The Coming From the Shadows Series
Coming From the Shadows
A Family Trip: A Summer Interlude
Back Ground:
Since childhood; Raven and Yasmin had built a strong bond with one another, despite the differences in personality, Raven’s quiet, often timid demeanour with Yasmin’s rebellious and boisterous nature – the two had become inseparable, with Raven balancing out Yasmin’s more chaotic nature while Yasmin allows for Raven move beyond her comfort-zones, though it is always balanced, Yasmin often a protective influence that will always get into trouble if it means defending Raven.
In 2014; the two would enter a relationship, the news of this would soon spread around the school – bullying and discrimination became common, Yasmin would always get into fights to defend Raven, something Raven always found herself upset over; it wasn’t only their school-lives that would be impacted, at home; Yasmin’s own parents, who were already abusive took a more hostile approach, while for Raven – her father Philip was the centre of hostility despite the support from her Mother; Jenna, her sister; Eliza and even her younger brother; Dylan.
As the holidays came; the escape from school was welcome, Philip, who intended to travel to Spain in relation to his job decided to use it as an opportunity for a family holiday as well, though it was purely to make up for his usual absence, a common theme since before even Eliza had been born in 1992.
During this, Tyler; Eliza’s boyfriend would be invited by Eliza to join, he soon provided the money for his own ticket, at the same time; Jenna had organised for Yasmin to also come along, it proved relatively easy due to Yasmin’s parents barely even caring about what was going on, a common thing that often led to Yasmin usually being around the Wright household through the years – keeping Yasmin’s invitation secret though; it wouldn’t be until the night of preparation that Raven discovered Yasmin was going to be joining her, leading to excitement when Raven finally realised.
In them morning though; a delayed flight at Manchester airport created a long-wait, leading to boredom for the group.
Introduction:
31st of July, 2014
Manchester, England
As time slowly ticked away, initial excitement to having time before the flight gradually become more and more boring and tiresome; the sterile air of the departure lounge originally had hummed with the feelings of excitement and anticipation; the usual cacophonic rhythm of rolling suitcases and excited conversations; but now, as the long delay dragged on, things had become boring, one could only spend so much time in the relative distraction of the arcade before it would become monotonous, or struggle to keep paying out for food at the nearby fast-food shops spread through the airport, or even the surrounding shops.
It felt like an eternity by the time a call was finally announced; ‘Flight BA488 from Manchester to Girona is now boarding’ – excitement finally returned.
Raven; all angles and innocence at the age of fifteen could barely contain the relief that they’d finally get moving; she finally let go of her long dark brown hair, finishing tying it into a braid as it hung limply over her shoulder – she had grown that bored she had been spending time tying her hair in various different patterns before undoing it again – her silver-grey eyes shifted beside her, to her girlfriend; Yasmin “Finally” Raven said; her Blackpudlian accent as strong as ever
Yasmin, a year older at Sixteen, smiled; an equal look of relief was present in her sky-blue eyes; her long hair had fallen free from its early confined position and was now cascading like a silken waterfall along her back “Yeah; it’s about time” she said “You ready to go for that sunny weather?”
“Yep!” Raven said with a bright smile; her excitement was returning again
As they stood up; they began to follow the rest of the passengers and their own group; amongst them was Raven’s mother and father; Jenna and Philip, her older sister; Eliza – both Raven and Eliza shared the same similar appearance they had inherited from their mother, the only difference simply being their eyes, while Raven’s eyes retained the silvery-grey of their mother, Eliza had inherited Blue eyes, from their great-great grandfather; Thomas Davidson, both girls retained the same dark hair colour of their mother, it was difficult to see many similarities to their father; Philip – though their younger brother; Dylan did share many similarities between both of them – then, there was Tyler; Eliza’s boyfriend.
