Emma's Six- The Final Year

Revision

Revision is the hardest thing I've ever done so far. I've mostly stared at textbooks, read them, and moved on to answering practice questions. Mr Smith marks them and gives me feedback on how I can do better. If I'm going to pass at least my history GCSE, I'll need all the help I can get, considering everything else I'm learning. I must study everything I will experience in a few months and what to expect as a human-Qetesh hybrid. It won't be easy, but I think I can do it.

Once again, I find myself staring at my history textbook. I spend most weekends studying now. Someone knocks on the door. 'Come in!' I call. I turn to find Sky standing in the doorway. She moved back in with us, and my older self agreed that would be the best thing. After Miss Meyers kidnapped Sky last time, my older self wants to take every precaution. 'Hey, Sky, you alright?'
'Yeah, I've just been baking with Auntie Jane, Uncle Harry, and Uncle James. Do you want to come down and try some biscuits?'
'Absolutely, revision can wait.' I take Sky's outstretched hand, and we head down to the kitchen together.

The delicious smell of chocolate chip cookies wafts through the air as we enter the kitchen. Jane is still wearing her apron, and she is taking another batch of biscuits out of the oven. Harry hovers by the biscuits on the cooling rack and tries to pinch one when Jane's not looking. 'I saw that, Harry!' Jane squawks, hitting him with a tea towel. Harry laughs and bites into the biscuit.
'That's hot!'
'That teaches you for nicking food when it's cooling.'

James looks up from his book. 'Is Harry nicking biscuits again?'
'That's the one.'
'He could never help himself,' James returns to his book.
'At least someone's behaving around here.' Jane picks up a biscuit, places it on a plate and hands it to James.
'Thanks.' James doesn't look up from his book as he eats.
'You must love reading,' Sky says.
'Yeah, I love it. I've read one of Mr Pitman's sci-fi books when we were on the Titanic, and he kept badgering at me to give it back!'
'Did you?'
'Considering that book's at the bottom of the ocean-' James cuts himself off when he sees our faces. Sky still looks interested, but I can see Harry and Jane look rather upset. I'm not surprised- Titanic is the last thing we all want to talk about- I even try and avoid it when I'm studying. But I cannot avoid it for much longer. 'Yes, I did give it back. I think Mr Pitman finished it before the collision. I'll ask him whether he did when he comes back.'
'He survived until 1963; it's unlikely he'd remember the specific book he read in 1912,' Jane says.

'What are you talking about?' Anne asks as she wanders into the room and pinches a biscuit. Jane also hits her with the tea towel.
'A book Uncle James read,' Sky says, but she doesn't give more explanation than that.
'Sounds interesting; what book was it?'
'One of Mr Pitman's,' James says and launches into the story of the situations he and Bert got into as James wouldn't give the book back.
'James!' Anne groans. 'If you finished the book, you should've given it back. He had mere hours to read it.' I'm not going to ask what happened there.

'I better get back to my revision,' I stand up.
'Do you have to, Smithy?'
'What did you just call me, Anne?'
'Smithy. I think the nickname suits you.'
'Really?'
'Charles called Emma "Smithy",' Harry says, 'so Anne's not the first one to use it.'
'Great.' I grin at my friends before I head up to my room.

'Hey,' Mummy says a couple of hours later. 'You still working?' I check the time, and it's almost dinner. I've sat at my desk longer than I thought.
'Yeah, just going over my history. Mum's getting me to study what I should expect in the future. As a human-Qetesh hybrid, it seems like there will be some aspects of my identity that would become harder to hide.'
'Oh, dear. Is there anything I can do to help?'
'Just having your support is enough, Mummy.' I rub my eyes and yawn. All this revising is making me tired. If I already feel like this in September, how bad will it get in May?
'You better have an early night. If you want to do more studying, you need to have a lot of rest.'
'I know, I know.'
'Are you getting enough exercise?'
'Mummy!'
'I'm just checking. You haven't left your room much; I'm getting worried.'
'Well, you want me to do well on my history GCSE.'
'Of course, I do, but not if it's impacting how much time you're spending with your family.'
'Are you encouraging me to stop studying?'
'Nothing of the sort!' Mummy laughs, and I find myself laughing with her. She sits on my bed, and I leave my desk and join her. She pulls me into a hug, and I find her scent overpowering me. Some of the stress I feel begins to melt away. 'Why don't you do some of your studying in the attic? At least then you're around everyone.'
'Okay, I think I'll do that.' I pick up some of my books, and we head up into the attic. Mummy puts on a pair of glasses and joins Rani at the pillar. Clyde is on the stair, his sketchbook open and a pencil in his hand. I peek over to find he's completing a drawing of Mummy. It's excellent, so life-like. Luke and Anna are standing in front of Mr Smith, quizzing him about all sorts of random facts. Anne is teaching James how to play Foosball with shocking results. Harry is watching them, struggling to stop himself from laughing. Jane, Catalina, and Kitty are going through photographs of Sky, who is trying to get them to put them away. I place my books on my desk and look around the room. The attic's full of life and love, just as it should be. It's a quiet evening, thank goodness.