3 chapter 3

Here's the next chapter, enjoy

Monday came and went by quickly, me thinking about Shreya and our day ahead, I was going to get to see the house I would've grown up in if all had been well, I waited outside the gates at the end of the school day

"Hey Raven you want a lift?" Andrew asked he was a friend, his dad was picking him up

"No I'm fine I've got a lift, thanks though Andrew" Andrew nodded and walked off towards his dad's car, after he left, a red BMW stopped in the road ahead of me, I bent down to see Shreya in the drivers seat

"Am I late?" She asked

"No" I told her as I walked over to the passenger side and got in

"How was school?"she asked school was a blur I thought

"It was good, as usual" she nodded with a smile "how was your day?" I asked

"My day was a blur" she answered, I stared at her with my mouth hanging open she smiled at me for a split second before looking at the road again "what?" She asked "what did I say?" I shook my head

"Nothing" I told her it was just a coincidence that I was thinking what she said, right? I didn't have time to dwell on it as we drove into the countryside, we were surrounded by trees and it was so quite she soon stopped the car in front of a big house, this house was four storeys it was huge it could probably be a small school

"This house was built over a century ago it used to be a school" she let me know, I nodded, I was right, we walked up the cobbled road to a very strange looking door how was it strange you ask? well what does every door have ... a handle right? Right this door had no handle no don't read that again you did not read it wrong and it isn't a typing mistake this door really had no handle there was a small iPad like panel where the handle should've been it was the size of a sweet wrapper it was black with a white border Shreya put her thumb on the panel with her fingertip down, a green light flashed on the panel and with a long beep the door opened she turned to see me and my face was hanging open she smiled at my shock then went on to explain

"I'm always losing my keys so this just makes life easy" she shrugged I nodded makes sense. I guessed that the inside would be very hi tech but it wasn't it was ... normal we walked into a long hallway on our right was a living room with an archway leading into the dining room there were two doors in the dining one led into the kitchen the other led into a conservatory in the kitchen on the side there was a staircase "come I'll show you your room" I was confused did she think I was staying here? I followed her hoping to set her straight I mean I liked her but not enough to leave my mum, not yet anyway we made it up the stairs there was a door to the right "that's my room" we walked past it we walked past a few more doors we then came to a stop at the very end of the hall "this is your room" she said she took a deep breath then opened the door

"Wow" I exclaimed that was an understatement it felt like I had walked into santas workshop there were presents everywhere piled up high they were all different sizes and shapes there were hundreds wrapped in all sorts of different coloured paper some were red some were blue some were green some said merry Christmas some said happy birthday some were plain did she work for a charity or something? "what is all this? I feel like I've stepped into santa's workshop" I stated in awe

"You've been to santa's workshop?" She asked excitedly I turned towards her questioningly "right of course not, Santa isn't real" she whispered the last part I turned away then

"Sooo what is all this?" I asked again

"Presents, your presents for every year some for your birthday, some for Halloween, some for Easter and some for Christmas" she stated with a shrug there was no way I could open all these I mean if there were many for every year it started the day I was born most would be toys, I didn't need nor want toys but how do I tell her that some might be clothes, clothes that wouldn't fit me anymore maybe I could give some of these to a charity I was big on giving to charities especially around Christmas but how do I tell her that without upsetting her "you know" she spoke, I turned to her giving her my full attention "I was just thinking, you're not going to need all this I mean I only kept all this to keep my dead daughter alive but seen as though you're here now we don't need all this and you know Christmas is coming in a few months, so I was wondering if you keep the presents you got for your fifteenth we could give the rest to charity? I mean you know if that's ok with you" she finished how does she do that I have noticed she's done that so many times she voices my thoughts do we think alike so much? it sounds crazy

"Umm yeah you know I was thinking the same thing" I told her

"Really? Wow great minds think alike I guess" she looked just as surprised as I did

"I guess" so we sorted through the presents luckily the people who gave the gifts had written what age I would've been when they gave it

"That was your dad's idea, he told everyone to write what age you would've been to receive the gift he said it was so that he could keep track now I know why he did it, he did it so that he could maybe some day tell you and you could open them in the order you would've opened them" I nodded it made sense he was the only one that knew I was alive it also told me that some day he hoped I would come here into his life

