When Anna woke up, she had no idea who or where she was. She looked
around in confusion at her surroundings. A man was outside asking a nurse
where the baby was, and the nurse seemed to have no idea what he was
talking about. "Poor man" thought Anna, just as the man turned around. Her
heart leapt. "What a handsome man!" she thought, and he walked into the
room. "You're awake!" he said quickly "They don't know where Anastasia is.
Do you think she was taken to another hospital? I am really worried about
her! Did you hear about Lily and James? I came here as soon as I found out.
I'm so sorry I wasn't there, honey". She looked quizzically at him, and the
nurse at the door looked upset, and took the gentleman out of the room. All
she heard was something about amnesia and brain damage. She found out later
that the explosion must have caused her to lose her memory, and that the
handsome man was her husband. She also had a child! A beautiful baby girl
named Christelle Valmoro Sinclair. Peter had decided to keep it a secret
from her that the girl was adopted, as she had always wanted to have a
child of her own. She took many tests, and the doctors told her that they
didn't know how she got amnesia, as she suffered no brain damage in the
explosion. As per Peter's request, no one mentioned the adoption, or the
other child they had adopted. Peter merely assumed she was dead, and a sad
look would come across his face whenever little Christelle would do
something new. When she spoke her first word, he wondered what Anastasia' s
would have been. When she took her first step, he wondered if Anastasia
would have taken her first step that day too. But time progressed, and he
slowly blocked it out. But he never forgot.
Ten and a half years later, Christelle walked downstairs for breakfast. Her parents were excitedly discussing something in the living room. "What is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. They announced that they would be going on a trip next month. Christelle was awake immediately. For some reason, her father had never let them leave the country. She convinced herself that this was all a joke, and that the "trip" would be to London, or perhaps the mall? It couldn't possibly be out of the country. He sensed what she was thinking and handed her some pamphlets. "BULGARIA?!?!?" she asked excitedly. For some reason, she had been obsessed with the idea of going there since she was a little girl. All the other kids in school wanted to go to America to see Disneyland, but little Christelle wanted Bulgaria. She jumped up in the air with tears in her eyes and ran to her dad to give him a big hug. For the next few weeks, she read every book she could find about Bulgaria. She had already read about half of them, but now she needed to read them again just to make sure she didn't miss anything. Then she sat up suddenly. "Oh my gosh? Who is going to watch Kaa?" Kaa was her pet snake she got for her tenth birthday. She called up the first person that came to mind; her best friend Matt. "Matt. I completely forgot to get someone to watch Kaa while I'm in Bulgaria. Do you think you could do it for me?" she asked. Matt laughed, and then said "sure. But I can't talk to him like you can, Chris". Christelle could not have been more confused. "What do you mean. "Like I can"? Talk to him in english. That's all I do. It's pretty simple" she joked. Matt was silent for a minute, as if he didn't know how to respond. Then he asked "are you decent?" which she was, and he announced that he was coming over. A few minutes later Matt walked in with a tape recorder and a smirk on his face. They walked upstairs and he said, "OK. Talk." and pressed the record button. "Umm. Hi Matt. How's it going? You are officially loony now". Matt pressed stop and looked up with an agitated look on his face. "What now?" she asked. He said "Not to me. To the snake" she looked at him oddly, and started talking to Kaa. "Hi Kaa. Is it just me, or has Matt gone crazy? I think we should make him wear girls' clothes. But maybe he's used to that now that he is crazy, huh? A straightjacket seems more appropriate." and she stopped, as Kaa nodded his head in agreement. Then she heard a click, and looked at Matt as he said "now I'll prove it to you!" and rewound it and pressed play. What she heard was the oddest thing she had ever heard. It sounded like a snake hissing, but different. She looked up at him, and he said "see? None of that "I was speaking english" nonsense is accepted now". She retorted, saying that she was speaking english, and that he was playing some sort of weird joke on her. She mainly argued this to convince herself. It was HER voice on the tape. And it came in right after her speech to Matt about him being crazy. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Matt' s smirk turned into a frown. "What's wrong?" he asked. She explained that she suddenly understood why all the girls at school had been so mean to her over the years. When she was younger, she had gone on a trip to the zoo with her school. When she started to talk to the snakes then, the girls in her class all started screaming, and the boys crowded around her. Since then, she had been a tomboy. Matt asked her if she could understand what the snakes were saying, and she said she hadn't seen any other snakes besides Kaa in a long time, because of that one time at the zoo. Kaa only talked sometimes, she explained. Matt suggested they go to the zoo in London before she left to Bulgaria. She decided this was an excellent idea.
On the way to the zoo, all Christelle could think of was the girls when she was little making fun of her so much. Matt looked over at her and said, "I doubt they'll be there. Cheer up!" and she did. When she got inside the snake exhibit, she froze. There were only a few other people in there, and one was the cutest boy she had ever seen. He seemed to be entranced with the large python inside. A large boy kept tapping the glass saying "MOVE!" and complaining to his parents that the snake was boring. Christelle looked at him in annoyance, and noticed that the boy did the same. She looked at him again and noticed how much he looked like her, but his eyes were amazing. They were a brilliant green, and he seemed older or wiser than he was. Then she noticed his scar. He had a strange lightening shaped scar on his forehead. Then suddenly a hand was in front of her face. Matt was smiling. "Smitten, are we?" he asked. Christelle blushed and then punched him in the arm. Then she noticed that the boy was talking to the snake like she talked to Kaa. He seemed genuinely interested in the snake, like the trance she seemed to go into when she talked to snakes. The she noticed Matt tugging on her arm. "He's talking like YOU!" he said excitedly. She looked at him excitedly. "REALLY?" she asked. He nodded. She stared at him, and then noticed the big boy run up and knock the other boy over. Then the strangest thing happened... the glass vanished! The big boy that had been leaning up against the glass fell in, and she chuckled, and noticed that the other boy was laughing too. The python slithered out of the cubicle and across the floor. People started to scream and run out the door. She was being forced out of the room by a stampede of people, and just had a minute to look at the boy who was so much like her.
