CHAPTER EIGHT
The four of us were sitting in Shannon's bedroom drinking tea and eating our way through the rest of the contents of the biscuit barrel.
"So..." I began, "Dad was just telling us about some of the things Gran was going on about the other day."
"Ohhh interesting!" exclaimed Shannon, "I really want to talk to her about something I've been reading about. What has Dan told you?"
Rhydian continued, "Well" He smiled, "Dan was telling us about why it was important that there were five people in the room the other night when we were transforming. More about the link between us all."
"The Pentagram" stated Shannon.
"How the...?" I was lost for words. Tom just looked confused.
"I've been doing a bit of research" said Shannon, turning to pick up a large full lever arch file for her desk. 'Research' was written in Shannon's neat writing in black marker pen along the thick spine.
"A bit?!" laughed Rhydian.
Shannon handed the file to Tom who took it with two hands; he peeked the cover open and grimaced. I bet he was worried Shannon would test him on the contents later.
"What? where?" I stammered to Shannon.
"The internet is a wonderful invention Madeline." said Shannon adjusting her glasses. "I looked up all sorts of things. A lot of what is on there seems to be rubbish but some of the information might be useful. I printed off things that I thought were plausible and then organised it alphabetically. There is still plenty more to research but this is a start."
Tom was silently banging his forehead on the huge file still on his knee. Rhydian started to laugh.
"Nerd" he spluttered at Shannon.
"Wolf" she answered him back.
I was laughing too, we were all laughing. Rhydian hid his face in my neck as we all laughed our heads off, Tom still bent over the folder groaning.
Shannon turned on the office style chair at her desk still smiling. "As soon as I found the term on the internet and read up on it, I guessed that we had formed a Pentagram, whether we wanted to or not."
Tom was flicking through the folder, looking under 'P', muttering to himself.
"It made sense that you would both need protection and that Tom and I would help to provide that but I was surprised that five were needed..." Shannon mused, talking more to herself than to us.
"Pentagram: A five pointed star?" Tom questioned, quoting from Shannon's research. "What has that got to do with us?"
"Keep reading" ordered Shannon.
"Pentagrams are thought to offer protection from Daemon's in the form of a five pointed star" continued Tom "Used in many religions to symbolised protection and safety, they are found in Christianity, Ancient Greece and used by the Babylonians. A Pentagram could be formed by five witches joining together in a collective consciousness to offer protection to an individual, group of people, place or object. Wow" uttered Tom, "Who knew?!"
"I went on to look up a few witch websites and pagan sites that gave more details. Did you know that Pentagrams can be traced back further than the ancient Egyptians at much as 3000bc?" Shannon was beginning a lecture.
Fortunately Tom interrupted, "Then don't we need five witches to for a pentagram?"
"No Tom," Shannon shuck her head, "A pentagram can be formed by any five people with mystic powers, you, me and the wolfblood's. A 'normal' (she said, making speech marks in the air with her fingers) human wouldn't be able to make the bond."
"Dad said that pentagrams have been made with any combination, 5 wolfblood's, with or without Witches or Keepers." I added.
"OK," Said Tom, "so do we all get together and chant? Or make a potion on the next new moon, 'cause I'm telling you, I for one am not sacrificing any animal on some witchy alter, that kind of thing freaks me out!"
Rhydian stood up, "It's not like that mate, the way Dan described it, it is more like a collective consciousness', you all decide that we are protected and that's it. No wolfblood can hurt us, simple."
"Didn't you feel it?" questioned Shannon, "When Ellie told us about our mystic connections and she mentioned that it was good there were five of us in the room, how did you feel?"
"Apart from really really freaked that there was an injured werewolf on the bed?!" mocked Tom.
"Wolfblood" Rhydian and I corrected at the same time. Tom rolled his eyes.
"I don't know," continued Tom, "Sort of weird, like I had found my place in the world, like she had answered all the questioned that I had in my head."
"Like the stars aliened?!" I teased. "Whoooohooo".
"Well, Yer Maddy, just like everything suddenly made sense, it fell into place."
"OK, that's quite freaky"
"Tell me about it, it was so much better after Ellie spoke to us all the next day and explained everything. I still can't get my head around being a 'mystic being' though, it's going to look great on my CV! I wonder how many A-Levels it's worth?" Tom added.
"I keep offering to help Maddy in exams using Eolas" said Rhydian, "But she's not having any of it."
"I should think not" chipped in Shannon, "That would be cheating".
"Exactly." I confirmed. "I want it to all be my own work".
"Whatever Babes, the offers always there."
"OK, if you ever call me 'Babes' again I'll chew your leg off, 'Puppy dog'." I growled showing Rhydian my teeth.
"Point taken" said Rhydian, throwing up his hands in mock surrender.
"Oh bless, their first tiff!" mocked Tom.
Too late, I was already pecking Rhydian on the cheek and smiling at him. "Babes?!" I muttered shaking my head.
"The fact is that most of this stuff is fascinating," mused Shannon, "I might not bother going back to sixth form now, I might just study my legacy, talk to Ellie and see how many more Witches there are out there. Go on some visits."
"And how do you think your Mam and Dad will take that news?!" I reminded Shannon.
"Humm, point taken" replied Shannon, "they might not be thrilled. They don't really like change much. I tried to suggest that we listen to Radio 3 for a change instead of Radio 4 and you would have thought that the world was coming to an end. I can't see them taking the news that their daughter is a Witch at all well."
