Raven Saga 01 - Raven

anyway.”
    We sat where there was a free space, and immediately three cats jumped onto her lap and another two rubbed themselves against her legs, purring even louder than before.
    I looked around and noticed that almost every painting on the wall was of some kind of feline animal. A wild mountain lion, a domestic siamese, a ginger tom, a black puma, a lynx. The most beautiful image was of a white tiger – the animal seemed ready to jump out of the frame and into the living room. I stood up to take a closer look and saw that they were all painted by a person called Rosa Lima.
    “Did you do these, Rose?” I asked. “They're absolutely amazing. So lifelike.”
    “Why thank you dear, that's very kind of you. They are all mine. Rosa Lima is my real name. It's Portuguese actually. My great-great-grand-father was originally from Portugal and he married a local girl so you could say I have Portuguese blood.” As she answered me, it was then that I noticed her eyes appeared to have changed colour. No longer were they bright blue, but so dark that they reminded me of treacle. I had never seen anything like it. Or was I mistaken? Perhaps it was merely a trick of the light?
    “Is that what language the music was earlier, Portuguese?” I queried, recalling that lovely music with the foreign words that, along with the cat, had enticed me towards Rose's house.
    “Why yes that's right. It's my favourite song. Canção do Mar – Song of the Sea. It's traditional Portuguese music called Fado. Do you like it?” Rose asked me.
    Nodding, “I love it,” I answered and she stood up and went to her stereo and pressed play again before returning to her soft brown leather armchair with slightly ripped arms.
    Together we sat in silence and listened to the beautiful sounds of Rose's favourite song.

CHAPTER EIGHT

    The following day I discovered that the birthday party for Ben's brother was to be held at Gabriel's house... my house. My home. And as I looked forward to the company of my new family, I got stuck in and helped wherever I could.
    Meredith and Sonya turned up early in the day to give the place a good clean. I used a vacuum cleaner for the first time ever to clean all the floors while the two of them dusted the wooden surfaces and washed the kitchen from top to bottom before we started preparing the food. Both women were completely taken aback at discovering that I had never cooked anything in my life before staying with Dorothy and June. In fact they were even more upset when I told them everything I had ever eaten had come out of a tin.
    “Goodness, it's amazing that you still look relatively healthy. A little pale, perhaps, and certainly very thin. You could obviously use some good home cooking and some fresh vegetables,” said Meredith as she turned me around to take a good look at me.
    “I think we need to teach you how to cook, too,” said Sonya. “It would be nice for Gabriel if you were able to help him cook a nice dinner every now and then,” she added. I agreed, excited at the prospect of spending some more time in the kitchen to learn a new skill, after my kind old neighbours had taught me the basics.
    If only my mother had been more like them. Meredith patted me on the shoulder and gave my hand a squeeze as if I'd spoken aloud.
    For the first time in weeks, I actually felt safe and more importantly... loved. It was strange being rallied around by fellow family members, when all I'd ever known were my parents and they had never rallied around me for anything. There had never been anyone else.
    As the two women laughed and joked with me, I smiled a sad smile. It would have been wonderful to have grown up like this, in this environment, I thought. In fact it would have been wonderful to have been able to share some moments like those with my parents. What I wouldn't have given to have them there with me then, all of us laughing and joking together. But they were not there. They were still missing. I felt a tugging in my chest, and just for a second, I thought my eyes might well up with tears.
    Sonya looked at me and I just knew that she understood what I had been thinking. She reached over and squeezed my hand and smiled.
    I returned her smile and my tears retreated as I tried to change the subject on my mind.
    “So how come Oliver's birthday party is being held here?” I asked, trying hard to think of other things.
    “I guess Ben didn't tell you that both his parents died quite a few years ago,”