Anastasia's POV:

"Anna! Family meeting in 15 minutes!

I shifted the weight of my laptop from my right thigh to my left. I didn't look up. I was typing, furiously, harshly, hungrily. I had to finish sending Alex this mail. I had to!

"Anna, did you hear me? Did you hear what I said?"

I didn't respond.

Soon I heard heavy thuds on the stairs that lead to the second floor. "Anastasia Joanna Ackerman!", my mother called out, tired and irritated.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. With a slight grumble, I placed my laptop atop my study table and opened my door. "Yes, mother, I heard you the first time you screamed. Don't have to get murderous."

"Anastasia. Family meeting in-", she paused to check her watch, "10 minutes. Your father has something very important to tell you all."

I nodded to let her know I had comprehended. "Right. Now go." And I proceeded to shut my door.

But my mother was way ahead of me. She stuck out her foot and blocked the door. "Nuh-uh not so fast. Have you seen your brother?"

Ugh. I sighed internally as I shook my head, bits of my dirty, unwashed hair flying into my mouth.

"That boy. Where in the world does he keep disappearing off to?", mom muttered to herself as she walked away.

I closed my door and made my way across my carpeted floor. I walked towards my balcony, and threw open the glass doors.

I peered out into our garden below. I scanned the entire length, past the flower beds and the well. Dad had set up a hammock in the corner, under the old apple tree. And it was on the hammock, that I spotted my younger brother.

He was playing his guitar so diligently and seriously, that the only time he stopped playing it, was so that he could write down notes in his note pad that he kept at his side.

I smiled watching him play. He looked so calm and at peace. I felt this way when I was working on one of my paintings. It was our drug, our stimulator. And it's alright.

"Loco. Family meeting now. Get your ass in here quick."

He looked up suddenly, saw me, got off the hammock, and gently put his guitar on the beige cloth-ish swing.

He walked over to the middle of the garden, past the flower beds and the well, and came to a halt right underneath my balcony. "What?", he asked, squinting as he looked up, his left hand shielding his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun, his right scratching his head.

"Dad has some announcement, or whatever, to make. Get inside now."

I watched as he gave a slight nod, and turned back.

I stepped back and closed the glass doors.

I made my way to the huge mirror that was built in to one of the walls.

I looked at myself.

My long, straight, dark blond hair looked damp, limp, unkempt and unwashed. There were dark circles beneath my blue eyes. My lips looked chapped, and my skin looked dry and dehydrated. All in all, I looked a mess.

I sighed and pulled back my hair into a ponytail. I applied some gloss.

And then I heard my mother call my name.

"Coming.", I yelled back down.

Glancing at myself one last time, I switched off the lights and closed my door.

I ran down the stairs, and into the dining room, where my parents and Loco sat patiently, looking up as I arrived.

My dad smiled at me. "Good, now that we're all here, I'd like to say something. We're moving."

And my mind went blank.

It's unbelievably short! I know! I'll update tomorrow I promise.