Once we sorted through them I found twelve presents from last year and three from this year three from this year were from Easter seen as though we were in August my birthday was thirty October so I hadn't received many presents for this year

"Most of the family stopped giving gifts through the years, but we didn't" the gifts were from Shreya, James and someone called Bella "that is your dad's sister" I nodded I decided to open Shreya's gifts first so I opened the birthday gift from last year first the wrapping paper was red with happy birthday written all over I opened it to reveal a book 'a witch's curse'

"It's a good book" she shrugged I opened the birthday gift from James, my father, the wrapping paper was a shiny blue it was plain and had a red bow on it, it was shaped like a book once opened it, it revealed a book the cover was leather and had a click button I opened the first page trying to figure out what book it was as there was no title I gasped on the inside cover was a written message

To my lovely daughter Raven

"It's James's diary" Shreya whispered I looked towards her she had tears in her eyes I didn't know what to say I put it down, we opened Bella's gift next, it was a long gift I opened it to reveal a bow and arrows this made Shreya laugh "only Bella...." She said pinching the bridge of her nose I decided to open the Christmas presents next the first one I opened was from Shreya the wrapping paper was blue with little pictures of Santa, snowmen and reindeer I opened it to reveal a snow globe I gave it a shake and snow fell on a little Santa figurine inside I smiled it was cute it took me half an hour to get through the gifts but Bella's gift was by far very puzzling we went down later for a snack we went into the kitchen I sat at a dining table whilst Shreya made sandwiches I offered to help but she turned me down saying I was a guest for today and that I mustn't work I had sighed and sat down. We were eating our snack when a boy slammed the door open out of breath I was about to take a bite when he came he was huffing like he had just run a long distance

"Is it true? He asked looking from me to Shreya, Shreya was pretty calm

"Is what true dear?" She asked calmly

"Is she really here?"

"Is who here dear?" We'll this was exciting..... Not

"Your daughter aunt Shreya your daughter, is she really here" he asked as he sat down at the table opposite Shreya

"Yes dear it's true" she told him looking towards me the guy looked at me too and sighed

"It's good to meet you Raven, I'm Mitch" he told me smiling as he put out his hand I took it with a smile he shook it then let go

"This is Bella's son" Shreya told me

"Ohh hi it's great to meet you, can't wait to meet your mum" I smiled remembering her gift, he smiled back we talked for a long while before I asked Shreya to take me home she seemed sad but didn't argue she just stood and we walked together to the car and she drove me home we planned to meet again the week after.

That night I started to read James's diary

Raven should be three today Shreya seems fine now I'm still wondering weather I made a mistake by giving Raven away

I cried he knew he made a mistake

But I know her new family love her, sometimes I watch her in the park playing I am keeping an eye on them just so I know she's safe

I cried and smiled at the same time it was nice to know he didn't just abandon me

Knock knock I sniffed and wiped away tears that had fallen

"Come in" I called in a croaky voice the door opened and my mum walked in

"Oh my god" she exclaimed she put a glass on my bedside table then sat on the bed in front of me and held me tight in a hug "what's wrong sweetheart, why are you crying" I laughed and contemplated weather I should tell her or not

"I got some gifts today" I decided it was better to tell her "amongst the presents was a diary" I looked at her carefully as I spoke slowly she nodded when appropriate "James's diary" she sighed as she nodded she cleared her throat

"What does it say that got you upset" she whispered I held the now closed diary out to her she looked at it then at me questioningly

"Read the first page" I told her she took a deep breath then took the diary she opened it to the first page and started to read I looked at her carefully knowing she would react how she was going to react was the main question she soon whispered

"Oh wow, sounds like a stalker" I looked at her she was smiling I smiled too knowing she said that to make me feel better "come on" she said as she got up, closed the diary and put it on my nightstand "I'm making super you can help" I nodded I too got up and walked to the door after one last look at the diary I turned and shut the door after picking up the empty glass mum forgot on my nightstand.

please vomment (vote/comment) I'll post next chapter tomorrow