Looking for Lucy Jo (9 page)

Lana Beth had kept Lucy Jo’s Monster High doll with her ever since they’d discovered it lying there on its own at the old farmhouse on Andilyse Island. She was hoping it would help her to have another vision, but so far there’d been nothing. Not a single stir.

Feeling helpless, she went to open the door to go downstairs when she bumped into Barber, who was on his way up.

‘Oops, sorry, babe,’ he said, taking her hand and pulling her away from the doorway.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked.

The other teenagers looked over, waiting to hear the latest news.

Barber filled them in. ‘Now we’re just waiting.’

Lana sighed. ‘Just waiting? That’s all you’ve all come up with? It’s crazy.’

Barber squeezed her hand. ‘Be patient,’ he whispered. ‘You look exhausted. Why don’t you try and take a nap?’

Lana shook her head. ‘Impossible.’ But as she sat down next to him, she found her eyes closing involuntarily, and soon she was breathing heavily, fast asleep.

‘I think I’m going to swim,’ Emma said quietly, as she stood up. ‘I think better when I’m under the water.’

Diarmuid stood up too. ‘Want some company?’

‘Honestly? I’d like to swim alone. Plus, it’s probably a bit cold for you. You don’t mind, do you?’

‘Of course not,’ he replied, kissing her forehead, thankful that she hadn’t wanted him to go into the freezing cold pool. She hadn’t shown him the heated one yet.

As she went to change, he went back to sit with the other Watchers, who were still trying to think of ways to find her sister.

Although she’d have preferred to swim in the ocean, the outdoor pool enticed her, pulling at something deep inside her. She dived in, settling at the bottom of the deep end, where she managed to sit cross legged beneath the water.

With her eyes closed, Emma focussed her entire being on Lucy Jo. She thought back to the day her parents had brought her back from the hospital, a couple of days after she was born. She and Lana had been ecstatic at having a little sister, and they’d spent hours just looking at her, until she started crying, and then they’d left their mum alone. Emma smiled at the memory. About how delighted she’d been when they’d brought Fred home from old Josiah’s house. She thought about the days before Christmas, the fun they’d had decorating the tree, Declan and Saleena’s arrival, messing about with Scott and then she thought about Christmas Eve, when Audrey and Patrick had put Lucy Jo and Greg to bed at the same time; it had been the only night they hadn’t complained about going to bed before everyone else. So excited about the next day, they were eager to sleep in readiness for all the fun and presents of Christmas day. But that wasn’t meant to be, was it? Because she had been taken in the middle of the night.

Emma’s brow furrowed at the thought, but she stayed still and focussed on the bedroom, the sounds of the night, and she remembered Lana’s vision as if it was her own. Someone climbing in through the bedroom window and tiptoeing across the little room, picking up Lucy Jo’s favourite rabbit slippers and Princess dressing gown, waking the little girl who didn’t appear frightened in a strange woozy state, as if she’d been drugged. He then tenderly put on the slippers and nightgown and carried her out of the window.

Suddenly, Emma’s eyes flew open and she propelled herself off the tiles until she stood beside the pool, dripping water everywhere. She didn’t even bother with the towel, she just ran into the house. The others watched in confusion, seeing the look on her face. The look of wonder, that she’d just had a vision of her own.

Breathless, she ran down the stairs until she reached Eleanor, leaving a trail of slippery water in her wake.

‘Emma? Emma? What is it?’ shouted Lana who ran closely behind, careful not to slip on the wet tiles.

The other teens followed until everybody was standing around Emma as she briefly caught her breath.

‘What is it, Emma?’ Patrick asked, as he stood before her and held her arms.

‘I had a… I had a…’

‘A what? Slow down,’ Eleanor said. ‘Take a deep breath.’

Breathing in through her nose, Emma closed her eyes and let the breath out slowly before she spoke. ‘I had a vision.’

Lana gasped and put her hand on her sister’s arm. ‘A vision?’ she said, looking delighted.

‘I saw him come into Lucy Jo’s bedroom. He drugged her somehow, with something he blew into her face. But the thing is, the weird thing….’

‘What, Emma, what?’ Patrick said, shaking her arms slightly. ‘Please tell me what happened.’

