She became a student at this school the previous semester. Being surrounded by so many wealthy people often left her feeling a bit insecure. She tried her best at first to fit in, but her bright orange hair and quiet demeanor didn't help. The more she had tried to make friends, the more people teased her. During her first day's roll call, the teacher said her last name: Lambrecht. The other students in the class snickered at her surname. She eventually stopped trying with the other students, and learned to find peace in being alone. Though she was alright on her own, all she wanted was to just make one friend at this school. She had taken an exam to be admitted to this school during her last year of middle school, and tried her hardest for months studying. In her old middle school, boys would tease her and girls would ignore her. She thought if she had gone to a school like this, things might be different. She was wrong.
Once she stopped trying to befriend her classmates, they weren't quite so mean. She had pretty much stopped talking altogether. After a while of her silence, it was almost as if she didn't exist at all. It was better than being picked on everyday. She had once made the mistake of looking down as she turned the corner and ran into an older boy. He dropped his things and from then on, he picked with her every time he saw her. Today was no different. She had just finished her last class, and was on her way to find a quiet solitary place to eat her lunch. She had her green lunch box in her hand. Anya made her way to her locker, and began to put her books in. She put her bag on the metal hook that hung from the back of her locker. On the top shelf of her locker laid her clothes for her walk home, neatly folded.
"Hey Carrot-Top!" He called out to her. He and one of his friends strode in her direction, big grins covering each of their faces.
He towered over her. She thought he must have been over six foot, as she was 5 foot 4. His friend wasn't quite as tall, but still far larger than she was. She looked down, avoiding eye contact at all costs. She had flown under the radar successfully for months until she bumped into him that day. Now, he and his friends tortured her relentlessly. The taunting wasn't so bad, but sometimes he'd smack her books from her hands, or take her belongings. He made it clear that he didn't like her, but she didn't know why. The fact she didn't speak didn't help her case either. She didn't like confrontation and froze like a deer in headlights at the first sign of trouble.
"I said Hello?" He put his hand on the wall beside her head, "You can't say hi back?"
The heat from his breath wafted into her face. He had brown eyes and a slightly crooked nose, and apparently bad dental hygeine. She tried to slip under his arm, but his friend jerked her by her sleeve. He was a lanky blonde haired boy, but his dental hygiene was much better than his friend's. She thought of offering him a breath mint, but she'd never actually do it. Just a funny thought. She wished they'd leave her alone and let her eat her lunch in peace.
"What's this?" his friend snatched her lunch box out of her hands, "Looks like she brought us some lunch," he cackled. The older boys laughed as his friend opened the lid on her green lunch box. The taller of the two reached his hand in and scooped a bite out with his finger. Even if he had given it back, she wouldn't want it now.
"It's homemade, too. Come on man, let's go have some lunch," His friend flashed a wicked smile at her. He removed his hand from beside her head and nodded his head.
"Thanks for the lunch," he taunted while walking away, taking her lunch with him. That's all she had to eat, and she didn't bring any money with her either. Not that she could even begin to afford the food here. She could barely afford the school uniform, a pale yellow dress with a red ribbon around the collar. She hated having to wear something so fancy all day. She brought a spare change of clothes for the walk home. She couldn't afford to mess this uniform up, as she could only spare the money for one set. The summer after middle school, she spent the entire break working odd jobs for her neighbors. She delivered their groceries, pet sat, and took care of their trash for them every night. She even was able to bear babysitting a set of siblings known amongst the girls in her neighborhood as the "Devil Twins." She did all of this to ensure she'd be able to afford her supplies for the school year. She decided she'd just have to be hungry until she got home for dinner. She readjusted her sleeve and turned to walk in the opposite direction of the guys who stole her lunch.
"Hey," a guy stood in front of her. She jumped back, startled. She looked up and saw a very handsome boy. He had golden hair and purple eyes, and a big smile. She didn't know what to say. She didn't speak to anyone other than her grandfather at home anymore. No one paid any attention to her existence at this school either. She didn't reply to him. She could only look at him, a little dumbfounded.
"Did they take your lunch?" he asked, "Nevermind them, I packed a big lunch today! If you'd let me, I'd like to share it with you," He smiled, showing teeth whiter than she had ever seen before. She wondered how much his dentist cost. She shook her head. She didn't want to bring this boy into her troubles.