Slowly, they joined the long queue of people; Eliza, at twenty-two radiated a fierce aura, like Tyler, she had spent a lot of her time fighting in competitions, representing Great Britain internationally, her dark hair was at present, pulled back into a high bun, Tyler stood beside her, his hand gently enclosed around hers as they eased their way forwards with the queue.
Jenna mostly maintained her focus on her youngest; Dylan, she shepherded her eight-year old, whose boundless energy had been renewed and threatened to spill over; her dark hair gently swayed about with her movement as she tried to balance a playfulness with coordinated control – her husband, Philip, he had restored to checking his ticket, he knew that if he made any comments about their daughter; Raven, Jenna would be furious with him, and out in public – it was an embarrassing situation he didn’t want to repeat – Jenna, since Raven and Yasmin’s relationship had become well known, had become ever more protective of both her daughter and Yasmin, and Philip was fully aware of just how protective she could get.
Chapter 1:
Manchester, England
As passengers began to finally settle into their seats; Raven and Yasmin began quickly falling into playful banter; Yasmin purposely teasing Raven relentlessly; her own Blackpudlian accent thick with affection as Raven giggled, her eyes sparkled with happiness – it was very clear how much two cared and loved one another despite the usual disapproval they encountered from their school mates or from members of their own families.
Jenna and Philip; with their youngest, sat directly behind Raven and Yasmin – while Dylan was trying to look out of the window, Philip’s disapproval was lingering like a rotten scent that could be easily removed; the air itself simply crackled with tension, he was a constant reminder of the hurdled Raven and Yasmin faced, Jenna shifted; she met his gaze, her eyes narrowed signalling a silent warning, he was subdued by this, simply grumbling beneath his breath.
Eliza and Tyler were seated a few rows ahead deep in conversation about their shared passion of Tae-Kwon Do.
Girona-Costa Brava Airport, Spain
Shortly after arrival; the airport was an atmosphere of chaotic energy of late night arrivals; the humid air was heavy and certainly unhelpful for those tired by their delayed journey – as passengers began to disembark, a bleary-eyed and weary Raven struggled to keep herself away, the initial excitement of their journey had long since faded, replaced by deep fatigue.
Yasmin, remaining attentive, draped her arm around Raven’s shoulder, gently guiding her through the throngs of people “Come on sleepy” she murmured, her voice soft “We’re almost there”
The usual rigmarole of baggage claiming, passport control soon followed – each step felt like massive effort, eventually though, they would emerge into the cool night air were a coach awaited, they were soon on their way from the airport to Tossa De Mar.
The drive though seemed endless, along the winding roads – it all simply blurred into a monotonous tunnel of Darkness for Raven; her head lolling against Yasmin’s shoulder, she drifted in and our of sleep; Yasmin who was equally as tired, remained stubbornly awake, her gaze fixed on Raven’s paled and distant expression, she couldn’t help smile during the brief moments Raven succumbed to the need for sleep.
The coach itself would make frequent stops; dropping off passengers to various hotels along its journey; each stop would jolt Raven to consciousness, but it was followed by a renewed wave of exhaustion.
Finally though, the coach would pull up to the brightly lit entrance of their resort; Yasmin shifted carefully, gently nudging Raven “Raven; wake up” she whispered, her voice laced with a gentle urgency “We’re here”
Raven let out a groan before finally moving; stretching as she began blinking against the harsh light; as she got to her feet, her movement was unsteady as she made to get off the coach; stumbling slightly as she dismounted from the coach; her legs feeling like led; Yasmin quickly caught her, steadying her and providing a reassuring presence at her side.
The staff had already begun bringing off the suitcases and bags from the coaches storage space as passengers had begun disembarking; Eliza shifted her gaze a moment, looking towards Yasmin and her sister, a smile gently curving her lips before she turned her attention to their resort “Just like that trip to Greece last year ain’t it?” Tyler whispered, it drew Eliza to look at him with a sly grin “We was running late then as well”
“Yeah; Master Burnett was pissed” Eliza chuckled
“Couldn’t blame him really” Tyler smirked “He had double-checked everything, and still, despite all that effort, his choice to get Stacy and Mathew to finalise those arrangements buggered it all up, we was lucky we even got into the competition the next morning”
Eliza giggled as she nodded.
