Chapter 43

The moon hung low in the night sky as Marielle and Kale made their way to the clearing in the heart of the dense forest where they had performed the Lunathion ritual dance. Remy was out there, he had been there for a while. It was the first time he had left the room since Valentina's incident. Marielle had heard something about her being slightly indisposed after the ritual dance, Remy had remained in his quarters with her for hours on end after that. Marielle didn't really think about it enough until she saw the healer coming out of their room.

That was when she suspected that something must have gone wrong.

Did they finish the ritual?  Did something happen?! Was Valentina more than slightly indisposed?

As Remy approached, his powerful presence seemed to cast a shadow even over the moon. Marielle shifted uncomfortably as she saw the stern look on his face.

Marielle spoke first. "How was the ritual? It's been over twenty four hours and we didn't receive an update."

Kale nodded in agreement. "Yes, Remy. Marielle told me she spotted a healer in your room. Did something go wrong?"

"I don't know how we're supposed to feel after the ritual has been completed but I think there's something you're not telling us."

Remy regarded them both with a calm demeanor. "I understand your concerns and your worries, you're right to ask me these questions."

"Valentina and I didn't consummate the ritual."

There as a short silence as both Marielle and Kale stared at each other. Marielle's eyes blazed with anger. "What? Remy, everything we've worked for, all the preparations we've made-it's all been for nothing?"

Kale's frustration mirrored Marielle's. "Remy, you more than anyone here knows the importance of this ritual. Why would you neglect it?"

Remy's gaze remained steady, his voice resolute. "Valentina was ill and unconscious through the night. When she finally woke up, she was too weak and tired, I wouldn't have forced her to complete the ritual. I care for her well-being above all else."

Marielle clenched her fists, it was all for nothing then! Everything was all for nothing. "But Remy, you are the alpha, you know that the future of our pack, our very survival and this whole mantle business depends on the success of the ritual. What should we tell the pack members now?"

Remy's response was unexpected. "We tell them nothing. Let them assume that the ritual was consummated. It's the only way to ensure stability within the pack. If our rivals ask us about it, we'll simply claim to have done the ritual."

"Like I mentioned earlier, I care about Valentina and I wouldn't force or pressure her into doing what she doesn't want to do."

Kale sighed heavily but reluctantly nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right. If our pack believes the ritual was successful, then we wouldn't say or suggest otherwise."

Remy's eyes softened as he looked at Kale. "Thank you for understanding. We must always prioritize the well-being of the pack, even if it means keeping secrets."

.......

Goldie couldn't really explain what exactly happened after the Lunathion ritual, all she could remember was the sound of bells and a ringing in her head and she went blank. The next day when she was feeling better, she took a walk around the property, just to clear her head and stretch her legs and out of sheer boredom and curiosity, she decided to revisit her old social media accounts. She still remembered all the passwords to most of them.

She saw a few friends post about her death on the day it happened as she logged into her Facebook account and then she saw the moment they moved on. Then she saw the posts of the people who had died with her body, her best friend Blossom, Callum and one other person names Justin whom she was not familiar with. Her other friends had been posting about their lives, sharing their latest achievements and adventures, and it made her miss everything. It made her miss being Goldie Parson.

She could remember much of her life. She had a happy childhood. An even happier family. She had parents who loved her and she was surrounded by so many great friends. She was the popular girl in high school, she was the popular girl in college too and she was also the girl who had lots of friends and was in a sorority.

She missed her life.

She missed every part of it.

.........

Colin Lockwood had taken a brief break from work as he huddled in the lounge room in his office nursing a plastic cup filled with straight black coffee. He had opened his phone and scrolled around for a while. Till he saw something that made him concerned.

One of the apps he was on was showing that Goldie was online and was active.

That couldn't be right. He thought as he checked it again, same thing.

He ignored it for a while and went to another app, the same thing popped up.

Colin's heart raced as he contemplated the implications. Had her account been hacked? Or was her mother the one online?

Without wasting any more time, he picked up his phone and dialed Mrs Parson just to be sure.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Parson, it's Colin. I don't want to alarm you, but something strange is happening. Goldie's social media accounts are active right now," Colin explained quickly

Mrs. Parson gasped, her heart sinking as she clutched the phone. "What? Who would do that? I don't know.. I don't have access to her accounts."

"I don't know, but I think you should do something about it. Maybe find a way of closing down the accounts?"Colin replied urgently.

There was a short silence before Mrs Parson replies. "Thank you for letting me know Colin I'll see what I can do about it."

.......

Meanwhile, Marielle noticed that Valentina had been unusually absorbed in her phone for quite some time as she walked around the property. She wondered what she was doing. Besides, Marielle was still angry about the whole failed lunathion issue and Valentina was just walking about like it wasn't her problem. She approached her, pretending to be taking a short jog around the property too.

"Just a quick jog. How are you doing?" Marielle asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Goldie glanced up from her phone, quickly hiding it in her pocket, a sheepish grin crossing her face. "I'm good... just taking a walk."

Marielle couldn't help but feel a twinge of suspicion, besides, she quickly hid her phone like nothing happened.  Marielle on the other hand had learned the password a few weeks ago. She didn't think she would have actual use of it, nor did she even think that it was right to snoop but she had no choice. There were things about Valentina that she had to learn.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Marielle's curiosity got the better of her. She waited until Valentina fell asleep on the couch in the lounge room, her phone left unattended on the coffee table. Marielle, her heart pounding with a mix of guilt and curiosity, leaned over and picked up the phone.  She silently prayed that she had not changed the password as she imputed the numbers.

The phone unlocked, revealing a myriad of recently used apps and notifications. Marielle's eyes widened as she noticed that Valentina was logged into various social media accounts under the name "Goldie Parson" or "Marigold Parson"

"Who is this?!"  She whispered to herself.

She stirred in her sleep and Marielle quickly put the phone down, tiptoeing out of the lounge room and running straight to her room.

In her room, she pulled out her laptop, typing in the name Goldie Parson.

Several news articles popped up talking about the tragic death of some young people in a brutal car accident, Goldie was one of them.

But the information that had stood out to her the most was the town the girl was in.

Oak Creek.

The same town Remy found Valentina.