‘He was so gentle with her. H
e
care
d
, Dad. He didn’t want to hurt her. Plus, something we didn’t even notice before. He dressed her in her favourite slippers and dressing gown. He didn’t want her to be cold or uncomfortable. He cared, Dad. He was gentle. Why?’ Emma sat down, not bothered that she was still soaking wet.

‘That’s very interesting, Emma. Thank you…’ Eleanor smiled.

‘But what does it mean?’ Lana asked. ‘I don’t get it?’

‘It means that he won’t hurt her. He might be an evil son of a b…erm, sorry,’ Patrick muttered, letting his daughter go. ‘But he doesn’t intend to harm her. Which can mean only one thing.’

‘What, Dad?’

Patrick’s expression was grim. ‘That he means to keep her as his own.’

Lana and Emma gasped at the same time.

‘So it was never a game?’ Arabella whispered.

‘He thinks she’s a Watcher too,’ Eleanor suddenly said. ‘That’s why. He found out that Emma Jane and Lana Beth Morgan have the potential to be two of our strongest Watchers, and he wanted that for himself. So he took their sibling. Their youngest. The one he can make forget,’ she continued, talking to herself.

‘Forget? Forget what?’ asked Patrick.

‘Everything.’

‘But why would he bring her to Portugal? And why wouldn’t he leave?’ Diarmuid asked the other teens later that day.

They all shook their heads in dismay.

‘What if…’ Elliott suggested, ‘there’s someone in Portugal, or in the Algarve, that possesses the power to make people forget and can give them new memories. If that person exists, then that is what Sthenelaus will want. He’ll want to make Lucy Jo think that he is her father.’

‘Absolutely,’ said Arabella. ‘After talking this through with everyone downstairs, that’s exactly what we think he will do. It is believed that there are four people here in the Algarve that can do exactly that. Apparently they all belong to the same family, but there was a feud many hundreds of years ago and each went their separate ways. The trouble is, we don’t know where they went. And I doubt that Sthenelaus knows, either. All we know is that they are Portuguese, and they were born and raised in the Algarve. Specifically, in the city of Silves. They may have left, they may not. Unfortunately, they have always been a very secretive family, and so we know very little about them. But we will find them. Before he does. We will.’

Everybody was given an hour to prepare for their first day out in the Algarve. They were on the hunt for four people and as yet, nobody knew what they looked like. Eleanor was busy trying to find a clue—something, anything—that would help track them down first.

‘Are they good, these people? Are they on our side?’ asked Daisy as she searched her father’s face.

‘Hopefully, Eleanor will be able to tell us, sweetheart. Let’s just wait and see.’

Daisy nodded and went outside to sit with Sammy, who was leaning against a large oak tree with a smile on her face. ‘What are you smiling at?’

‘This tree. It’s a happy tree,’ Sammy said simply.

‘O…kay,’ Daisy muttered.

‘Yeah, it’s been here for a hundred years, it loves the sun here. It says it’s not too hot.’

‘Right…’

‘She can talk to animals as well as plants, you know,’ said a voice behind them.

Turning, Daisy smiled at the sight of Emma Jane. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey, you. How are you doing? I haven’t had much of a chance to speak to you in a while.’

‘I’m good…. I’m happier now. Thanks to you.’

Emma just smiled and looked at the water over in the pool.

‘That was pretty cool what you did earlier, you know?’

‘What? Having a vision in the water?’

Daisy nodded. ‘It’s clear that you have an affinity with the water, like Sammy has an affinity with trees, I guess,’ she laughed.

‘Yeah, maybe you’re right.’

‘No maybe about it.
I
a
m
right. I usually am,’ Daisy grinned.

‘Hey, guys!’ Lana shouted from indoors. ‘We think we have something.’

Eleanor was handing out sheets of A4 paper to all the different groups. On each sheet was the same pencil-drawn image of what looked like an old hag. Lana thought she looked like something out of Hansel and Gretel.

‘Are they witches?’ she asked as everybody stood quietly looking at the picture.

‘No, although you might think they resemble something out of a fairy tale book.’ Eleanor smiled. ‘But they’re not witches. It is said that they have the power to change memories permanently – we’re not sure how, yet, but we’re trying to track down some people that might be able to enlighten us.’

