Lily
It was Friday night and my sister Willow, myself, our friends June, Raven and April were sitting in the living room of our small lit New York apartment. My mom had just finished painting our nails and was now baking cookies. Tori Amos was drifting through the air from Willow's CD player.
"When's Dad due home?" Raven asked Mom.
"Next week I think," she answered.
Mom had married one of her boyfriends, Mike and then had Raven and April with him. They'd later divorced. Mom and her friend Joey, our dad, had moved in together and wre now living together. Their friends Ross, Rachel, Chandler and Monica were living in Paris, along with Ross and Rachel's daughter Emma. Ross had a son Ben from a previous marriage. Also in Paris were Monica and Chandler's children Erica and Jack. Ross and Julie had dated for awhile and had had a daughter June. Raven and April were sisters.
Monica was a chef in Paris, and Rachel was at a fashion show. Joey made his living as an actor, and Ross, a paleontoligist. Mom was a massage therapist and a songwriter/folk singer.
The door opened and Dad came in, smiling.
"Ooh are those cookies I smell?" he asked.
"Yeah I just put them in the oven," Mom replied.
On the round table by the door Dad put 4 white cardboard pizza boxes.
"Hey I brought pizza for you. Oh, and one for me," he informed us.
"You're not goingto eat an entire box are you?" Willow asked, smiling up at Dad.
"Well no, not the box itself."
"Have you seen him eat?" I asked my sister.
Dad loved to eat.
"How'd the show go?" April asked.
"Ok. I covered for the actors who forgot their lines. The understudy got the lead, as the lead was out."
"Oh, well that was nice of you."
"What kind of cookies?" June asked.
"Peanut butter. Would you help?" Mom asked Dad.
"Yeah what can I do?" he went over to the white metal stove she was standing by.
They took some cookie mix out of the bags and poured each into a white bowl, mixing it.
"How was worok?" Dad asjed her.
"Ok."
We waited for our nails to dry. The smell of cookies filles the air.
Willow looked a lot like Mom, with straight, wheat colored hair. Raven, April, June and I all had long dark hair, like Dad, Monica, Mike, Ross and Julie. June had brown eyes, Raven, April and I had blue eyes. My hair was curly.
"Do you want some pizza?" Willow asked me.
"No, not right now," I answered.
"Oh, ok."
"What about cookies?" Raven asked.
Mom made the best cookies.
"Ok."
April sat up, wide-eyed. The room went quiet. Even the music stopped, which wasn't unusual given we lived in an old building and was prone to odd things occuring.
We looked at her.
"Yes?" Dad asked.
"Something's going to happen. To Erica and ............someone here," she told us.
She often had visions.