A special Anya chapter because we didn't get to see her in the last one. But this isn't filler! So don't skip lol! (: Enjoy!
If heaven existed, this was it. Anya ran from one hallway to another, down to another, and another.
This place is GINORMOUS! I don't ever want to leaaaaaaveeee!
She kept running until she was out of breath, collapsing onto the floor with a crash. She stared up at the crystal chandelier above her, the light sparkling along the walls and ceiling like glitter. How was it possible that a home could be this big?
From the indoor ice rink to the movie theater, to the petting zoo, to the Olympic sized swimming pool fully equipped with double twisty water slides, Becky Blackbell's house should be listed as one of the legendary wonders of the world! A figure loomed above her, offering a hand. It was Becky, she had finally caught up to her. Grabbing her friend's hand with her own, she stood up excitedly.
"Becky, your house is SUUUUUPER amazing! I can't believe you live here." Anya gushed, stars in her eyes, and a permanent smile plastered on her face. "I don't even know where we should play first! Maybe you should choose. It's your house after all." Anya turned to her best friend who stood there with grandeur, confidence and poise absolutely befitting a Blackbell.
Becky raised two clenched fists in excitement, pumped with eagerness. "Let's start with the Dessert Room! You're gonna love the ice cream buffet!"
Anya swooned. Did she just say…ice cream buffet?
She felt a tug as Becky grabbed her hand enthusiastically. "Cmon! Let's get this party started!"
The two hurriedly made their way down the exquisite halls of Blackbell Manor and Anya couldn't help but hear the passing thoughts amongst the maids and butlers. Their watchful eyes attempting to be discreet as they walked by.
Miss Becky actually brought home a friend?
She's probably only interested in Miss Becky's fortune. How else would anybody tolerate the little minx?
I think it's nice Miss Blackbell finally has someone to play with since her parents are gone most of the time…
Is this the girl that punched that Desmond boy? Of course, that would be the only person Becky could become friends with.
Miss Blackbell tries to hide it, but we all know she wants a friend.
I wonder how long Miss Becky will keep this one around, nobody seems to stay for long.
Anya glanced towards Becky with confusion. Could it be that the most popular person she knew was actually lonely? Back at Eden everyone seemed to look up to Becky. Admired her even. There was never a day when their classmates didn't try to talk or be around her. It never occurred to Anya that someone as cool as Becky could feel…alone. She stared at the back of Becky's head, her two perfect side ponytails bouncing as she continued to drag her around. She could hear her friend talking…something about the Blackbell family history as they passed the giant portraits that lined the hallways but everything Becky was saying was muffled by all the thoughts of the servants they passed. Just how many people worked in this place anyway?
Oh look. Another mooching brat from Eden. If she tries to steal anything I'll be the first to know.
Poor Becky, probably can't keep a friend to save her life.
This one will definitely be fed up with Miss Becky by the month's end.
I bet she doesn't even care about Miss Blackbell or know anything about her. Snob.
The voices began to quiet as Becky turned a corner and Anya couldn't have been more grateful to finally escape the pounding of voices. She hated being around too many people. Some days were better than others at tuning out a crowd, and some days were just…loud.
As the room came into view Anya's eyes widened with amazement, as Becky walked her into the pinkest colored room she had ever seen! Brightly lit with hundreds of lamps in various lengths hanging from the ceiling, appearing as if they were droplets of ice cream. Ceramic tiles of every shade of pink you could ever imagine adorned the floor…strawberry, magenta, blush, rose, flamingo! It was a swirl of hot, cool, and pastel pinks all colliding into each other like a beautiful cotton candy cloud.
Vintage wrought iron tables and chairs sat directly in the center of the room. The pristine white of the furniture were the perfect complement to the bright floor beneath. But Anya's eyes quickly found the room's main showcase. Her eyes darting past the tables and directly to…
"Holy. Moly."
Her eyes practically bulged from their sockets. When she imagined a buffet of ice cream, she thought perhaps a giant fridge filled with buckets of sweet joy. But nothing…nothing could have ever prepared her for this! There, at the far end of the room, was a giant glass case with rows, horizontal and vertical, all filled with different flavored ice creams! There had to be at least a hundred different ones!
The two girls ran with as much gusto as they could, laughing in anticipation. Anya pressed her face and tiny palms against the glass, taking it all in. It was ice cream palooza! She couldn't even think up that many different flavors or topping combinations! Each batch was separated by a thin metal divider as to not mix, with a tiny little sign at the front naming each flavor.
This is soooooooooo coooooooooooool!
She pressed even harder against the glass, wanting to be as close to the delicious bites as possible. There were so many options, how could she possibly choose?! There were the classic flavors of choco-late, strawberry, vanilla, mint…but there were also… Marshmallow and toffee? Pink peppermint and fudge? Espresso with dulce de leche? Cookie dough and chunky chocolate chips? All of them sounded so delicious, there was no way she could choose! She wanted to eat all of it!
After much deliberation, and some chiding by Becky to hurry up, she finally decided on a few. A vanilla ice cream smores mix that consisted of dusted graham crackers, chocolate chunks, and marshmallow truffles. Cherry ice cream with toasted pecans and whole cherries, and last but not least a strawberry shortcake with diced up cake bits and strawberry jellies! She sat down at the table, salivating at the sight. Never would she have imagined sitting in a room such as this, eating some of the finest ice creams in the world.