‘So what do we do when we find them? What if they try and change our memories?’ asked one of the other kids.

‘We believe that they are good people who won’t use their power unless they are in danger—or are forced to, of course. Our main problem is tracking them down. We believe there are four in existence here in Portugal, the only ones in Europe. We must find them before he does.’

‘But how are we going to do that? We know virtually nothing about them,’ moaned Imran.

‘Our colleagues are working on that. They’ve given us some coordinates in a number of different towns along the Algarve. We’re going to split up into groups and head off and investigate. We’ll keep doing that until we find something—anything—that might help us.’

Patrick nodded. ‘What are we waiting for? Let’s move.’

The Morgan sisters were teamed with Barber, Diarmuid (much to their delight), Declan and Arabella, while the other groups all hopped into their designated vehicles, which had been delivered that morning. They drove through the gate and started heading back down the mountain. Nobody said a word until they approached a beautiful, large old building on the left. Outside stood a familiar smiling face, leaning on a pair of crutches.

‘Sonia!’ yelled Emma as they pulled over for a moment.

Arabella hopped out, saying, ‘I’ll be right back.’

Winding down the window, Emma leaned sideways with a grin. ‘How are you? How’s your leg? I’m so sorry about your fall, I feel responsible.’

‘I’m okay, I think, and please don’t think that. It’s my fault. I should have told you about my… erm, invisibility problem. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay. Thank you for helping me before.’

‘It’s our pleasure, lovely,’ Declan said from the front passenger seat. ‘Are you feeling better?’

Sonia nodded shyly. ‘Whatever Theodore did, it helped… a lot.’

‘I’m glad,’ replied Emma.

‘We need to sign your cast,’ Lana added, leaning forward.

‘Sign it?’

‘Yes, it makes having a broken leg a little bit better… if everyone signs it or draws funny pictures.’

‘Oh, okay. Maybe later.’ Sonia grinned.

‘You ought to be lying down,’ Declan added.

‘Yes, I know. I’ve been horizontal since yesterday. I just wanted to come out and wave to you as you went by. I did not know Arabella was going to stop. I should go indoors. Good luck, today—I believe my father is joining you.’

‘That’s great,’ Emma said. ‘Hopefully we’ll see you later.’

Sonia nodded and turned, struggling to walk on her crutches. As she approached the front door, it opened and Arabella appeared with a man in his forties by her side. He wasn’t the most attractive of men, but his face exuded friendliness. Lana thought he looked like fun. They watched as he carefully kissed Sonia on the forehead, helping her through the door before closing it behind him and heading towards the blue van they were in today.

‘Hello! I am Luis. It is an honour to meet you all. I have heard much about you. I am just sorry it is under such horrible circumstances,’ he said as he climbed in and shut the door behind him.

‘Luis, this is Declan, Barber, Diarmuid and these two young ladies are Emma Jane and Lana Beth.’

After the greetings, Arabella slowly drove back onto the main road and they continued their journey towards Silves. Occasionally, Arabella or Luis would comment on something outside, pointing out places that were well known in the region.

‘Wow, are they storks?’ Lana pointed as they drove past a number of high nests, each containing two or three huge white birds with long necks.

‘Yes. Beautiful, aren’t they?’

‘I’ve never seen so many at once.’

‘You’ll notice them all over the Algarve,’ Luis said. ‘Sometimes I think they’re a bit creepy.’

Declan laughed.

‘How can they possibly be creepy?’ asked Emma.

Luis shrugged. ‘I guess I have quite the imagination. I sometimes think they’re going to take over the world.’

The group cracked up as his voice changed to that of an evil cartoon character. It was then that everyone realised that Lui
s
wa
s
good fun, as well as super friendly.

After another ten minutes of winding roads full of potholes, the group finally arrived in Silves, where Arabella found a parking spot and they climbed out, stretching their arms and legs.

As they walked through the narrow streets towards the castle, Emma was a little disappointed when they headed off in a different direction.

‘I thought we were going to the castle?’

‘No, we know that no supernaturals live in there. The coordinates we have are for over here,’ Arabella pointed to a square not far from the entrance, where there was a cafe and restaurant.

