Chapter 2- Time for a change:

Annabelle:
The first I did when we got to Auntie's house was leave. I wondered around town looking for something- anything. I didn't want to go to Auntie's house. There were pictures of Mom, Dad, and us as a family. I didn't want to see that. I didn't want to go to my room at Auntie's because it had stuff in it given to me by Mom, like the porcelain doll that I knew was still sitting on the shelf where I left it. The porcelain doll that looked like me- black hair and brown eyes. It was from Mom because I was her porcelain doll. I clenched my fists, I don't want to be a porcelain doll. I was okay being Mom's little china doll, but not anymore. She's gone! It should be gone too! I looked at myself in the reflection of a shop window; the porcelain doll will never leave because it is me. I am Mom's porcelain doll. I went into the shop and bought some hair dye, not anymore. I am not Mom's porcelain doll anymore…it hurts too much.

I walked out of the shop with the dye in a bag and headed back to Auntie's…well I guess it was home now actually. I hated to think of it as home. Home was with Mom and Dad. Home…didn't even exist anymore. I walked through the front door with a frown on my face.
"If you keep making that face, it'll get stuck like that," Mason called out but I ignored him as I walked straight to my room. I locked the my bedroom door.

What I did like about Auntie's- my bedroom was huge and I had my own restroom in it- like in my bedroom was a door that went to my full restroom. My bedroom was pretty nice though. I had black carpets, dark purple walls. My bed was pretty big and covered with light purple blankets and black pillows. I had a dresser, shelves, and normal stuff. I even had my poetry on the wall. Yeah I write poetry.

Then I saw it. The doll. The porcelain doll- sitting innocently on the shelf. I clenched my fists, I told Mason to throw it out while I was away. I grabbed the doll and as I held it- I realized that I couldn't throw it away. It was a gift from Mom. It reminded me of her. It was all I had from her now. I sighed and put the doll in a pillowcase and set it under the bed. Least I won't see it and after I dye my hair I won't look like it either. It's time for a change.

I looked at the watch. 00:02:21:06:15:13 (Two months, 21 days, six hours, fifteen minutes, and thirteen seconds…twelve seconds…ten seconds…oh you get it).

0000

When I finally went downstairs for diner, Auntie screamed and Mason choked on the food he was eating.

"You…your hair…it's…it's-"
"Awesome," I suggested and he shook his head,
"GREEN! YOUR HAIR IS GREEN!"
"Dark green," I corrected.

I smiled and Auntie laughed,
"It looks nice, sweetie!"

I nodded,
"Thanks Auntie."
I took a seat at the diner table and Mason went back to eating. Though he did it while staring at my hair. Then I messed him up by making a silly face, causing him to choke on his food in laughter. Auntie sighed,
"Deariers…remember what I said?"
"Don't chew with your mouth open," Mason guessed and then I pitched in,
"If we break it, we buy it?"
"Don't use a public restroom without checking to see if there's toilet paper?"
"Don't spit when we talk?"
"Penguins aren't pets so we can't take them home?"
"The toilet seat is not a toy?"

"If you hate someone, look at them like you're a murderer?"
"Pranks are okay if it doesn't hurt someone," I suggested and then Mason and I continued on taking turns.
"Cats are not dress-up dolls?"
"You can't draw penises on a random guy's face when he's asleep on the subway?"
"You can't tell everyone that you're a drug dealer?"
"If we ever get addicted to anything make sure it's cigarettes because it's better than drugs?"
Auntie sighed, the sad part was that was all things that she had said to us at some point in our lives. Each thing that we said had a very interesting story behind it. I couldn't help but chuckle. It was then that I realized that it was the first time in a long while that I was having some fun with Mason.

"No," Auntie finally said with a pout, "what I said about school?"

She looked at us- expecting us to know what she was talking about. We did, but we liked having our fun.

"Oh," Mason said, "about how not to eat the class pet?"
"Or not to draw on the teacher," I pitched in and then we began going back and forth again.

"To not try to eat the lunch tray?"
"Or to not accept drugs from teachers?"
"Or fart on a student's face?"
"Or not to call our teachers a muggle?"

Yes, when we were little we liked Harry Potter. I looked at my brother and smiled. He smiled back and we continued.
"Don't go to school with your pants filled with macaroni," Mason suggested.
"Don't bring a duck to school?"
"Don't smuggle your cat to school?"
"Or that we shouldn't bring a dead squirrel to school?"
"Not to glue pens to the desk when the teacher's gone?"
"Don't draw a dick on the board?"

Each thing we said had an interesting story behind it. Auntie laughed,
"No! No! None of those are what I'm talking about! I meant that I had said that you had to start school!"

Mason laughed. I frowned,
"….Do we have to? I mean…with everything that's happened…?"
I poked at my food. Auntie looked at me sadly,

"I know, dearie, it's not easy for any of us. But you still have to go to school."
I sighed,
"Fine. Whatever….just what school are we going to anyway?"
"Why, Sweet Amoris High, of course!"

I took a drink as she continued,
"And you'll be starting tomorrow!"
I spit out my drink- it landed all over Mason. He glared at me,
"Really? Was that necessary?"

I was too in shock to answer, what the hell?! TOMORROW!?