Existing in Radiance

Chapter Thirty - Six | London, November 1996

 

             Chapter Thirty – Six

London, November 1996

            It was a very nice house, normal looking with warm light spilling from it out onto the pavement. Inside was a normal family with normal problems, a normal daughter – and outside stood the very not normal boy she was slowly falling in love with.

Andrew bounced on his toes, then walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. His mother thought he was out finding a house gift for Remus and Tonks; he was supposed to be going to their dinner after tea with the Nelson’s.

The door was thrown open, startling him. “Hello!” said two young women, beaming at him with pearly teeth.

“You must be Andrew!”

“We’re Amara’s sisters,” said one, sweeping a mane of long silky black hair over her shoulder – Andrew guessed they were Indian, which was odd since Amara wasn’t. They were the sort of beautiful that you noticed right away and made it hard not to stare; they weren’t like Amara, who had the sort of beauty that crept up on you.

“I’m Lilah,” said the other “And this is Emmerson.”

“Come with us.” Said Emmerson, and he was tugged into the house by the sisters. Both were well dressed in clothes that looked like they’d been bought at the same place Amara did all her shopping, and two pairs of dark eyes twinkled at him over their shoulders.

“Ma, Amara’s lad is here!” Lilah cried, pushing him towards a woman who looked a lot like the sisters. She had a kind smile and was slim and beautiful like her daughters; dark eyes shone as she shook his hand after wiping them on an apron.

“It’s lovely to meet you Andrew,” she said “I’m Niha.”

“Is this him then?” a tiny, whiskered man with tiny gold spectacles appeared in the doorway, and Andrew immediately saw Amara in him; his sea glass eyes were the same, as well as the freckles and cinnamon hair.

“Er, yes sir.” Andrew shook his hand.

“I’m Jeff and – where is Amara?” he looked around, wispy grey hair sticking up from his head like bits of cloud that had strayed away and gotten stuck.

“She took Wilde and Ernest out for a walk.” Emmerson said “I told her that it’s her ferret and she can walk it.”

“She should have just gotten a cat.” Grumbled Lilah, snagging a carrot from the vegetable tray.

Niha sighed “I know.” She grinned tiredly over at Andrew, who knew all about Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemmingway the ferrets. “She really wanted those ferrets.”

Just then the back door was throws open, revealing a windswept and rosy cheeked Amara “Hullo!” she then spotted Andrew “You’re early!”