"Hey, no fair," Raine called out. Ember's laughter filled the air next to her as they both gave chase, trailing behind Gale as he darted up the stairs, seeming to fly up them as he skipped steps. It had been like this when they were kids, always a race to see which of them would get the room in the attic that they all coveted, always with Gale winning because he ran like the wind. The only thing missing was Grandma's laughter from the living room.<br/><br/>Gale reached the room first, pausing in the doorway and then entering. Ember and Raine followed behind him. Looking around, Raine shook her head. "It's so weird. I wonder who's been keeping the place up. I swear, it's exactly like it was last time I was here a decade ago. None of the furniture looks worn out. There's not even dust anywhere." Her fingers trailed along the edge of a dresser. Her cousins didn't have answers either.<br/><br/>They decided to get settled in and meet downstairs an hour later. Ember and Raine gravitated to the rooms they'd slept in as children, leaving Grandma's alone with some unspoken agreement. Raine got her luggage and went into the one she'd claimed, quickly unpacking her belongings, and then headed back to the kitchen, the scent of cookies reminding her that she'd eaten nothing since that bag of pretzels on the plane. Maybe they could order pizza tonight and worry about grocery shopping in the morning. Town was a twenty-five minute drive away, but the delivery place was surely used to people calling from around the lake. But when she opened the pantry, it was fully stocked. Her mouth twisted into a little frown as she picked up a jar of pasta sauce. Not expired. Everything seemed fresh.<br/><br/>She went to the refrigerator and found milk, juice, meat, produce... everything they'd need. The spice cabinet was the same, she realized as she sniffed at a small jar of oregano. Everything was fresh. It really was as if they'd been expected, even though none of them had.<br/><br/>She heard a noise behind her and turned to see Ember walking into the kitchen. "Pizza?" Ember asked, and Raine shook her head.<br/><br/>"No, check this out, Em. There's a lot of food here. The entire pantry is stocked, and so is the fridge. There's even some beer and wine. I wouldn't be surprised if the liquor cabinet is full, too." The cousins decided on pasta since it would be quick and chatted about how weird everything seemed as they started making dinner. Gale made a salad when he joined them.<br/><br/>The trio ate dinner at the table in the nook off the kitchen as they had when they were children. There was a formal dining room, too, but Grandma hadn't ever really used it when they'd been around. After, they changed into pajamas and reminisced, sitting on the thick living room rug. They talked about childhood summers playing in the lake and the surrounding woods. They told each other their favorite memories about their grandmother. They laughed, and a couple of times, they even became teary-eyed, lovingly squeezing each others' hands in support. They caught up with each other. There was only so much of one's life that was shared over Instagram, after all.