Ravens Quest

I woke up this morning to the sounds of birds chirping and grass being mowed. It's always been a ritual for my father to mow the lawn at exactly 11 am every Friday because he knew I'd still be sleeping.

As annoying as it was nice to have some consistency in my life with everything that's been going on lately. Struggling to get up I pulled the covers over and slipped on my robe heading to my dresser to grab some clothes for the day.

Staring down, a lump formed in my throat as I stared at a picture of my mom and me in a helicopter while she was training for the airforce. I almost chuckled from staring at the version of myself with glasses and braces. Picking the picture up holding it close to me wishing I could hug her instead of the piece of glass and frame.

Setting the picture down I threw some clothes from the dresser onto my bed not caring what I had taken out. I enter that bathroom and began to unbraid my hair from last night. Watching it fall to my waist as I brushed it.

I washed my face and went back to my room throwing on the bright red t-shirt along with a pair of black shorts and slipped on some sandals and headed down the stairs.

"Ah well hello looks like someone finally woke up; I thought I was going to have to mow the lawn twice for you to get out of bed." My dad said taking a rag from the counter and wiping his face from the sweat.

I laughed and went over to the cabinet to make coffee and my dad immediately took the mug from my hands. "You know birdie, coffee stunts your growth." Putting down the mug. "Well, it's a good thing I'm already tall.

If anything I can use some stunting, now I will take this thank you very much." Taking back the mug from his hands and placing it under the coffee maker.

"Can yall stop making so much noise it sounds like elephants are running around down here?" My sister, Bailey said as she walked down rubbing her eyes.

"Goodmorning to you too B." Said my dad walking over to her placing a kiss on her forehead.

Bailey walks over and sits beside me grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl to eat. "So, are we going anywhere today," she asked with her mouth full of food.

"Finish chewing and I might tell you," I said to her pretending to gag as she laughed knowing bananas are the one thing in the world that will make me want to throw up immediately. "Listen, girls." He stated, walking over to us setting the cloth he once had in his hand down.

"I have to go to work, will you girls be okay while I'm gone. It'll only be for a little bit and I'll be back before dinner." He said picking putting on his navy jacket and bag.

I walked over towards him as Bailey followed closely behind me. "Dad, we will be fine trust us, we can survive a few hours without you plus like you said, you will be home right before dinner so go, "I said almost shoving him out the door as he laughed.

Bailey and I watched through the window as he walked to his car and got in eventually driving away.

I turned to look at Bailey as she walked back from the widow watching dad drive away. "I have a gift for you Rae," she said immediately almost in a sneaking manner.

"Oh yea what is it." I smiled down at her. My sister might be a little bratty sometimes but that's expected from an 11-year-old, either way, she has her moments and this would be considered one of them.

She waved her hand at me telling me to come up the stairs and as I followed her she began to giggle to herself. We both got to her door and she stopped almost pushing me back.

"Cover your eyes and walk to my bed, and NO PEEKING." She said dragging my arm. Hesitantly, I walked into the room almost instantly falling over from all the clothes and toys she has on her floor.

She led me to the bed pushing me to sit on the edge. "Okay Rae, you can open," She said clapping her hands together, I couldn't see but I can feel the wide smile that was most likely on her face.

Opening my eyes and looking down feeling the pieces of paper being placed on my thigh.

"OH. MY. GOD. you did not get me tickets to see Jackie Nova, how'd you even get these, wait first of all how did you afford them. Each ticket is like 400 dollars right now." I screamed jumping up from her bed and hugging her.

"Cant...... breathe....get.......off," She said gasping for air as I let her go.

"Dad helped me get them he told me a friend owes him so he got there." She smiled. "Well thank you, there are three tickets here so I'm guessing you and dad and I are all going together?"

"Yea of course also because I kind of wanted to see her and I knew dad wouldn't want me alone at a concert and they don't let people under 13 in by themselves. How dumb." She said folding her arms.

I laughed and looked at the tickets to see the dates.

Still, smiling I look over at Bailey who looks like she's ready to punch on me any moment now.

"Do you like them?" Bailey asked walking towards me and picking up the tickets from my hands.

"Are you fucking kidding me, of course, I love it, I remember dad telling me you were planning to get me something but this!" I paused for a second and looked at her.

"This is something I'll never forget thank you B," I said calmly putting the tickets into my pocket.

"No problem, okay get out of my room and tell me when dinner is ready," she said shoo-ing me out of her room closing the door behind her. "So you are just going to skip over lunch!" I yelled walking down the stairs.