"Come on, it's pretty good. Besides, I've got way more than I can eat myself," he chuckled and motioned past him, "We can eat in my club's room. The other guys have things to do during this period."
He insisted, and she was hungry. She felt a little bad accepting a handout from someone here. He was obviously rich himself. He seemed pretty alright though. She was a little nervous eating lunch with someone she didn't know very well, and also confused by the fact that he spoke to her. Anya followed him through a few very long hallways. She didn't explore the school often, and wasn't sure where they were going. They stopped at a door with a sign that indicated it was a music room.
"Music club?" she thought. Anya wondered what type of instrument he played.
"This is it!" He grandly opened the door. Inside, there were many tables with fancy cloths draped over them. She was used to seeing expensive things at this school, but this was extraordinary. There were extravagant pink walls, matching ornate flooring, and large windows with beautiful curtains. She usually ate by herself in an empty classroom. This room was on another level.
"What do you think?" He smiled, "This is where my friends and I generally hold our club." She tilted her head, confused. This didn't look like a music room, aside from the instruments piled in the corner. She pointed at the instruments, confused as to why they were all piled up.
"Oh no, we don't play those. We are a host club!" He proudly pronounced. Her eyes widened, and she turned towards the door. A HOST CLUB? They were in high school! It wasn't like they had to do it for money, and who participated in this anyways? Is this what goes on in private schools? If she told her father, or even her grandfather, they'd force her to go to a different school before she could finish her sentence. She felt an uneasy feeling, thinking of being alone in this room with a boy from a host club.
"It's not what you think," He laughed at her, as she was already halfway to the door. She stopped and looked at him. The fearful, confused look on her face must've been hilarious, as he laughed harder.
"We just entertain girls," He must've seen her eyes widen further because he panickedly jut in, "No- Not like that! We spend time with girls and play a fantasy for them. We chat and flirt even, but that's as far as it goes. We are entertainers, or even actors of sorts. Sometimes we'll even hold parties and themed events." She stared at him and slowly made her way back into the room. She couldn't figure out why they were called a "host club," but as long as her classmates weren't running a prostitution ring in the school, she was content.
"Come, sit," he motioned to the chair opposite him around a beautiful wooden round table. It had a fancy cloth, just as the others did. Anya felt nervous about eating over it, afraid she may stain it. She sat across from the purple-eyed boy at the round table. He opened his lunch box and split it between the two of them. This lunch consisted of food she didn't recognize but knew probably cost more than her and her family's rent. Graciously, she smiled at him.
"I don't think I got your name?" He questioned, taking a bite of his lunch. "I guess I hadn't properly introduced myself, either. My name is Tamaki," She realized she hadn't spoken to him, everything he'd said so far had been able to be answered with a nod or a head shake. She felt warmth rush to her face, and her throat went dry. She hadn't spoken to anyone, aside from her grandfather, in months.
"Here," he reached into his bag, and pulled out a pencil and a notepad, "You can write your name down."
She felt relief for a brief moment. He probably thought she was crazy. How could she be sixteen, and not speak? She wrote her name down: Anya.
"Is that German?" He asked.
She shook her head and wrote down the word "dutch" underneath her name.
"No way! Are you from there?" His eyes were bright and he seemed quite interested in the conversation he was carrying. She felt a feeling in her gut. She didn't have friends here. Why is this guy talking to her and inviting her to lunch? He was nice enough, but she wasn't able to have friends anyways, even if the other students weren't mean to her. She had to spend most of her time studying or doing housework. Her grandfather was far too old to carry all the housework on his own, and her father rarely left his bed to help. She didn't want to be rude to him, though.
She shook her head no, though her grandfather and mother were from the Netherlands, she was born and raised in Japan. She opened her mouth to take another bite of her food when the door swung open.
"Hey Boss!" Two boys shouted as they stepped proudly through the door. She looked over her shoulder and saw a set of red haired twins. Behind them followed a very tall guy, with a very small boy on his back. The small boy held a pink stuffed animal in his hand, hung over his piggybacker's shoulder. Lastly, a boy with dark hair and glasses walked in. She froze. She wasn't expecting to have to socialize with one boy, let alone SIX. Her hands started to shake, and her throat tightened once again.
"They must be the other members of this club," she thought.
The boy with glasses looked directly at her, questioningly. He quickly changed his face into a welcoming smile. She wondered how he could change demeanor so quickly.
