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✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
As soon as Genevieve stepped from the train to the platform, Genevieve's mind went blank of anything else except from her family. Without thinking, she bolted into the packed crowd, her eyes looking out for platinum-blonde hair that her mother and sister had, or the soft, dark eyes that her father always looked lovingly at her with.
Genevieve's arm ached from carrying the vast suitcase, but she didn't think about the numbness - she had other priorities that were far more important. She was so fixated on finding her family that she barely blinked, scared that if she did she would see their faces a second later than she could have if she kept her eyes open.
When Genevieve saw them, she swore her breathing stopped. They hadn't seen her yet. Thomas had his hands in his pockets and was eying the crowd, trying to spot her in it, while Mary held tightly onto Anna's hand. They were perfect - not a scratch on their faces, blissfully unharmed, not a trace of worry in their mind - and Genevieve felt that she could exhale deeply again. Relief flooded through her like an ebbing wave and she took off in a sprint.
Thomas noticed her first, his eyes widening in delight as he watched his daughter run towards them. He took three large steps and held out his arms wide. The next thing he knew, his arms were closed tightly around Genevieve, clutching tightly onto her much smaller frame. She couldn't help but laugh, feeling stupid for assuming the worst.
"Genevieve, you've been gone too long," Thomas said adoringly, squeezing her shoulders. "I almost forgot what you looked like."
"Well, I didn't," Mary said, pushing her husband away and wrapping her daughter in her own loving embrace. Mary's hugs were always full of compassion, and Genevieve felt her muscles become less tense as she eased into it. "The only thing different about you is that you've grown an inch and a half."
"I have?" Genevieve asked, looking down at herself as if she would be able to notice.
"Yes, honey," Mary said. "I have to reach up to hug you now." Suddenly, her gaze turned to Thomas, more worried. "Or am I shrinking?"
"I didn't want to be the one to tell you," Thomas confessed sadly. Anna burst out in a fit of giggles, hiding them behind her hands slapped over her mouth.
Mary rolled her eyes and went to turn her interest back to Genevieve, but something caught her attention. A gentle smile reached her lips. "I think your friends want to say goodbye," Mary said, nodding over Genevieve's shoulder.
With furrowed brows, Genevieve turned. Bradley was waving ecstatically, a wide grin on his face, as Toby tried ushering him along. He smiled apologetically at Genevieve, knowing how desperate she had been to see her family. He didn't want to interrupt that moment. Even over the crowd, Genevieve could hear Bradley yell, "I'll miss you!" She could tell it took a lot of courage for him to shout like that to her. She replied that she would miss him too, smiling just as widely, before they were engulfed in the crowd.