I heard her say something back but it was too quiet to hear. A few hours have passed and I've been sitting on the couch binge-watching tv and to be honest, I don't regret a thing.

Raven grabs her phone going through all her socials, stopping when she sees some old school friends of hers at the club since 18-year-olds are allowed in as long as they don't drink.

She scoffs to herself knowing that they probably are still going to drink and probably end up getting a DUI or even worse. Raven never goes out, she's always been the stay home sibling.

In her free time over the years, she found herself helping out her mom and dad at the navy base but since her mom passed away she's just been helping her dad every Monday and Wednesday.

She finally gets up heading to the kitchen whipping down the white marble countertops moving the coffee put under the island along with the blender and food processor.

Raven's family did have it easy in life, being that they had a good amount of wealth although they were not rich it was enough for them to live comfterably and not paycheck by paycheck. Raven's always loved to cook and she learned all her best recipes from her mother, watching her cook growing up when she had the time.

Grabbing an onion from the pantry along with spices and pasta, she places all the items on the counter and heads to the fridge. Pulling out some heavy cream along with parmesan cheese.

Taking out a pot and a small pan and fill them with water later placing them on the burners. After watching the pasta cook for a while, I can soon smell the pasta sauce I have begun to make.

"Ooo that smells good is it pasta?" Bailey says as she runs down the stairs sitting down in one of the seats at the island bar. "Yea I switched it up a bit, its sort of a knock-off penne vodka minus the vodka." Stirring the sauce in the pan watching it boil I see Bailey's eyes go wide.

"You tried to feed me vodka?" she screamed jumping up from the seat running over to the pan with the sauce making a face of disgust. "No, B that's not how food works."

I laughed explaining to her that even if I did put vodka in it the heat would have cooked it out.

"Here," I said grabbing a bowl from the cabinet pouring some pasta and scooping the source pouring it on top. "EEh, you could have let it cool down a bit."

Almost dropping the bowl, Bailey placed it on another counter in front of her examining the food I had made. She looks and nods and I know that's a sign that she'll eat it.

"You need to get over this picky thing," almost laughing at her I sit down next to her eating. "What happens if dad and I aren't here?" Bailey sat up and looked at me thinking with food in her mouth. "I guess I'll be eating chicken nuggets and fries for the rest of my life." laughing and spitting a bit of food out.

"Oh my god Bailey, chew with your mouth closed for christ's sake," I said, covering my food so she cant spit any of hers in it.

After Bailey had finished eating Raven picked up her bowl placing it in the dishwasher along with hers, grabbing a container from the pantry she looks at the time.

Raven sighs and she puts food in the container for her dad knowing he will eat it later. "Come home soon," She thinks to herself knowing that he should have been home over an hour ago.

To calm herself down she goes upstairs to check on Bailey, seeing she was watching youtube, she heads back downstairs sitting on the couch continuing her show.

She finally drifts to sleep and almost two hours later a car pulls into the driveway, waking Raven up.

As her dad walks through the door he has a concerned look on his face. Worried, Raven asks him what's with the face. "Something is going on at the base, Air force and NASA has contacted all branches but I never heard what was going on they said, they were watching something but no one ever said what that something was." He said face-palming his head.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked getting up, walking towards him. "I have no idea they said that they will keep watch and let us know if anything changes, but I think that for now, everything is good." He said walking over to the couch plopping down taking his shoes off and laying down.

Raven can already tell that this is where he is going to be sleeping for the night knowing her dad is too stressed to have small talk with anyone right now.

"There's food in the fridge for when you get hungry," I said picking up my things heading over to the stairs. He nods and says goodnight, I head upstairs.

"Night B!" I yell shutting from my door hearing her yell back. Walking over to my vanity, there is a notebook and a pen on the left, looking at herself Raven grabs the pink hard brush sitting on the shelf along with a red scrunchie.

Brushing her hair she braids it to the side letting the baby hairs stay out and fall on her face.

She places the brush down and walks back over to her bed on the other side of the room pulling her black furry covers over and slipping underneath.

Scenarios fill her head about what NASA could have been worried so much about that they contacted two branches of the military. Shrugging it off she begins to think about the concert she would be going to tomorrow.

"Tomorrow will be amazing." She thinks to herself excited that she, her dad, and her sister will be able to spend some time together. More scenarios flood her head thinking about the concert and being able to sit near her favorite singer.