"This is my friend, Anya!" Tamaki smiled, gesturing towards her, "I invited her to have lunch with me today."
The twins stepped towards her and stood on either side. Her entire body tensed up, and she tried to steady her breathing. The world around her seemed to feel warped.
"I don't believe I've seen you around here before," The one on the right looked at her closely.
"Well she must go here, she's got a uniform," The twin on the left peered around her other side.
"Now, boys, let's be polite," the boy with glasses smiled. The twins stayed on either side of her, staring curiously.
"Hey look!" One of them picked up a lock of her hair with his finger, "She's got red hair like us, Kaoru!" He let go of the lock and it fell in front of her face.
"Now we're not the only gingers here!" The other laughed.
Her hands were sweating profusely now, and she could feel her heartbeat pounding behind her chest.
"Anya, was it?" The bespeckled boy asked her. The twins started talking to Tamaki, and she felt like she needed to escape this room. She felt like an animal stuck in a cage on the sad commercials.
She nodded her head and wiped her hands on her skirt. She looked at Tamaki, begging he'd understand and help her leave. He was turned, still talking with the twins.
"Anya! That's a pretty name! You must be very popular!" Shouted the small blonde-haired boy. Maybe he wasn't shouting, but he talked very loudly. He walked up to her, rabbit under his arm. "You're actually really pretty too!" He smiled. He looked like a young middle school student, though he wore a high school uniform.
"Honey," his tall friend laid his hand on his shoulder and tried to hold him back. He slipped away from him and jumped closer to Anya.
"Usa-chan wants to say hello!" he exclaimed and shoved the stuffed rabbit in her face. She couldn't breathe. The walls felt as if they were spinning, and her ears began to ring. She stood up quickly, lightly bumping into the small boy. She wanted to turn, to apologize to the boy, but her legs were unstoppable.
"What's with her?" she heard one of the twins ask on her way out. She felt terrible. He was only being nice, but she wasn't prepared to have to speak with so many people. She hadn't felt this way before. She never liked large groups of people, but there were only six other people in the room. She didn't speak, and that was a big part of her problem. She wished she could just speak, like everyone else. At this point, she didn't even know how to hold a conversation. She felt like she had just blown her only opportunity to make a friend.
"Anya wait!" She heard her new friend call behind her, but her embarrassment didn't allow her to turn to answer him. She carried herself faster than before, breaking into a jog through the hallway.
The end of day bell rang, and all of her classmates filed excitedly out of the door. She straightened her papers and put her books in her bag. She left her classroom and headed towards her locker to get her spare clothes. She needed to change for the walk home, so she wouldn't dirty her uniform. As she arrived at her locker, she saw the guys that harassed her earlier leaning against a wall nearby, laughing. She had a sinking feeling they'd come to bother her again. This time, Tamaki wasn't there. She opened her locker and found it empty. Her clothes weren't in there. All that remained in her locker were her school books, and a set of sneakers. Her head dropped in defeat, which only made them laugh louder.
"Why can't they just leave me alone?" she thought. She shut her locker and headed down the hallway. She'd just have to be extra careful walking home. She stepped out of the grand doors towards the south courtyard and felt a drop of water hit her face. She tried her best to stay under the awnings, but the rain only began to fall harder. There was no way she was walking home in her uniform without ruining it. She decided it was better to head back inside and wait until the rain let up. She reentered the doors and went to look for a classroom to wait out the rain.
After checking many classroom doors, and all of them being either locked or occupied, she decided on a comfortable-looking chair in the south wing of the school. Down the hall, there was a familiar sign that read "Music Room 3." She wondered if Tamaki would be there, so she could attempt to apologize to him for running out earlier. She began to stand up and head towards the club's room. Hands shaking, she hesitated over the doorknob. After a moment, Anya opened the door and was greeted by a mostly unoccupied room. Across the room stood the boy with glasses, leaning over a stack of papers with a calculator by his side. He didn't bother to look up. She turned around to leave, so as not to bother him. He seemed quite busy.
"Leaving so soon?" The bespeckled boy asked, still not looking up at her. She froze, a little shocked. She opened her mouth but bowed apologetically instead.
"Anya Lambrecht," he said in a way that told her he knew more about her than she had shared. Tamaki mentioned her first name earlier, but she hadn't given him her surname. He straightened the stack of papers and slipped them into a folder, and then into his bag.
