Raven Saga 01 - Raven

everybody laughed and rushed over to hug and kiss me. Sonya was a little concerned why tears were falling down my face but I reassured her that they were most certainly tears of happiness.
    There was even a big banner with the words 'Happy Birthday Lilly' hung loosely across the top of the dining table which was covered in a mass of food, the likes of which I'd never seen before.
    There were miniature sausages, boiled eggs that had been cut in half and the hard yolks mixed with mayonnaise, little pastries in all shapes and sizes, pieces of cheese on sticks with pineapple and ham, my favourite crisps and nuts and they were just the things to nibble on. Another table that I hadn't noticed at first was covered in salads and cooked meats, full-size sausages and burgers and more. Lastly though, there was a huge variety of cute little cupcakes all with little wings on them. It was an amazing spread and I couldn't believe it had all been done under a cloud of secrecy. I had no idea that it was being planned at all.
    I saw that Oliver was standing back, patiently waiting for me to speak to everyone else first. And then when there was a gap, he approached me and put his arms around me and gave me a big hug, “Happy Birthday, babe. You're catching me up,” he whispered in my ear.
    I pulled back and looked at him and smiled before he leaned forward and kissed me briefly on the lips. I knew he was a little shy about kissing me in front of my family so a bear bug was his way of showing how much he cared.
    As he loosened his grip, I turned to have another look at the scene before me and shook my head in disbelief. I still couldn't believe that they had all gone to such effort for me.
    Oliver went to get us some drinks while I was dragged away by Jo, who was clearly dying to give me her gift. She pulled me away from the crowd and into my bedroom where she handed me a beautifully wrapped box and sat cross-legged on my bed.
    “I've been dying to come and see you all day but I couldn't, of course. I couldn't spoil the surprise,” she laughed.
    As I tried to remove the paper carefully without ripping it, Jo laughed at me and grabbed at the box, “Oh... just rip it,” she said.
    I pulled the box back from her and did as I was told, ripping the shiny pink paper away from the present underneath. I opened the lid and found a little gadget and some headphones.
    “It's an MP3 player!” squealed Jo as she jumped up from the bed, “here, let me show you,” and she demonstrated how it worked and how I could now listen to music wherever and whenever I wanted.
    I was so touched. Even though we hadn't spoken very much about music, she had obviously picked up on the one thing that I loved. It had been another thing forbidden by Vivian so to actually own my own music player was amazing and I told Jo so, while giving her a big hug.
    “I've taken the liberty of putting some of my favourite songs on there, just to get you started. There's some Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Antebellum, Raintown, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts and a few others that I'm sure you'll love. Now I know you haven't got a computer yet but you can always come round to my house to download some more, okay?” she said happily, with a smirk on her face.
    I nodded while I put the headphones in my ears and switched it on. The sounds that floated into my ears was like heaven and I couldn't thank her enough. I stood listening for a few minutes while she watched me, giggling before grabbing my arm and pulling me back into the party, nearly knocking me over.
    “Oops... sorry, I keep forgetting about your leg. Come on... there's probably lots more presents to open,” she said, my bedroom door closing behind us.
    “There you are. I was looking for you,” said Oliver with a glass of orange juice in his hand. His other hand was sneakily hidden behind his back. He smirked as he handed me the juice and waited a few moments as I took a few gulps and then put the glass down before he gave me my birthday present. It was a very small gift, wrapped haphazardly, for which he apologised, laughing. “Wrapping gifts isn't one of my strong points,” he joked.
    I looked around to make sure I wasn't being watched by anyone else, as I was still a little embarrassed at being given things. I had never been given very much before so I wasn't used to it – not even after all the wonderful things that had been lovingly given to me on Christmas day.
    As I unwrapped the purple and silver paper,