‘Oh,’ Emma said.

‘Why don’t you guys start from the other end of the road?’ Arabella suggested to Luis, who nodded, taking Barber and Declan with him.

The others waited outside while Arabella went into the cafe with the picture. There were hardly any people around, just a couple of old men sitting a few metres away, enjoying the warmth of the sun on their faces.

‘How are you feeling?’ Lana asked her sister, who shrugged in response.

‘Okay, I guess. What about you?’

Lana shrugged too and waited a moment before replying, ‘I guess I’m still in shock that your visions are more accurate than mine.’

‘Huh?’

Lana nodded, ‘They are. You were able to see way more than I could. I guess I’m a bit bummed, but it’s okay. I’ll get over it,’ she smiled.

Emma put her arm around her shoulders and squeezed. ‘I never expected to be able to have any visions at all. Maybe your powers will start to increase soon as well.’

‘I hope so,’ Lana whispered before Arabella came out of the cafe shaking her head. Then they moved on to the next building, asking people, showing the picture to them. But nobody knew the old woman.

‘What about up there?’ pointed Lana Beth.

‘That’s the Camara Municipal, ‘ Arabella replied. ‘The local council?’

‘You mean the Town Council?’

‘Exactly. We don’t need to go in there. We have a few contacts there. I emailed them this morning. They’re looking into it.’

As they moved on to a house across the road, a very old lady opened the door. She didn’t have any teeth.

Arabella spoke in Portuguese with her for a few moments and showed her the picture. The old lady beckoned them inside.

‘She needs her glasses,’ Arabella whispered, ‘and she doesn’t like too much sun. She’s invited us in.’

As they stepped over the threshold, the overwhelming odour of mothballs filled their nostrils, making Lana almost gag. She stepped backwards and tripped on something on the floor. Her hand flew out to steady herself, landing on the door handle.

Suddenly, she found herself alone in the same room. The smell of mothballs had disappeared entirely.

‘What the? Hello?’ she whispered as she stepped forward.

She heard the sounds of someone moving in another room and the scent of cooking started to fill the air. Tiptoeing through the little house, Lana soon found herself face to face with a pretty red-haired young woman, wearing a scarf on her head and an apron over her simple blouse and skirt. She was humming softly as she cooked what looked like vegetable soup.

Lana hovered in the corner of the room, knowing that there must be something useful about the vision, otherwise why would she have it? She waited, watching as the woman cooked. Soon, a knock on the door made her remove the scarf from her head and the apron from around her torso. Lana followed her out into the hall where she checked her face in the little mirror before opening the front door.

Standing there with a large grin was the woman from the picture. She looked almost the same, except for the fact that her nose was even longer in real life, and her hair much thicker and darker.

The old lady and the young one chatted in Portuguese for a couple of moments before they walked through to the kitchen and sat down for lunch together.

Lana tried to force herself to snap out of the vision. She’d got what she needed. She now knew that the old woman they were looking for had been here before. But who was the young woman? Could she possibly be the toothless woman?

Suddenly, her sight blurred slightly and the feeling of wooziness overcame her.

‘Lana… Lana, are you alright?’ said a familiar voice.

As she opened her eyes, the smell of mothballs almost made her choke again.

‘Wh…what happened?’

‘I think you must have had a vision. Tell us,’ said Emma as she helped her sister up from the old lady’s ancient, uncomfortable sofa.

‘Yeah, yes, I did. The old woman we’re looking for was here before. But it seemed a long time ago, I dunno, maybe seventy years or so? She was with a red-haired woman who lived here.’

As she stood up, her eye was caught by a faded picture on the mantelpiece.

‘That’s her, there,’ she pointed, rushing over to get a better look.

The toothless woman grinned and pointed to herself, before muttering something to Arabella.

‘She says that’s her when she was a young woman.’

‘Then she knew the woman we’re looking for.’

Arabella showed her the picture again and she put her glasses back on, but she shook her head.

Lana nodded and the woman shook her head. But Lana insisted, nodding enthusiastically. The old lady began to get a little annoyed, muttering something or other in the strange language.

‘She says she’s ninety-eight years old, her memory isn’t what it used to be.’