"Kyoya Ootori," he smiled. He was a student but seemed so much older. He had a very business-like demeanor about him. He seemed quite tall, even from a distance. She nodded politely, wishing nothing more than to be able to leave the room. She hadn't meant to disturb him, only to apologize to Tamaki.
"You started here at the beginning of the year, is that correct?" He questioned, though it seemed he already knew the answer. His words made her feel a little uneasy. He seemed as though he had all the answers to whichever questions he may ask.
"You live with your father and maternal grandfather in a small house across town. Your grandfather is a retired construction worker, and your father is currently unemployed. Though, he was previously a writer." Her face felt hot. She didn't know how he knew all of this about her, and she didn't want anyone else to know either. He was very matter-of-fact in the way he spoke, almost scarily so. She nodded her head, unsure of how she should respond. She didn't want to confirm his knowledge, but it seemed he had already done that for himself.
"You don't speak much do you? Well, I suppose that's alright. I'm guessing you came here looking for Tamaki? He's already gone home for the evening. You know you worried him quite a bit storming out like that earlier," She lowered her head to stare at her feet, cheeks still ablaze.
"Nevermind that, of course you're welcome to come to visit our host club anytime, though I suspect you weren't here as a guest of the club," He smiled once again, a very assured smile, "I should be on my way, we will see you again?" he nodded and exited the club room. Somehow, that didn't feel like a question. What just happened? How did he know everything about her family? His name sounded so familiar.
"Ootori.." she thought to herself. She was sure she'd seen or at least heard that last name before. She shook her head, still confused with a warm face. As she turned to exit the room, something caught her eye. A bright yellow note with the letters "A-N-Y-A" laid on top of a folded pile. She stepped closer, to get a look. There was a set of clothing folded neatly on the table he just stood at, with an umbrella leaned next to it. Underneath her name, the note read, "consider this a gift, as a friend of Tamaki's." Her face grew warm enough to cook an egg on her cheeks. He must've seen what the guys from earlier had done, taking her clothes. How did he know she needed them, and that they weren't just gym clothes? The umbrella as well? She didn't know who this Ootori kid was, but he seemed to know far more than she thought he should. She took the clothes and left the club room to get dressed in the bathroom. At least her uniform wouldn't be soiled on the way home, and with the umbrella, she could stay dry.
She stepped outside, and the sun was shining again. The ground was still quite wet, but she still had her sneakers. She was grateful to Kyoya for the gifts, but she felt like she had just accepted charity. She headed towards town to get to the bus station she would take home. The outfit he had given her fit well. She was baffled by this strange boy. She wore a pair of gym-style leggings and an Ouran Academy sweatshirt. It was quite comfortable, she had to admit. Anya dodged puddles as well as she could, and carefully held her backpack on her shoulders. She felt almost child-like jumping over the puddles like obstacles. After a little while of walking, and jumping she made it to the bus station and was ready to head home. With the day she had, she couldn't wait to start a hot meal and relax with a book. Her grandfather said he would do the shopping for dinner, so that was one less thing she had to worry about. She boarded the bus and sat with her bag in her lap, patiently waiting to get home.
She walked through her small community until she made her way to her front door. She entered and laid her bag against the end of the pale blue loveseat that sat next to the door. "Snoepje!" Her grandfather called out as she entered the room, "How was school today? Did you learn something?" He was a plump man with rosy red cheeks. He was tall, though she didn't get her height from him. She stood at just 5'4". She got her height from her father's side. Her father wasn't a particularly short man, but he wasn't as tall as her grandfather was either.
"You learn something new every day, Pa," She spoke quietly. He reached forward and cupped her cheeks before landing a large kiss on her forehead.
"Where did you get such clothes, Anya?" He grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt.
"I got them today for the walk home, they were provided by the school,"
He had already started dinner for the evening, and it was almost done. It smelled wonderful. As much as she tried, she wasn't nearly as good of a cook as her grandfather. Her dad constantly reminded her of that fact. She wasn't a bad cook, she didn't think so at least. She'd never be as good as her mother and grandfather though. She did like to think that she had some talent for baking sweets and pastries. Her grandfather always praised her desserts, but it was hard to tell if he was biased or not. She felt with him that she could never do no wrong, and she strove to make him proud.
