Finding Jemima

Just give it time

  MATTY

I was happy when I saw Jem's smile as she skipped up the stairs, it was the first time I had seen her relaxed since she arrived, then those words hit me like a tank 'it's Em, no ones called me Jem in years" my face sank and it must have been obvious as Tom shot me a sympathetic smile across the room before standing up and sitting back on the sofa.

"I don't think that was aimed at you Matty.  You haven't seen her in eight years, there's going to be new things to learn on both sides. You need to give her bit of time." Tom offered up his insight.

"Yeah, I don't know mate, yeah your right. At least she smiled right" I said remembering the positives of the interaction "I wonder who she's talking to?"

"Probably a boyfriend I reckon" Tom said with a smirk on his face.

"Shut up she's only fifteen " I snapped back

"She's nearly sixteen isn't she? Besides what were you up to at fifteen!" Milo said walking in from the kitchen overhearing the conversation.

"Shut it Milo.....maybe I should go and just..." I pondered out loud, as my mind wondered to what I was doing at her age.

"Leave her be Matty...listen....that's the first proper laugh I've heard from her, this has to be hard on her mate, besides they can't get up to much via a computer screen can they! there's a good chapter on this in one of the books Sandra gave us, you should read it." Ed said sympathetically doing his best impression of being the sensible one, I don't think the word sensible has ever been uttered in reference to any of us before.

"Boyfriend!?" I ruffled my hair and puffed out my cheeks out "I have to admit boys that's not one I was prepared for. I guess there's a lot I need to catch up on eh?"

"eight years is a long time, she's not going to be the same little girl she was back then, and you're not the same little boy!" Max stated the obvious.

"I know, I know. It's been more like nearly nine years. Fuck, why did I leave it so long. I left them not her, I hope she knows that, I should have tried harder." I huffed and flopped on to the sofa it had been a long weird day, tomorrow will be better, little did I know the titanic had yet to hit the iceberg.

"Why does she call you Matthew?" Max asked

"It's my name dumb ass!" I sounded a little annoyed "Sorry max I didn't mean to snap! I don't know she always used to call me Matty! I don't know why she's going by 'Em' now either, Jesus there's so much I just don't know isn't there!"

"Come on mate, we can learn together! It's like we're all on even starting blocks." Max said trying to cheer me up.

"Thanks Max, I'm just worried, maybe I'm over thinking. Something just seems a little off, more than just moving and loosing mum you know, there's something else going on, I just haven't got a clue what!"

The boys didn't replay but the look on their faces told me they agreed with me which just made my anxiety worse.

After a while it had gone deadly quiet upstairs.  After a few hours I decided to go check on Jem, it was her first evening here after all. The boys had dispersed to their rooms probably to play computer games or something. I knocked gently on Jem's door there was no answer, I slowly opened it a crack and saw her asleep fully clothed on the bed.  I opened the door and stood in the door way looking at her.  I realised it was the first time I had actual stopped and properly really truly looked at her.  She still looked so much like me, she was stunning definitely not the cute little kid I left behind, she was more grown up she looked older than a nearly sixteen year old, despite her small height and frame. Her hair was long and wavy light brown and the ends had been dyed red, how had I not noticed that.  She looked slim, almost too slim her clothes sat loosely on her frame and her skin was pale, but I was pale as well so maybe that was a family trait.  She stirred in her sleep making a cute little grumbling noise, it was a noise I recognised, the same noise she used to make when we were little, she was my little Jem, and I finally had her back.

"What are we looking at"  Max whispered from behind me making me jump. I looked round to all four boys peering through the open door.

"Jesus don't sneak up on me like that! Nothing, I was just checking on her, do you think I should wake her up for something to eat, she said she didn't eat on the plane, she skipped lunch as well and she's been sleeping for hours?" I hushed back in all four of their directions not really minding who answered.

"She's probably jet lagged mate, maybe just leave her."  Ed replied.

"I can't get over how much she looks like you mate, she's even got the red hair!" Milo observed the sleeping Jem in the bed.

"Yeah she's your double mate, but much shorter and prettier!" Tom commented

"She always was my little mini me when we were kids"

"I wasn't expecting her to be so tiny though, what with you being so tall and broad, I mean there's nothing of her" max stated as we all continued to observe my sleeping sister.

"In all honesty neither did I, I don't remember her being short when we were little, just average sized, she's quite skinny looking isn't she?"

"Hmmm....Matty? Is that you?" A half asleep Jem mumbled.

I couldn't help but grin like a Cheshire Cat, she called me Matty, just like she used to, she might have been half asleep but it was clear as day. Not a formal Matthew but a fond Matty. I felt a playful slap on my back.

"See what did I tell ya, she just needs time" a happy sounding Tom said playfully.