Natasja woke up as the car entered a driveway, the sudden change from tarmac to gravel beneath the tires jolting her from a deep sleep. They had been driving all day in the hot sun, but luckily Natasja had spent most of it in slumber, only waking up when they stopped in the drive-thru of a McDonald's for a large meal. Now, finally, they had reached their destination; through the window, the six year old could just make out a large country house surrounded by trees. It was all very exciting!
They pulled to a stop and got out, both children stopping for a moment to admire the house in front of them. All their lives, they'd lived in a small, two bedroom flat, but this house looked like it must have at least five or six bedrooms! It seemed old, the stones overgrown with ivy and moss sprouting between the tiles of the roof. Vivian barely glanced at it as she staggered to the door, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. She'd driven for nearly eleven hours without a break or food; although her daughters had eaten at the McDonald's, she'd hardly even taken her eyes off the road the whole day. With a sigh, she rang the doorbell, hearing it chime discordantly inside. A minute later, the door was pulled open, revealing a young, pale woman standing within. She had very long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and was as slim as a twig. All in all, she looked astonishingly like her aunt.
"Vivian! Good to see you again." She smiled warmly.
"You too, Gina." Vivian said, rather more lacklusterly. Any energy she'd had that morning had been sapped out of her by the long journey and her elder daughter's constant pestering.
"And this must be Natasja and Rebecca. My, it's been a while since I've seen you two! You've grown a bit since then." She grinned at the two children, and they smiled unsurely back. "I'm Gina, as I'm sure your mom's told you. It sounds like I'm looking after you whilst Viv's away, right?"
"Yeah..." Said Rebecca, not quite sure what to make of this woman who looked so much like their mother. It was a strange quirk of their family tree that although Vivian was Gina's aunt, Vivian was in fact four years the younger.
"Do you want to head inside?" She asked them. "If you need the bathroom, it's second door on the left down the hall. Opposite that's the living room Just hang out in there for a minute okay? Me and your mom need to talk adult stuff." She moved aside, letting the two kids squeeze past and into the house, before stepping out and closing the door. Her smile disappeared as she turned to Vivian, and a second later the two were engaged in a muttered Swedish conversation. After a few minutes, Vivian nodded, and handed her niece the keys to the car.
"There's a case in the glove compartment. Keep it safe, and don't open it. I'll keep you informed on the phone. If it looks like all this' wrapping itself up, you'll be the first to know. And thanks for doing this, Gina."
"No problem, Viv. You always were my favorite aunt; in any case, it makes sense. They're practically the same age as my two, it's perfect."
Vivian nodded again.
"Yeah. Hopefully they'll all get along. Now, I really must say goodbye to Nat and Rebecca, then catch my bus to the airport."
Gina nodded this time, blonde hair moving in waves around her pale face. With one arm,s he pushed the door open and let Vivian step inside, then, with a furtive look around, followed her aunt within and closed the door behind them.
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