"Anya," her dad called from his bedroom. She hadn't seen him out of his bed for more than a few minutes at a time since her mother died. They lived entirely off her grandfather's pension and the small number of royalties her dad had left from books he authored years ago. She had once brought up leaving school early, and going straight to work to help. Pa shot the idea down immediately, and forbade it. He wanted her to finish school and get a college education. Her father seemed like an entirely different person then. He used to spend most of his time in his office or reading a book in his chair. His office now laid as a museum of his former self. He hadn't been in there in years, and the door only remained shut. He and Anya's mother would spend hours reading books and swapping stories. When her mother got sick and lost her eyesight, he would read books to her. If they weren't paying attention, she'd sneak out of her room at night and sit behind their chairs, listening to the stories along with them. She'd often fall asleep, waking up in her grandfather's arms on the way back to her bed. Her grandfather had been her best friend all of her life. After her mother passed, he was all she had left. Her own father seemed like a shell of the man he used to be.
She walked into the doorway of her father's room, and as expected, he laid in bed. He was tucked under a brown duvet and had many pillows on his bed. He always complained to her mother that they had far too many decorative pillows, but now he would lay with them every night. He faced the wall, looking away from her. She stood where she was, silently. She reached and tapped on the door frame to let him know she was there. They didn't speak. The last time she had said a word to him was three years ago. She had asked him why he didn't talk to her anymore after her mother passed. She was only thirteen then. The last words he said to her, other than having her deliver his meals, was that she was at fault for her mother's death. That was the only time she had ever seen her grandfather so much as raise his voice. He was usually a cheerful, kind man. She'd seen him turn a deep shade of red that day, and his shouting shook the windows. Pa only spoke to her father at mealtimes, and occasional small talk throughout the day. She didn't think they got along very well after her mother died, but they were polite nonetheless. Maybe they never had gotten along at all, and she just didn't realize.
"Bring me a plate of food and a glass of water," he said in a hushed, deep voice. She used to worry that he had become sick, like her mother. Her grandfather explained that he wasn't physically ill, but mentally. She worried about him but didn't think she'd ever completely forgiven him. She knew that when he looked at her, he saw her mother. She tried to understand how his pain left him so debilitated, but she couldn't shake the sting of his words when she looked at him. She left the room to head to the kitchen for her father's plate.
"Is Osamu hungry?" Pa asked her, piling food onto a plate. She reached behind her grandfather for a glass and turned the sink on to get a cold glass of water. Once she was finished, she grabbed both the plate and the glass. She sat it on her father's nightstand without a word. He didn't look at her. He hardly ever did. Whatever the reason was, she knew they weren't family anymore. They had drifted to become nothing more than roommates.
She left the room to sit and eat with her grandfather. They sat at the dining table and ate their meals, mostly in silence.
"Anya," Pa said, taking a bite of his food, "How is school really going? Haven't you made any friends?" He smiled at her. He wanted her to make friends, but it was hard to relate to her classmates. They hardly spoke to her, either. She felt like she walked around like she had a big sticker that said "POOR" on her forehead.
"Not really pa. Everyone there has their heads in the clouds, and I need all my extra time to study," she took a large bite of her food and stared at her plate. She didn't know if she should mention Tamaki as a friend, as she only met him today.
"Please don't be so serious, snoepje. You are very smart. There is always time for studying, but there will not always be time for being young. You will look back one day, wondering where the time went," he said in a somber, quiet voice, "Please don't allow yourself to have regrets." She didn't feel regretful, just sorrowful. She worked hard so she could one day have a good life. It would be nice to have friends, but it was hard to make friends when everyone at school hated her for being different, not to mention the cultural gap between them. Not wanting to see him so upset, she decided to mention Tamaki.
"I did have lunch with someone today," she smiled, watching his grin grow larger.
"You did?" He exclaimed happily, his cheeks flushed red, and his eyes wrinkled at the corners. "Well who are they? What are they like?"
"His name is Tamaki, we met in the hall when I dropped my lunch and offered for me to eat with him. He's a second year student, and very kind. He's a part of a club at school," She smiled back at him. He beamed with happiness, and grabbed her hand. He raised her hand in his, and laid a large kiss on it.
"That's wonderful! What kind of club is he in? Did you meet anyone else today?" She didn't think it wise to tell him it was a host club, so she went with the next best thing.
"They host their club in the music room," she said, not quite lying to her grandfather, which she never felt right doing.
