our little angel

A Moment of Peace

Age: 13
Words 535
Summary: It's Raven's birthday and Raven was in so much pain the breathing was hurting but then she felt the pain go away and then she decided to play with her sister all day.

The morning of Raven’s birthday was supposed to be special. She had turned thirteen today—a new year, another milestone. But instead of waking up excited, she woke up in agony.

Her chest burned, her limbs ached, and even the simple act of breathing felt like sharp daggers pressing against her lungs. Every inhale was a battle, every exhale a struggle.

She could barely move.

She didn’t want to cry, not on her birthday, but the pain was overwhelming. It had been getting worse, creeping in like shadows she couldn’t escape.

Mattheo and Lola were at her bedside immediately, worried eyes scanning her face. Draco stood near the doorway, arms crossed, trying to look strong but failing. Even Pansy was there, watching with concern.

And then there was Abbi.

The two-year-old was bouncing on her toes, holding a crudely wrapped present in her chubby hands. “Rae-Rae, I got you sumthin’!” she squealed excitedly, running forward.

Lola caught her before she could jump on the bed. “Gentle, baby. Sissy isn’t feeling good.”

Abbi’s face fell, her big, bright eyes glistening with sadness. “But… it’s her birfday.”

Raven wanted to comfort her, wanted to be better, but she could barely even lift her hand.

And then, just as suddenly as the pain had come, it disappeared.

Her breathing steadied. The ache in her body melted away. The weight pressing against her chest was just… gone.

She took a deep breath—a real, pain-free breath.

Mattheo immediately noticed the change. “Raven?” He leaned in, touching her forehead like he expected her to still be burning up. “How do you feel?”

Raven hesitated, flexing her fingers. “I… I feel okay?” She sat up carefully, expecting the pain to rush back—but it didn’t. For the first time in months, she felt normal.

A smile spread across her face. A real, genuine smile.

“I feel okay,” she repeated, this time with excitement.

Abbi gasped dramatically. “Dat means you can play wif me!”

Raven let out a soft laugh and reached for her little sister. “Yeah, bumblebee. I think I can.”

Abbi squealed in joy and practically tackled her, giggling uncontrollably.

Lola and Mattheo exchanged a look, relief and confusion mixing in their expressions. Draco narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly wondering why the pain had stopped so suddenly—but for now, no one wanted to question it.

Today was Raven’s birthday.

And after so many months of suffering, she finally had a day to just be a kid again.

So she played with Abbi.

They ran through the gardens, playing tag and chasing butterflies. They built towers out of books in the library, only to knock them down in fits of laughter. They snuck sweets from the kitchen when no one was looking.

For the first time in a long time, everything felt right.

But deep down, Raven couldn’t shake the feeling that this peace wouldn’t last.

Something had changed. And whatever it was… she knew it wasn’t over yet.