New Days:

Belden Kitchen:

Anna was in the kitchen making breakfast when the first Belden came down the stairs. It was the little boy Bobby and his dog Reddy. Bobby sat at the table and Anna gave him some orange juice that she had just squeezed. He drank it slowly, watching Anna make breakfast. It was a Monday, so Mr. Belden had to be in to work by nine. He had gotten his schedule re-arranged a bit after telling his boss what his plans were for the summer. Anna was making pancakes with eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. She had put some cinnamon in the orange juice and Bobby seemed to like it that way.

He was sipping the juice slowly, trying to savor every last bit of flavor when the rest of the family came down the stairs. By now it was nearly eight o'clock. Anna got the feeling that the only reason they were up that early was because they could smell the food cooking in the kitchen. She had her headphones on; with one headphone hooked to her shirt so she could hear if someone walked into the room. She was dancing to her music as she made the meal. She had always been a sucker for good music that she could dance to.

She heard the feet come to a stop and didn't turn around. She motioned with her hand for them to sit and join Bobby who was still sipping his orange juice. The kids sat but the parents just stood where they were. Anna was wearing her pajama pants and a sports bra, something she had gotten used to wearing in the kitchen at the orphanage. It was always way too hot to wear anything but a sports bra and sweats while she was cooking or helping the nuns cook. She was still dancing when she started to bring the food over to the table. Mrs. Belden went to try to help, but got shooed back to the table by Anna.

Anna pulled her headphone out, turned her CD player off and set it on the counter near the phone. They were watching her bring the food and all the condiments over to the table. When the food was at the table, she went to the fridge and pulled out some milk along with some more freshly squeezed juice. She set them in the middle of the table and went to grab some napkins. When everything was on the table, she disappeared into her room for a few seconds before reappearing with a bottle of pills in her hands. She set the bottle next to her plate and sat down. She felt them staring at her.

"What?"

"Well, yesterday you get lost in the woods and this morning your dancing around our kitchen making breakfast for everyone. You even managed to get Bobby to not ask you a million questions while you were doing so." Mart said.

"I grew up helping the nuns cook and make sure the other kids were always where they were supposed to be. The kids might not have liked me, but they knew that when it came time for them to behave for a prospective family, they had better not piss me off. They knew better and that's normally the time where the respect came into play. You'll get used to this if I plan on staying the whole summer. If not, you can go back to having just cereal for breakfast. By the way, do you think we can go shopping for some groceries? I have a whole list of recipes I plan on making this summer to get you country folk interested in something your mom doesn't make. So how about it?"

"Talkative today are we? We can go shopping for groceries later on. Let's talk about your wardrobe instead." Mrs. Belden said.

"You don't like it? I always wear this when I'm cooking, it's so I don't get overheated and have to sit down in the middle of cooking. The Sisters never had a problem with what I wore in the kitchen, so why would you?"

"It's not that. It's just; you are living with a family now that doesn't dress the way you are used to dressing at the orphanage. You need to wear proper clothing in this house if you plan on cooking from now on." Mr. Belden said.

"Fine, I won't cook from now on. Eat up, it's good food."

"I didn't mean to upset you Anna, but we have rules in this house. If you are going to be staying the whole summer, you need to follow them."

"I thought this whole experience was to get me out of the city and let me be a normal teen for once in my life? I thought you bringing me out here was so that Trixie felt like she had a sister instead of a best friend up the hill? If this isn't going to work, I can go back to the orphanage tomorrow and you can all forget about me."

"We don't want to forget about you Anna, honest. And I like having you here. I already feel some good feelings about you staying. Dad, moms, please don't send her back to the city. Please stop patronizing her every time she does something wrong. If she hadn't fallen asleep on the way home last night, you would have yelled at her for sure. Please, can we try and keep this civil, just this once. And Anna, the food does look awesome." Trixie said.

"Just some of the recipes I got while on the internet back at the orphanage. The kids never wanted to eat the same thing twice unless they liked it so I was always tasked with finding new and exotic recipes for everyone to try, though some of the recipes can be a bit spicy if you don't add the ingredients in right."

"Sounds like you want to be a chef when you grow up?" Brian said.

"What do you mean, when I grow up? I'm already a chef as it is now!"

"She does have a point Brian. So what are your kids' plans for the day?" Mr. Belden asked. He had to be into work soon so he needed to get a move on.

"Aren't you going to be late for work if you stay here any longer dad?" Mart asked.

"Alright I'm going. Make sure to keep an eye on Bobby for your mother today Trixie."

"Yes dad."

"Goodbye everyone and have a nice day."

Mr. Belden left the house and headed towards town and the bank where he worked. He got to the bank just before nine o'clock and then settled into work. He knew that whatever happened that day, he would get an earful of it when he got home from work that evening.

Shopping:

Anna was at the lake lounging when she heard the soft purr of a cat nearby. The other kids had had to stay at the house to do chores but because Anna was a guest, she had been permitted to go to the lake by herself. Anna bent her head backwards until she could see an upside down Catori lounging in the shade of the boathouse, her cubs playing dolefully by her side. Anna moved to where Catori was lounging and leaned up against the wall of the boat house. There was nothing more that she would rather be doing.

That morning's food, though more was cooked then eaten, had been put away in the fridge for leftovers. Bobby seemed to like having Anna around and when she had headed to the lake, he had wanted to come to. But this was a time for Anna to be alone, if not for the company of her dear animal sister. Catori laid her head in Anna's lap and let the girl play with her whiskers like she had when she was little. The purring grew louder.

THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FINISHED. JUST NEEDED TO POST AN UPDATE!