ear, creepily,

"Wake up…" I waited, she sat up quickly, staring at me, eyes' wide open. Her mouth was gaping in a wide, noiseless scream. "Hello." I whispered, in a ghostly voice. The noiseless scream became noisy, the whole room shook with the power of it, the noise deafening me and bringing her parents running. I managed to drift back out the room before they saw me, my test complete.

So, humans can see me. Good.