"I'm not sure my Mum will be thrilled about me being a Keeper either" muttered Tom.
"Keep the secret" shrugged Rhydian. "It's your roles anyway"
"Besides, I think we all need to stick together for the time being" stated Tom decidedly, "Maddy and Rhydian will need our protection until thing gets settled."
"Wow" I answered, "You really have fallen into the role of Keeper haven't you?!"
"Yep!" said Tom, "that and I really don't fancy a tongue lashing from my Mum for joining an alternative sub culture!" he added.
"Freaks together." stated Shannon. "Do you really think there is a threat to Maddy and Rhydian though Tom?" she queried.
"It feels like there is" shrugged Tom, "I can't quite put my finger on why or how but it feels like they need our protection, right?"
"Right" said Shannon.
"Cool" I said "So it's decided. We all go back and do our A-Levels and stick together for the time being?"
"Except me" said Rhydian looking sad.
"What were your plans for after you came back?" Asked Shannon.
"Don't know, hadn't thought that far. I just wanted to see Maddy."
"Bluggghh" Tom made a vomiting noise .
"You will always be able to make a living from your drawings and art though" I suggested to him.
"If I go tame Maddy. I quite liked being wild, when you try it you'll see. The freedom is amazing."
"When I try it? Hummm, we'll see." I didn't want to get into a disagreement again. As I kept being reminded, the future was ahead of us, what mattered was the here and now. What mattered was that for the time being we were safe and that we had come over to Shannon's to revise for exams...
"Exam's" I groaned "English tomorrow."
"Romeo and flippin' pathetic Juliette" moaned Shannon. She hated English, it was her worse subject (and by worse I mean she was only predicted an A not an A*). It was something she couldn't learn a string of facts for, Shannon had dropped anything remotely artistic after year nine, much more interested in Science and Maths.
"They do my head in" continued Shannon.
"Oh it's lovely Shan, all that forbidden love and destiny and 'They'll be together no matter what'."
"Yer sounds familiar doesn't it?!" Mocked Tom "For Montague and Capulet read Morris and Smith..."
"What?!" I questioned.
"Forbidden love, from two opposing families! O!M!G! You two are Romeo and Juliette!" gasped Shannon, laughing!
Rhydian just looked confused, flicking through the English text book on the end of Shannon's bed.
"You know what, I think I'll just wait for the film version" he muttered.
"There have been about four!" tutted Shannon.
"Cool, forget reading all this then, why bother?!"
The three of us glared at Rhydian.
"OK, point taken" he muttered. "So come on then, give me a critical comparison of how some beardy weirdy bloke saw teen romance to how the real thing can be observed right here, live, in Shannon's house. Bring it on!"
Once the four of us had voiced our doubts or convictions about whether Rhydian and I really were the 21st century equivalent to Romeo and Juliette, we had actually managed to get quite a good bit of revision done. Even Shannon seemed happy walking out of the exam the next day.
Oh it felt good to be outside after spending the afternoon cooped up inside that smelly Gym hall. I know no-one found it pleasant, the warm clawing smell of wood varnish from the panelling around the walls mixed with rubber from the PE mats stacked in the corner and the smell 20 years worth of sweaty teenage bodies engrained in every facet of the halls walls and floor but for a wolfblood the smell was over whelming. It was a relief to be out of there.
I strolled out across the school yard tilting my face towards the sun, letting the warm spring air flood over me, breathing deeply to clear my nose.
Suddenly another smell made we whip around.
Rhydian, standing by the gate, he looked so cool it made my heart skip a beat. The way he stood with his hoody pulled up and one booted foot up flat against the wall, laces undone, and his hands in his pockets. He looked like his was in a movie scene. He pulled back his hoody, messing his blond hair and grinned at us.
"OH!"
"MY!"
"GOD!"
I didn't even have chance to smile back before I was being barged out of the way.
The three 'K's.
Of course. They had never been able to resist Rhydian, the bad boy they thought they could turn good.
"Look what the cats' dragged back" screeched Kara, (If only she knew).
"We never thought we'd see you again" Flirted Kay.
"What's it really like in Prison?!" stuttered Katrina.
"He's not been in prison, have you babe?" questioned Kara.
"I heard you murdered your parents!" continued Katrina, "Is is true? You got out quick, must have been a crime of passion" she romanticised, "or have you escaped?" adding with mock horror.
"Hello Ladies" flirted Rhydian, "Lovely to see you all looking so... well" Rhydian finished, eyeing the copious amounts of hairspray and makeup caked over the K's.
Kara and Katrina had actually flung themselves at him and where kissing him on both cheeks like they were long lost family.
"But here is who I've really been waiting for." Rhydian smiled and reached over their heads towards me, taking my hand and pulling me towards him.
"Hello gorgeous" he smiled.
Before I could stop him he kissed me full on the lips, wrapping his arms around me, making me melt against him.
I could hear the jaws dropping around me. I felt my face go deep red; my knees were so wobbly that it was a good job Rhydian was holding me tight otherwise I would have been a blob on the floor. I buried my head in his neck, smelling his scent. He held me tight against his chest, tucking me almost inside his jacket to keep me snug. He smelt of the woods. Safe.
"You came back for her?!" spat Kay
"Always" was Rhydian's simple answer.
He lifted my chin with his hand, kissed me tenderly on the lips and simply whispered "home".