Raven by Suzy Turner Page A

rebellion but thinking about it now, I didn't want to
hurt my family.
    “ I
haven't been gone very long, have I?” I asked.
    Jo
reassured me that my nap was only a short one and she had, in fact,
watched me leave the house and had followed me ten minutes later to
make sure I was okay.
    Sitting
down beside me, I noticed she had a small rucksack on her back
which she took off as she smiled at me. “I figured we might need
sustenance, so I grabbed a few bits before coming after you.” She
opened the bag, revealing scones, sandwiches, fruit and cans of
what she called 'soda'.
    My
stomach rumbled in response.
    “ I
guess I was right,” she said as we delved in and enjoyed our own
mini banquet out in the cold as we listened to the peaceful sounds
of the river.
    As we
ate and drank and got to know each other a bit better, we knew that
we would become good friends. Jo was a few years older than me and
would be celebrating her eighteenth birthday in a few
months.
    “ I'm
so glad you came out to find me, Jo. My life has been so weird over
the past few months and so it's good to have someone to confide
in.”
    Cocking
her head to one side just like the ravens on my windowsill, Jo
smiled inquisitively and I continued, “After my parents vanished, I
felt like I didn't belong anywhere, you know? Actually, come to
think of it, I guess I've never felt like I belonged. But coming
here... and meeting all of you guys, it's just incredible. I can't
describe it, really. Well, it's like, like I've finally come home,
you know?”
    She
nodded sadly.
    “ But I
feel guilty about it. How can I feel like that when my parents are
gone?” Tears threatened to erupt down my cheeks.
    “ You
have nothing to feel guilty about, Lilly. You have come home. You
clearly belong here. It's not your fault your parents disappeared.
We will find them. I'm sure they're okay. Why don't you tell me all
about your life in England. I'd love to know more!” she said in an
attempt to cheer me up. I knew she would be horrified when she
learnt the truth, but she insisted on hearing about it.
    So I
told her how I had grown up. In a strange and lonely world, trapped
in a home with no love, no joy.
    “ Lilly, that is so sad. All of this proves that you really
have nothing to feel guilty about. You deserve some happiness now.
I wish you had grown up here with us though. We would probably have
been the best of friends from the day you were born. You know, for
someone that never had a loving family, you're very grounded. If I
had to guess, I would have said that you grew up happy and loved,
judging by your personality.”
    Jo's
upbringing couldn't have been more different from my own. She had
always been surrounded by the most loving family, the Tulugaqs, and
it showed. She was happy and delightful to be around.
    “ If
you had grown up in Powell River, you'd know that it is wonderful
here. Of course there's always going to be your typical
neighbourhood gossip but everyone always rallies round and makes it
the most wonderful place to be. But at least you're here now. We
can enjoy it together from now on.”
    I was so
touched that I hugged her before she asked me a little more about
England.
    After
telling her of the little I knew of the country that had been my
home, I expressed how upset I was to be kept in the dark about
something within the family, about something that I believed I had
a right to know.
    “ I do
understand, Lilly, but Gabriel never does anything without giving
it a lot of thought first. He must have a very good reason not to
tell you... yet, anyway. I'm sure he will tell you soon
enough.”
    “ Don't
you know anything, Jo? Is there something you can tell me?” I
asked, hoping that she would at least be able to give me just a
hint of something... anything to put my mind at ease.
    She
looked away then and sighed and I knew I was wrong to ask her. She
was obviously torn between her love for her family and her newfound
friendship with me.
    I
decided not