Finally, as the group began gathering their luggage; they turned to begin making their way to the hotel itself, everyone getting glimpses of the peaceful resort in al its quiet beauty; in the distance, the dark, ominous mountains stood like dark silhouettes in the night, massive looming structures one could just barely make out.
Chapter 2:
1st of August, 2014 A.D.
Tossa De Mar, Spain
Inside the hotel; Philip instructed Dylan to remain with Raven and Yasmin while he and Jenna went to the front desk; Eliza and Tyler always having gone ahead of them – as they waited, Raven sat down precariously on her suitcase; her eyelids drooping as Yasmin remained right beside her, she watched Raven as she leaned in her general direction, leading to Yasmin putting her arm around her “Not much long Raven” Yasmin said, her voice trying to remain encouraging despite her own tiredness “Just a little wait and we’ll be going up to get some sleep eh?”
Raven simply mumbled, moving her arms up and around Yasmin’s waist as she remained fixed in her current position; Dylan though, he decided to explore around the foyer, though he remained in sight of Yasmin.
At the front; Eliza was leaning forwards against the front desk as she and Tyler waited; Tyler made a quick glance upon hearing Jenna and Philip approaching, giving a gentle smile as they drew nearer; Jenna returned the smile as she looked towards another member of staff and just as Eliza and Tyler were doing, began getting everything organised so they could finally go up to their room – as Eliza and Tyler got their keys, Jenna quickly reminded Eliza to wait down in the front for them in the morning, Eliza nodding before walking off, pulling her suitcase as she and Tyler made for the lift.
As for Jenna and Philip; it took a moment longer before things where finally arranged by the hotel staff; they would return back to Raven, Dyland and Yasmin to collect them before also making their way to find their way towards their hotel room.
While Eliza and Tyler had already found their room; they had decided to forego the idea of unpacking, instead, they just checked for a few minor items before kicking off their shoes and getting into bed, deciding it would be better to wait until they’ve had some rest before doing anything further.
For the others; they found themselves two floors above Eliza and Tyler, finding their room towards the far end; unlocking the door, Philip let the group in before he followed them inside, the group examined the size of their accommodation, luckily it was enough to fit them in without issue; Philip took a moment to go out onto the balcony with his mobile to make a quick check of his voicemails.
Raven and Yasmin; they went straight to the room at the far end, after getting a look in the room, the two single beds they’d be using, they looked at each other before they simply decided to push the beds together; though, that was the last of what effort Raven could give – she fell onto the bed, Yasmin just giggled at her before closing their door and pushing the suitcases to the side “I think you might want to at least get your shoes and jacket off?” Yasmin said softly, moving over towards her
Raven simply groaned; seeing how tired she was though, Yasmin let out a sigh “Well.., I can’t leave you like that” Yasmin murmured; she didn’t hesitate to help Raven with removing her denim jacket or her shoes; putting them near the suitcases; laying Raven’s denim jacket over the back of the chair; she then did the same with her own jacket and shoes before finally joining Raven on the bed, easing her up against her, wrapping her arms around Raven – Raven was already deep into sleep before Yasmin, she simply smiled gently kissing Raven on the head and watching her before finally falling asleep herself.
With Dylan though; he had made an effort to at least unpack some of his things, or at least – a change in clothes, purposely changing into pyjamas before going to bed.
