A little love goes a long way

7

Some hours had passed between Sophie looking at the passing lights, to looking at a darkness behind her eyelids, before she awoke to the car stopping.

She knew her grandparents lived a few hours away, as they normally complained about the lengthy drive, the traffic and whatnot, but Sophie did not see houses in the dim morning light, only a gas station, where they exited to retrieve snacks and fuel, before carrying on the road. There may have been conversation occurring, but she blocked it out in favour of the sunrise, the oh-so-beautiful sunrise over the trees bordering the road, catching glimpses of the sun itself as the trees thinned.

Sophie hugged her legs closer to her chin as she rested her cheek against the glass - apparently, it seemed Rose had rolled the window up whilst she was sleeping - and she just thought. She thought about her life so far, both bad and good times altogether, and realised that maybe she had been lacking in life, but maybe she could change. She had her Grandparents - her loving grandparents - and she had her brother, plus the many pets that her grandparents owned.

They lived south, a good few hours away by car from where she had lived - but having signed over parental supervision for both herself and Jake, that meant they were now under the care of their grandparents and would live with them - it was a rural enough place, just under the average size for a city, nothing like London, but nothing like unknown places in the world either, with a really great university that Sophie would be going to - her grandparents both recommended and ensured that she would get into that university, to be closer to them.

Unlike her parents, her grandparents lived slightly isolated from streets, owning their own land which they use to farm minor foods, as in fruits and vegetables, a small patch of wheat. They owned chickens and horses, allowed sheep to graze in the meadow, and had a goat and three cows - purely for milk and cheese. Their land lay close enough to a forest, a dense forest that Sophie vaguely remembers exploring as a child in her Father's arms, being told of scary Werewolves and vampires, burying her head into her father's shoulder to escape the lighthearted teasing stories. How she wished for those days to return. The key thing she remembered about the forest was her special place, somewhere she got lost as a child, and it never quite left her mind: a small clearing with a pond, with a small waterfall flowing from it over scattered rocks in a cliff formation, short enough to climb down at her height now, but not as a child. She thought she saw fairies there, but as she grew older, the memories faded of the fairies, until only a blur of flashing light remained in her memory.

The car had stopped by the time Sophie had awoken again, not noticing that she had even fallen asleep. Jake had his hand on her shoulder, rocking her ever-so-slightly. Unbuckling the seat-belt she opened the car door onto the sight of the - I wouldn't call it a farmhouse, but that's the only word that could accurately describe it - a neat one and a half storey home, the half, of course, being a fully renovated attic, with a small porch outside, distant chairs sat upon it, the roof coated with light snow, concealing the colour underneath. The windows had shutters on the outside, and the forest Sophie had so fondly remembered, seemed much closer than she had previously anticipated, by that, it meant it was right behind the house - at least a thin stretch of it was, before the large open field where the farmed animal enclosures were kept.

Walking along the cobbled path, she made sure not to step on the cracked stones as Grandpa Brian fetched letters from the letterbox, Rose leading the two of them into the house - whereupon they were pounced on by two oversized, lovable St Bernard and Husky mixed dogs, slobbering and woofing happily on Sophie and Jake, before bolting over towards Rose, then when he arrived, Brian.

Deep in her stomach, Sophie felt her stomach fill with something that felt like butterflies, something she could only associate with happiness, as the urge to smile overtook her face, a laugh erupting from her mouth as she followed the largest dog - Collie - and wrapped her arms around her neck, relishing in the soft grey fur, and the sloppy wet kisses that followed. Jake sitting with Collies younger sister Rosemary, with black, grey dappled fur and deep blue eyes, Collie - Sophie realised - had a grey coat, with one brown eye, with a correlating brown ear, and one blue eye, with a white patch around it. They were beautiful puppies - three years old - is that technically a puppy anymore though? Either way, adorable.

Rose ushered them into the living room, before shuffling off and starting on a cake and some hot chocolate, announcing that it was well deserved, as Grandpa Brian went to unpack the boxes from their car - Sophie and Jake offering to help, but being refused. Grandpa really was a stubborn person when he wanted to be.

Whilst Grandpa received the boxes, Jake flipped on the TV, and Sophie looked around.

On the walls were memories - oh so many memories - from when Nana and Grandpa were first dating, to pictures of their wedding, one with Rose cradling their Mother, images of her mother as a toddler, slowly growing up. Framed photographs on the mantle of her Mother and Father's prom day - high-school sweethearts they used to say - their wedding, and then pictures of Sophie's birth, being cradled by her mother so tenderly, Rose and Grandpa holding each other in the background, and her father kissing her mother's head. It then went on to pictures of Sophie growing up. Her first steps, a happy baby with blinding white hair - that over the years has darkened - and deep blue eyes - they maintained their colour, just with more depth and colours added on. Finally there was Jake's part of the wall, and in his birth picture, it wasn't their mother holding him, but Sophie, looking into the camera with the brightest smile a child could have, sitting on her Nana's lap, her arms helping to hold her newborn brother, mother and father just behind her, and Brian to the left, holding his face as though he was crying, then there were photo's of Jake, just like Sophie, though both had very scattered pictures of them growing up, many before their mother lost Joseph, and after that, just school photo's and Christmas cards, pictures taken on birthdays.

On the bookshelf, there were children's books, some worn with age, some fresh and regularly dusted. Old books and new alike - books about art, history, crime, horror, fantasy - you name it, it might have well been there, in-between the books were ornaments, handmade or porcelain, some metal, some clay, small pictures in small photo frames, and to the side of the large bookshelf, an umbrella stand, not holding umbrellas, but coursebooks for Sophie, still in their plastic packaging. Psychology, Sociology and a few languages: French, Spanish, German, not all that she would need, but a couple. When she heard the door opening, then the sound of boxes setting down, she ran across slippery floorboards - fluffy socks and hardwood, not the best mix - and hurdled straight into her Grandpa, teary-eyed and muttering so many thank-yous that it was hard to tell when one ended and the other began.

"There, there sweetheart, it's fine - honestly. Now - don't give me that look." He comforted her, booped her nose with his finger, and sent her back into the living room with a sweet smile, Collie bounding up after her, resting her head on Sophie's lap as she lazily thumped her tail side to side, clearly appreciative of the ear scratches.

Fifteen minutes later, idly watching the Simpsons, taking comfort in the bright flashing colours, Rose walked back into the room, a tray full of hot chocolates, the sweet smell filling the room almost instantly, Collie's head perking up only briefly before deciding that no- she wasn't that interested -and fell almost instantly back asleep. Brian entered five or so minutes later, locking the door behind him, Sophie tensed at the sound before reminding herself that nothing bad would happen here, this was a safe place - they were safe.

It was almost nine in the morning before the cake was ready, and they were all starving, a long drive and restless night would certainly do that to you. Once the cake slices were eaten - a nice, simple Victoria's sponge - they were shown to their rooms. They were directly across from each other, and Jake's room was next door to their grandparents, though the walls seemed quite thick. Sophie fell asleep instantly once she had hit the bed.