"Ugh," Asha kicked a stone on that pavement, "I can't be believing her. We even be missing our ride."

Rae agreed. She had just been given the longest detention of her life, and the streets were empty now. Even worse, her mom would be home from work by now, and she'd be wondering where Rae had been. Thankfully, Asha lived on the street right over, so she had someone to walk home with. When they arrived at the fork where they'd be going their separate ways, Rae stopped her.

"Asha. I be sorry. You didn't be starting the conversation. You should not being in detention."

Asha merely shrugged, "It be okay. You not be in trouble, if I be careful texting."

Rae smiled, "Be getting home safe."

"You be too!"

Rae headed down her street. It was a quiet area with small houses, and was far away from the main roads. Rae had grown up here, amongst the shabby townhouses she called home. Everyone knew one another, so it came as a surprise when she spotted an unfamiliar old lady sitting on a porch.

An even bigger surprise came when she realized what she was doing. She was reading. Reading a real book.

Rae felt her heart skip a beat. There was no way. She had to be dreaming.

But then the old lady looked up and noticed her. She looked asian, and her piercing gold eyes seem to dig into her soul. "Why hello dear."

Normally Rae would've groaned at someone calling her 'dear', but this time, she was too in shock to do so.

"Did you just come back from school?"

Rae just stared open-mouthed back at her.

"Not much of a talker, are you?", the old lady's voice was like silk. Smooth and reassuring in a way. Her appearance just added to her strangeness. She wore strange scarves with floral patterns— not that Rae knew what those were. In her world, fashion and taste simply wasn't a word. Everyone only knew the white collared shirts and boring ties. Colour and embroidery was just too expensive. Rae was sure that this lady must've been rich, probably the owner of a large software company.

"This is a nice neighbourhood, isn't it?", the lady continued looking around, as if having a conversation with herself. "Quieter than I thought. You should come visit me sometimes, you and your family."

Then she went back to reading. Rae, as if in a daze, simply nodded and then started running back home.
_________________________________________________
"MOM!", Rae called out when she got home, "Moooom!"

Her mother came down the stairs, and immediately, Rae knew something was wrong. Her mother had her arms crossed over her chest like whenever she was mad. Her forehead was creased in worry-lines and her voice dripped with bitterness.

"Rae Amelia Casey." She landed on the last step and stepped closer to her. Rae felt her palms go sweaty. "Where in the world you be?"

"At school." She answered, "The teacher held me back."

"THAT BE? WELL, WHAT BE GETTING INTO THIS TIME RAE? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I BE? YOU WEREN'T BE IN TROUBLE, WERE YOU?"

"No—no nothing like that..." Rae already felt terrible for lying. One way or another, she knew her mother would find out, but this just wasn't the time, "She be wanting to show me how to be downloading new software."

"Oh," her mothers anger seemed to boil down a bit, "well, you still be tell me next time."

"Alright mom, but I be telling you something!" Rae could hardly contain her excitement. Her mother, on the other hand, simply picked up a broom and started sweeping, stubbornly ignoring her daughter. "Mom, I be meeting new neighbour today. And she be reading! Reading a book!"

"You be joking." Her mother said simply. It was not the reaction Rae had hoped for.

"I not be! An actual book!"

Anne Casey stopped, as if just registering what she had said. "No way.", she breathed, "But then she be rich! What she doing in this neighbourhood?"

"I don't know! But that not all— she wear fancy clothes and— and, she be speaking colourful language."

Here, her mother wasn't nearly as impressed, "I don't know why you be obsess over—"

"I do not!"

"Yes you do. It just be nonsense, a waste of time if ask me. Unnecessary words..."

"Yes, but..." Rae forgot about pretending not to obsess over it, "It be beautiful. It be sounding... complete and smart."

Her mother just chuckled, "Look like you be attached. We should be paying visit then, I guess."

"Thank you mom!" Rae squealed in a way she hadn't since she was five, "Can we go next week?"

"No, it be elections, remember?"

"It doesn't matter anyways." Rae just grumbled, "They all be corrupt. There be no change."

"It does matter. Plus, I don't be liking the lookings of that Liam Wayland." Anne Casey, it seemed, had forgotten everything about Rae coming home from school late. "Tell you what, we be going the day after? Ok?"

"Okay!" Rae skipped upstairs, happier than she had been in a long time.
_________________________________________________________
A.N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!

Let's do feedback a little differently today. One a scale of 1 to HERMIONE, how much do you like Rae?

I'm just kidding, everyone knows no one beats Hermione.