In the room shared by Jenna and Philip – Jenna had set aside the valuables, placing them into the safe hidden in the wardrobe, she also made an effort to pack away her belongings way before Philip even came into the room – by the time Philip had come in, Jenna had already changed and gotten into bed, she raised her eyebrow at him when he looked to find she had left his suitcase unopened “What?; I ain’t your skivvy, do it yourself” she told him
He had noticed a lot of changes from how things had been when they first got married, he had grown comfortable leaving Jenna to do everything – while he had chased his dream job, Jenna had been raising their children alone, while working different jobs that left her with only a couple of hours of rest a day – now, she had simply stopped trying to please him like she had done, still though, he made no efforts to actually change, leading to diverging lives within their marriage.
After a moment of grumbling, he decided to just leave his suitcase for the time being before joining her in bed, the lights soon went out, and like Raven, Yasmin and Dylan; Jenna and Philip had fallen asleep as well.
Chapter 3:
As sunlight began to stream through the curtains, it painted the room with a warm morning glow; Raven began stirring, her head nestled comfortably against Yasmin’s stomach; she could feel Yasmin’s gentle rhythmic breathing – Yasmin was already awake, her finger gently stroking Raven’s hair, she smiled softly as she was watching Raven slumber peacefully, as Raven slowly rotated her head around, her eyes now locking with Yasmin’s, Raven smiled gently “Morning” she mumbled her voice thick with sleep
“Morning sleepy” Yasmin said, her smile widening, her eyes crinkling at the corners “It’s time we get up”
Raven though felt too comfortable and so, she frowned “Do we have too?” she complained, burying her face against Yasmin’s stomach
Yasmin simply chuckled “Yes; we need to get up” she slowly moved her hand, with Raven hiding her face against her stomach, she couldn’t see what she was about to do until it had started, Raven was quickly falling into fits of giggles as Yasmin began to purposely tickle her “The best way of getting you up…, eh?” she chuckled as she continued until at last Raven had to move, Yasmin also got up, both smiling at one another
Out on the balcony; Jenna was sat with Dylan, watching him eating a bowl of cereal, only when she heard movement did she glance bac into their room to see Raven and Yasmin “Morning lovebirds” she chirped, her face bright “Sleep well?”
“Yep” Raven smiled, coming out onto the balcony to join her mother and brother; Yasmin joining in the seat beside her, Raven noticed something though and glanced about warily “Where is dad?”
Jenna looked at Raven with a grin “Gone to meet his work colleagues; we’re on holiday love, he’s working”
Raven’s face brightened “Oh…, alright” the thought of her father being preoccupied with his job was very welcoming, it meant there was less likeliness of tension or snide comments about her relationship with Yasmin.
Meanwhile; down in the lobby; Eliza and Tyler had already finished their own breakfast, had unpacked and gotten everything put away – not, they were studying the brochures of activities while they were waiting for Eliza’s mother and siblings to come down with Yasmin – Tyler made mock groaning noises as he read out the descriptions of activities on offer.
“Another hotel; another day of the same old, same old, eh Eliza?” he joked “We could go join the old folks tai chi class, that’s a new one” he said with a bright smile
Eliza grinned “I think we might be a bit much for them” she said, playfully shoving him “Besides, if you really are that bored, it’s not like we can’t go and…, make our own fun”
Tyler’s eyes lit up immediately as his lips curved into a playful grin “I want to explore that option”
“Hmm…, I am sure” Eliza smiled “But I didn’t mean ‘that’ so…, if that’s what you want to explore, it’ll have to wait, can’t be doing things when we are waiting for my mum to come down, she might come looking, not a good idea is it”
Tyler let out a fake groan of irritation “No fair” he said with a chuckle, then noticed something on the activities board “Hey…, should we take Dylan to that?, he likes dinosaurs, perfect place for a trip eh?”
Eliza smiled at him, slowly nodding in agreement “We need to find out what mum has planned first before we make any plans of our own, that way we can organise properly”
Tyler smiled and nodded his head, gently pulling Eliza into an embrace as he rested his chin against the top of her head; their eyes scanning over the various offers and activities while they continued to wait.
Written By: Westley H.
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