Author's note: Hi everyone. I realise that it's been a long time since my last post and since then I have decided to do a sort of hard reboot on all of my stories and also condense them into one place, making them easier to find and explore. And as such, I decided to start from the very beginning, hence this chapter. Of course, as this is Fiction Branches, you are welcome to add in your own chapters here at any time if you wish. End Note
Jon headed home, lost in thought, having walked the same route every day Jon was so focused on the stone in his hand that he didn’t realise that he was home until he reached the front door.
“Hey, watch it Jerk!” His sister Zoe cried out as Jon nearly bumped into her. She had been kneeling down in the process of taking off her boots in the hallway when Jon entered the house.
“Sorry.” Jon apologised. “I guess I was too busy thinking.” Zoe nodded.
“Yeah, I could tell that you a bit out of it. Thinking about grandpa?” She asked.
“You could say that,” Jon replied watching his sister take off her boots. Jon wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to share the stone with Zoe, at least not yet. Despite their differences, what with Zoe be a goth and all, they actually had a pretty good relationship and cared about each other.
“It must be hard for you. Losing dad and now grandpa.” Again, Zoe nodded.
“It is, but I suppose the loss of dad has helped me cope with this. How are you doing?” Zoe asked. “I know that you and grandpa did a lot together.” It was true. Jon had a pretty close relationship with his grandpa, he had even taken Jon on a few expeditions at times. Ones that weren’t too dangerous and only during the school holidays of course.
“It hit me pretty hard when mom told me.” Jon explained, “And I’ve been thinking about him all day.” Jon paused as he contemplated the stone and whether or not he should tell his sister.
“Is mom home?” Jon asked, deciding to change the subject.
“I don’t think so, she’s probably still picking up Mikey.” Jon nodded. Their mom worked as an assistant in a law firm but she worked on flexible hours which meant that she could be able to look after her kids and help with the school run.
Jon and his sister parted ways with Zoe entering her room and slamming the door shut while Jon was a little more careful and closed his door behind him. He lay down on his bed, took the stone out of its box, and inspected it.