"I did meet another person, a young man named Kyoya Ootori,"
He laid his finger on his chin inquisitively, "Ootori, hm?" he questioned. "I worked under a man named Ootori once. Me and my crew helped build a couple hospitals for him, though that was very long ago," He shook his head, "I don't remember his name, but he had a young son at the time named Yuuichi. He was a fine young boy. I don't recall him having any other children, but I suppose it was more than 15 years ago. You know," He shook his head, "Nevermind it," and went back to eating.
She wondered if he really knew Kyoya's family. His father owning hospitals would make sense of where she had heard his surname before. Surely she had heard it spoken at some point. They sat, mostly in silence until they finished their meals. Once finished she gathered their plates and cleaned the kitchen. When she was done with the cleaning, she grabbed her textbooks to begin studying and homework. She thought about what her grandfather said, that she shouldn't have any regrets in life. She wanted friends, but she didn't know how. Being alone was more comfortable for her, and she had already blown up her new friendship with Tamaki. He probably thought she was insane, the way she ran out of the room earlier.
She finished her homework and studies for the evening and packed her books back into her bag. She thought about Tamaki and her face turned a deep shade of red. She laid her head in her palms and pulled them up through her hair. She felt so embarrassed about what she had done earlier that day. She decided that if she saw Tamaki again, she'd try her best to apologize to him. Anya pulled a mirror onto her desk and tried practicing her speech in the mirror. She looked in the mirror and saw her flushed cheeks, with freckles strung across them. Her whole body was covered in freckles. When she was younger, her mother used to tell her that the angels loved her so much, they each left a kiss on her before sending her to her parents. She used to giggle at that thought, due to the single freckle she had above her belly button.
She felt so silly repeating and rehearsing her words, but she hadn't talked to anyone since the beginning of the school year, and it was now spring. No matter what she tried, her words didn't seem to come out in the right order. She fumbled over what words to say in the mirror, and decided it was best to write him a letter. He hadn't seemed bothered that she didn't talk, and that she only wrote him notes during their conversations.
She opened the drawer to the side of her desk, and went to slide the mirror back into its place when it slipped out of her hand. It fell to the ground and cracked. A few pieces scattered and she reached underneath the foot of her bed to grab them. She sat on her knees, carefully feeling for the pieces. She stood from her knees, and thought it safer to grab a broom and dustpan from the kitchen. She quietly creeped out of her bedroom door, and through the hallway. Anya turned towards the kitchen, and saw her grandfather, staring out of the window. He seemed so sad when she looked at him. He sat quietly in the dark, with only a candle for light. His wrinkled hands held the teacup he was drinking from. Pa seemed to be studying the cup, with a frown over his face. She had never seen him in such a way. He looked almost like a painting in the light of the candle. He had told her of her grandmother's artistic skill, though Anya was only able to meet her as a baby. She wished she had inherited that from her. She wished, sometimes, that Pa was her father. That she could have grown up as her mother did: happy, cheerful, and carefree. Her mother seldom looked sad, even when she grew ill. She always had a smile on her face.
Pa noticed her watching him from the doorway. He straightened his back, and a smile grew from the corners of his mouth. He seemed so different than he had a moment ago. It was almost as if she had seen an entirely different person.
"Anya, what are you doing up so late?" He stood up and planted a kiss on her forehead. He had to lean down to do so.
"I needed to borrow the broom, I broke a mirror in my room," She whispered back, careful not to wake her father. He was an incredibly light sleeper. She wondered if he ever really slept. Sometimes at night, she could hear him shuffling around in his room. Pa went to the pantry and returned with a broom and dustpan.
"You know, it is quite late," he walked past her with the broom and headed towards her bedroom.
"I can get it, Pa. Really," she protested and reached for the broom, but he turned away from her.
"I don't want you to hurt yourself, dear. I may be old but I can manage," He knelt down beside her bed and brushed the broken glass into the dustpan.
"Now, get comfortable and get some sleep," he dumped the glass into the trash can beside her desk. He clicked the broom and dustpan together, and stepped out of the room, smiling at her before shutting the door.
She couldn't help but feel like she saw something she wasn't supposed to, watching her grandfather at the table with his tea. She felt like she had walked in on someone dressing. Like she had seen someone at their most vulnerable. She suddenly felt as if there was a whole different side to him that she had never known. Anya crawled up the ladder to her bed, and curled under her covers. She had a sinking feeling. She almost wished she hadn't seen him. It felt like learning you had never really known your best friend at all. She couldn't help but feel so much more alone.
