By Chance

ch 24 part 1

Raven

I'm standing in a dark hallway. Which is one shade away from being pitch black dark. It only illumination comes from a small lamp about sixty feet away. Slowly I walk toward it. Right before I reach it goes out with a crash glass shattering down on top of me. I bite my lip when a shard buries itself in my arm. I pluck it out by touch. When I do my vision changes. Lines now hight lighted by a bright green glow. Okay, night vision. This is weird. I walk down the one way hallway. Every time I look back the wall behind me is closer. I continue walking wondering where the path leads. "Raven." Someone says my name behind me. I spin around. There's a door in the wall that was blank a couple seconds ago. "Raven." I hear again. I slowly walk towards the door cautious but curious. I open it.

It's bright. I squeeze my eyes shut blocking out the light. When I open my eyes again I'm in my house. I look around. I'm sitting in a barstool at our island the leads off of the counters. My mom is humming as she cooks something. My dad walks in wearing a suit. He's smiling. Bethany is sitting next to me. Be she's younger. She looks 7. Then I realize I'm younger too. My hands are smaller, my hair's shorter, and I'm not as tall. "How are my little angels today?" My dad says walking over to us, ruffling our hair. "Dad." We complain in unison. He laughs. "Hope you have a great day at school you two." He says walking to mommy. He kisses her cheek and tells him he'll be home at six. She smiles and continues to cook breakfast. He walks out of the kitchen. I hear the front door shut a few seconds later. "So do you like that boy that you were sitting next to at lunch?" Bethany asks me. I shake my head."Ew, no he's gross. I had to because the teacher told me where to sit." I say sticking my tongue out at her. She shrugs nonchalantly. "Oh, well he was kinda cute. I made a new best friend." She says. "Who?"I ask wondering who it was this time. She always has new bestfriends but never seems to stick with the same ones. "It's a boy." She says. "How do you have a boy as a best friend? That's weird." I say scrunching my nose. "His name is Gabriel. He's awesome. He doesn't talk much but his eyes are really pretty. They almost look like dimonds." She says. I stare at her in shock. My brain connecting the dots. "Do you like like him or is he just your bestfriend?" I ask curiously. "He's nice and all but I don't really like quiet kids that much. They're kinda weird." She says. "Then why are you bestfriends with him?" I ask not getting it. "I don't know. Something about him catches my eye." She says.

The scene changes in a flash. I sitting at a picnic table. With my mom on one side and a little boy on the other. Bethany sits next to the little boy and dad. There's some other little girl I don't know sitting across from mom. There's a birthday cake in front of Bethany with the numbers 13 on it. "Blow out the candles and make a wish." My mom says. Bethany blows out the candles as my mom takes a picture. "What'd you wish?" The boy asks. "I can't tell you or it would come true. You know the rules." She says. He rolls his eyes. I laugh. He smiles at me. Recognition crosses my mind. Gabriel. This Bethany's 13th birthday and she invited Gabriel and some other I don't remeber. " Your sister's weird." He says. I nod. "Hey! You weren't supposed to agree with that." Bethany says mocking an angry face. I shrug smiling. We all laugh.

A flash of light and the birthday's gone. I blink, my eyes slowly agusting to the light.