Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

Lola didn’t lift her foot off the pedal once as she pushed Ruby’s beloved car to its limit. With her mind racing, she tried to work out what their plan of attack would be. She knew exactly where Celeste was even before she had seen Aibgrene’s vision. ‘By the water where the owls were,’ she had said. Lola had known all along, she had even heard Celeste’s voice the night she was there, she was sure of it. The thought made her sick to the core. The idea that she had been just metres from Celeste the entire time she was in Chateau Bacchus was devastating. Lola commanded herself to re-focus. She was sure that Carl Stein would not be expecting her, so they could use the element of surprise to their advantage.

Lola felt so alone. ‘Oh, Arthur, what will I do? I wish you were still here!’ she called out in desperation to the only person who could help her now. No sooner had Lola cried those words when a feeling of total calmness enveloped her and a voice inside her head assured her that everything would be okay. She wasn’t sure if it was her own voice or Arthur’s but she felt that she would know exactly how to act when the time came.

After about ninety minutes, Lola arrived in the small sea-side town of Portstewart. The town was busy as students in fancy dress made their way in and out of the bars and clubs, all oblivious to what was unfolding a few miles up the coast in one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic landmarks. Lola envied their ignorance. Turning onto the Strand Road Lola slowed the car, her heart pounded in her throat as she took in the number of cars on the roadside as she crawled the car past Chateau Bacchus on her way to the cottage. To her relief Daithi and Aibgrene had already arrived and they had taken her advice. They were both standing outside the car. Aibgrene shifted impatiently waiting for Lola to emerge. Aibgrene’s face was ashen and her body was trembling.

‘Everything’s going to be alright, Aibgrene,’ promised Lola, as she held her in her arms. She could tell that her friend wasn’t entirely convinced. Lola could understand her apprehension, but she had never been surer about anything.

‘Well at least you’ve come dressed for the occasion, Lola,’ jibed Daithi nervously, trying to break the tension. Aibgrene looked her up and down. Lola realised for the first time that she was still in fancy dress. They all burst out laughing at how ridiculous the situation was.

‘Carl Stein is going to get some shock tonight,’ laughed Lola. ‘It’ll be like déjà vu.’

‘You know it’s him?’ asked Aibgrene.

‘I’ve known all along, I think,’ replied Lola. She couldn’t bear to look her friend in the eye. She felt so ashamed that despite Arthur’s advice and Celeste’s warnings, she hadn’t trusted her inner wisdom. But now was not the time for an apology, reasoned Lola. It was time for action.

‘So where do we start, Lo? She could be anywhere.’

‘I know where she is!’ declared Lola with authority. ‘And I’m sure there’s access through the house. But first things first, we need to be prepared. The element of surprise will only get us so far.’ Lola was growing bolder by the minute. She had no idea where this was coming from. Was it actual intuition or perhaps just adrenaline? Either way she was happy to let it take over.

’We need blankets. Daithi, do you have any blankets or bags in the car? Daithi nodded and moved to the boot of his car, where he pulled out a quilt and a sleeping bag and handed it to Lola. ‘Perfect,’ said Lola placing one along the back seat of her car, crumpling it up to make it look as though there was someone lying underneath it. She did the same with the sleeping bag, this time placing it on the back seat of Daithi’s car.

‘Now, Aibgrene, you take my car, and Daithi can take his, and park just up the road. When I get Celeste...’ Lola didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence.

‘No, no, hold up there, Lola! What do you mean, when you get Celeste? I’m coming with you. You’re not going in there alone. No way!’ protested Aibgrene. Lola didn’t want to argue, after all it was Aibgrene’s mother, what right did she have to tell her not to come? She was just trying to protect her.

‘Okay then, Daithi, you’ll have wait out on the road,’ suggested Lola.

‘I’m not letting you go in there on your own, Aibgrene, not a chance!’ protested Daithi.

‘Listen, guys,’ reasoned Lola. ‘We can’t all bloody go in! We need to get Celeste to safety as soon as possible. Are you forgetting who we are dealing with here? They have contacts everywhere. We need to split up. Create a decoy.’ Lola’s voice was raised now, but it wasn’t the usual panic, it was authority that she exuded. Aibgrene soothed Daithi, and finally he agreed to let her go alone with Lola. Checking her watch, Lola guessed they would have to wait just a little bit longer. ‘Follow me in the car,’ she directed, jumping into Ruby’s car. Lola drove back up the street at a crawl, with Aibgrene and Daithi following behind her. She couldn’t risk parking too close to the house as her car, which was bright yellow, would certainly attract some attention, so she motioned to Daithi to overtake her.

Daithi pulled up onto the kerb a few yards from the rest of the cars, Lola slowly pulled in behind him, happy that her car would be obscured from view. Aibgrene got out and headed towards Lola. Just as she was about to climb into the passenger seat there was a screeching sound as a car rounded the suburban street at speed. Reacting quickly, Aibgrene crouched behind the bonnet, doing enough to stay out of view. Lola caught a glimpse of the side of the car as it disappeared into the driveway of Chateau Bacchus. The car and the driver were unmistakable – it was Alex. Lola’s stomach leapt to her throat. He was coming to join the party too. Why did this surprise her? She scolded herself. Secretly she’d hoped that he wasn’t like his father, that he had nothing to do with it, but that was delusional at best.

‘I see your boyfriend has just arrived,’ said Aibgrene, with obvious venom in her voice. Although she was right and had been right all along, the words stung Lola, but she knew that her friend’s anger was not directed towards her. ‘I knew from the first night I saw him, I could just see it in his eyes,’ continued Aibgrene.

‘Aibgrene, now isn’t the time, okay!’ said Lola. What they were about to attempt required all her focus. ‘Let’s go!’ Lola slid out of the car seat and pulled up the hood of her mantle. They were the only people on the deserted street. Daithi rolled down the car window as both women approached. Lola could see the worry and torment in his eyes.

‘I’ve left the keys in my car, Daithi. Wait here for us,’ said Lola quietly.

Reaching out to take his hand, Lola tried to reassure him as best she could.

‘I’ll get them both back to you safe and sound. Okay?’ Daithi just nodded.

‘Celeste will need to travel with me, because I have the ring, so when we come out you go north through the town, and I’ll go in the opposite direction. We will meet at Brook Mill Manor, that’s the only place where we will all be safe. Try not to raise suspicion. We don’t know who or what they know.’ All this flowed from Lola’s mouth with confidence. ‘Are you ready?’ Lola asked Aibgrene. She shook her head and kissed Daithi goodbye, before taking Lola’s hand and heading towards Chateau Bacchus to rescue her mother.