Different Games // John Stones

7

It was early Wednesday afternoon and Raven was leaning against her car. An umbrella protected her from the rain outside as she was waiting for the school bell to finally ring. She had been standing there for almost 15 minutes and had not told the twins that she would pick them up from school that day. She had managed to take a full week off that spontaneously thanks to Leslie who was actually relieved to hear that her best friend would finally get away from work again. Leslie had assured her that she would take care of all urgent matters and that everything else could wait another week.

And then the bell rang and Raven could hear the noise of chairs being moved and pupils chatting away. Within less than three minutes the first kids came walking through the front entrance of the school in Southern Sheffield. And Raven felt reminded of her time in school, of that incredible feeling of relief when that final bell before any break rang. She had loved the thought of endless possibilities, late nights and more freedom than usual.

'RAVEN!' Elijah screamed when he spotted his big sister. A big smile spread on Raven's face as she also spotted the 12-year-old.

'What are you doing here?' Elijah asked as he hugged Raven.

'I'm picking you and Simi up. And I'm staying for a few days.' Raven said and put Elijah's backpack into the trunk of her car.

'You're staying!?' The boy asked excitedly.

Raven nodded and could not help but smile at his enthusiasm.

'SIMON! Raven is staying with us!" Elijah exclaimed as his twin brother had just spotted them.

'Really? That's so cool. I can't remember the last time you stayed over.' Simon said and mirrored his brother's smile.

'Yeah, it's pretty cool. But let's go home and surprise Mom and Gareth.' Raven said and walked over to the driver's side.

'SHOTGUN!" Elijah screamed. Raven laughed and watched as Simon's smile faded and he settled into the backseat.

When she pulled into the small country road that led to Gareth and her mum's house, Raven's smile grew even bigger. She loved the tight road leading up to the family's home with its smooth elevation changes, bushes framing the road and views over seemingly infinite fields.

At the end of the road stood the two-story brick house with the dark green roof and ivy climbing up its walls. The windows had intricate white frames and light blue shutters. A white bench stood next to the old wooden entrance door and a white picket fence door connected the brick building with the newer white garage.

'Mom, Dad, look what we brought home!' Elijah said as the trio entered the hallways.

'What did you – RAVEN!" Claudia exclaimed as she spotted her eldest daughter slipping out of her shoes.

'Hey, mum! I thought I'd surprise you.'

'And what a surprise this is. Gosh, I can't remember ever seeing you in here besides Christmas ever since you moved out.' Claudia said and wiped the smallest of tears from her right eye.

'What's all this noise about?' Gareth questioned as he joined his wife at the end of the hallway.

'Raven is visiting!' Simon explained to his dad.

'Really? How come?' Gareth wanted to know.

'I just ... felt like I needed to see you all and rest for a bit.' Raven said and pulled her mom into a heartfelt hug. Her mum smelled like lilies, her favourite flowers.

'Well, I won't argue with that. How long are you staying?' The man asked as it was his turn to wrap his arm around Raven.

'Until next Wednesday, so, a full week.'