Beyond

Raven

"What do you mean they think they found them?" Olivia asked her Mum.

"Thanks for keeping the secret Logan," Amythest told him.

"I don't know sweetie. Eat your breakfast and head to school. I will call you as soon as I know anything." Aunt Saundra told her.

"So we just go to school? Again? Do you know what it's like having everyone ask you where your cousins are? What it was like in that ship?" I asked.

"Raven." My mum said to me. 

"That was different. You were all together. You all know what it was like! You even found Jake!" I started to get mad.

"Raven." My mother's voice was deep and sounded thick. "You are right. That was different. That was five months to 12 years. We all had different levels of what we went through. And yes I found my brother. And Amber her family. Do you know what it was like having to do everything we did, all alone?"

"Red," Jake said from behind her.

"No don't 'Red' her," I yelled. "You want to know why I don't know what it was like? Because you never told me. You never told me what you went through. You never told me how you did what you did or much of what it was."

"Raven!" Olivia exclaimed.

"I am leaving. I have school." I said in as calm of a voice as I could.

"I will take you," Olivia said. "Annie, are you coming?"

Annie nodded. I walked outside, headed towards the car, and saw Ace climbing out of Connor's car. 

"Get in." I heard Olivia say from behind me as I opened the door of the passenger seat.

/ / / / / 

"Ok, you guys know the deal. Get out." Olivia told us. I started getting out when Olivia stopped me. "Raven. Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked her.

"Are you okay?" She asked me.

"I mean, are you? You can't tell me you are not frustrated with this crap. Haven't you got the random questions too? I mean it's your brother out there." I told her.

"Of course I am frustrated with this. Of course, I have gotten that dumb question everyone asks. 'what happened?' And of course, I want my brother back but, there I nothing I can do. There is nothing any of us can really do. We just have to go to school and pretend to be okay. If you can't do it for yourself or for your mom. Do it for Theo and Skylar." She told me.

I nodded.

"Ok now get out of here." She smiled. I smiled back. I guess you do just have to pretend to be okay. I guess it is easier for us to pretend. We have pretended all our lives. Like we will continue to pretend. (2/13/19)