Ten and a half years later, Christelle walked downstairs for breakfast. Her parents were excitedly discussing something in the living room. "What is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. They announced that they would be going on a trip next month. Christelle was awake immediately. For some reason, her father had never let them leave the country. She convinced herself that this was all a joke, and that the "trip" would be to London, or perhaps the mall? It couldn't possibly be out of the country. He sensed what she was thinking and handed her some pamphlets. "BULGARIA?!?!?" she asked excitedly. For some reason, she had been obsessed with the idea of going there since she was a little girl. All the other kids in school wanted to go to America to see Disneyland, but little Christelle wanted Bulgaria. She jumped up in the air with tears in her eyes and ran to her dad to give him a big hug. For the next few weeks, she read every book she could find about Bulgaria. She had already read about half of them, but now she needed to read them again just to make sure she didn't miss anything. Then she sat up suddenly. "Oh my gosh? Who is going to watch Kaa?" Kaa was her pet snake she got for her tenth birthday. She called up the first person that came to mind; her best friend Matt. "Matt. I completely forgot to get someone to watch Kaa while I'm in Bulgaria. Do you think you could do it for me?" she asked. Matt laughed, and then said "sure. But I can't talk to him like you can, Chris". Christelle could not have been more confused. "What do you mean. "Like I can"? Talk to him in english. That's all I do. It's pretty simple" she joked. Matt was silent for a minute, as if he didn't know how to respond. Then he asked "are you decent?" which she was, and he announced that he was coming over. A few minutes later Matt walked in with a tape recorder and a smirk on his face. They walked upstairs and he said, "OK. Talk." and pressed the record button. "Umm. Hi Matt. How's it going? You are officially loony now". Matt pressed stop and looked up with an agitated look on his face. "What now?" she asked. He said "Not to me. To the snake" she looked at him oddly, and started talking to Kaa. "Hi Kaa. Is it just me, or has Matt gone crazy? I think we should make him wear girls' clothes. But maybe he's used to that now that he is crazy, huh? A straightjacket seems more appropriate." and she stopped, as Kaa nodded his head in agreement. Then she heard a click, and looked at Matt as he said "now I'll prove it to you!" and rewound it and pressed play. What she heard was the oddest thing she had ever heard. It sounded like a snake hissing, but different. She looked up at him, and he said "see? None of that "I was speaking english" nonsense is accepted now". She retorted, saying that she was speaking english, and that he was playing some sort of weird joke on her. She mainly argued this to convince herself. It was HER voice on the tape. And it came in right after her speech to Matt about him being crazy. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Matt' s smirk turned into a frown. "What's wrong?" he asked. She explained that she suddenly understood why all the girls at school had been so mean to her over the years. When she was younger, she had gone on a trip to the zoo with her school. When she started to talk to the snakes then, the girls in her class all started screaming, and the boys crowded around her. Since then, she had been a tomboy. Matt asked her if she could understand what the snakes were saying, and she said she hadn't seen any other snakes besides Kaa in a long time, because of that one time at the zoo. Kaa only talked sometimes, she explained. Matt suggested they go to the zoo in London before she left to Bulgaria. She decided this was an excellent idea.
On the way to the zoo, all Christelle could think of was the girls when she was little making fun of her so much. Matt looked over at her and said, "I doubt they'll be there. Cheer up!" and she did. When she got inside the snake exhibit, she froze. There were only a few other people in there, and one was the cutest boy she had ever seen. He seemed to be entranced with the large python inside. A large boy kept tapping the glass saying "MOVE!" and complaining to his parents that the snake was boring. Christelle looked at him in annoyance, and noticed that the boy did the same. She looked at him again and noticed how much he looked like her, but his eyes were amazing. They were a brilliant green, and he seemed older or wiser than he was. Then she noticed his scar. He had a strange lightening shaped scar on his forehead. Then suddenly a hand was in front of her face. Matt was smiling. "Smitten, are we?" he asked. Christelle blushed and then punched him in the arm. Then she noticed that the boy was talking to the snake like she talked to Kaa. He seemed genuinely interested in the snake, like the trance she seemed to go into when she talked to snakes. The she noticed Matt tugging on her arm. "He's talking like YOU!" he said excitedly. She looked at him excitedly. "REALLY?" she asked. He nodded. She stared at him, and then noticed the big boy run up and knock the other boy over. Then the strangest thing happened... the glass vanished! The big boy that had been leaning up against the glass fell in, and she chuckled, and noticed that the other boy was laughing too. The python slithered out of the cubicle and across the floor. People started to scream and run out the door. She was being forced out of the room by a stampede of people, and just had a minute to look at the boy who was so much like her.