In fact, most of her past memories consisted of a strict training schedule given to her by men in lab coats and glasses. There were hundreds of tests, icky medicines, shots…and there was definitely no ice cream. Even after escaping the research lab, all of the orphanages were too rundown to ever offer sweets.
She glanced at the girl across from her. Becky was swinging her legs back and forth in her seat, head softly bouncing left and right as she brought another spoonful of delight into her mouth. She didn't look to be that of a sad child and yet the servant's thoughts replayed in Anya's mind, that she couldn't help but feel sadness wash over her.
Even with all the fancy clothes, the toys, this house…and this incredible ice cream room, her friend was lonely and seemed to have no real friends even though she was probably one of the most popular girls at the Academy.
Sure, she might come off as proud, entitled, and perhaps even bratty at times, but underneath all that, Becky was actually kind, and thoughtful. Anya knew that without Becky as her friend, there would have been no way she'd have made it a single week at Eden. Becky, who could have had her pick of any person to hang out with, chose instead to spend time with her. Not to mention, whenever Damian or his goons teased her, Becky was always there to step in and tell him to butt off.
"Is everything okay? You haven't even touched your ice cream." Light brown eyes looked at her with concern. "It's melting."
Anya stared down at the ice cream, tapping her spoon against the inside of the bowl. "I just wanted to say thank you. I…I never had a real friend before."
She looked up then to see Becky wide eyed with surprise. Remembering one of the servant's accusations that she was just another mooching snob wanting to only be friends with Becky for her things, she took grip of the spoon and pointed it directly at her friend.
"And I want you to know that I will be your friend even if you don't have any ice cream or any of these stuffs!" Anya didn't drop her gaze. She needed Becky to know how much she appreciated having her in her life. Perhaps she couldn't share that she was a runaway science experiment, but she could empathize with her friend's loneliness. Growing up in a lab, she didn't have any friends either. It would never have occurred to her that Becky could be feeling the same but now that she knew, she didn't want her to feel lonely anymore. "You are loyal and honest, and I promise to always be there for you too!" She slammed the spoon on the table with a resounding clank! Wanting to emphasize the seriousness of her declaration.
"Oh, Anya." Becky's eyes began to water, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling. I have always either pushed everyone away or have other kids only want to be my friend if they got something in return. But you…even from day one you were different. I never felt like you were using me or saying things just to gain favors from me or my parents. You were always genuine to me. Even if you are a little strange, oblivious to any and all social etiquettes, clumsy, you can't seem to do basic math, and you blurt out the most ridiculous things at the worst times…I consider you my first real friend too.
Anya pursed her lips and ignored the twitch her eye was making. I'm not sure that's a compliment but I'll take it.
The two girls shared a smile before continuing to turn their attention back to their delicious bowls of melted cream, laughing and giggling as they began gossiping about Damian and his two goofy goons.
Martha leaned against the wooden frame of the door, arms folded and a gentle smile on her face. It was so refreshing to see young Miss Blackbell genuinely enjoying time with a friend. Though she tried her hardest to constantly be there for her, it wouldn't be enough for what the little girl secretly longed for, a true friend. She gave a silent thanks towards the little pink haired child and was surprised when just at that moment Anya turned to her and gave her a smile. She waved awkwardly in response, stunned by the eerie timing before turning around to leave the girls to their fun.
…
…
After seconds, thirds, and a regrettable fifth round of ice cream the girls wobbled down the hallway, rubbing their aching bellies.
"We ate too much." Anya declared, swaying back and forth, barely able to continue moving. At the time of course, it seemed as if their hunger were insatiable, unable to get their fill. Boy were they wrong.
"Never let me do that again." Becky grumbled, clutching her tummy. "You know what, I take back everything I said. You are a terrible influence on me and a terrible friend!"
Anya turned to her in shock. "Me?!"
Becky rolled her eyes. Clearing her throat for dramatic effect before she began to speak in a high-pitched tone, "Beckyyyyy," she whined as she pretended to be Anya, "We have to eat at least ten different scoops each to celebrate our friendship! Big life events equal lots of eating! The more important an event, the more you have to eat! That's how it goes!"
Anya frowned. She did say that. Although she might have been mixing things up now that she thought about it. Perhaps it wasn't the actual eating as much as possible during a special event, but just that there were a multitude of important holidays that showcased many different foods to celebrate. She smiled awkwardly.
"Well…it's the memories we created that counts right? And we'll always remember today that's for sure." She flashed two thumbs up but was met only with an icy stare. A few seconds later however, Becky let out a soft chuckle.
"Fine. Even though I feel sick to my stomach, this is a day I will always remember." The two girls shared a laugh before Becky suggested that they head to her bedroom. From there, they could lay down and be lazy potatoes for a while. And lazy potatoes seemed like a wonderful idea.
The journey to that room however seemed to take an eternity Anya thought as she wearily made her way up the stairs. "How many staircases does your house have? I didn't think I was going to have to climb a mountain tonight."
Becky let out a defensive huff. "Just as many as any other normal manor I suppose."
Anya didn't respond. Becky lived a life full of luxuries and rich comfortability, it was probably going to take some time for her, if at all, to realize that most people didn't live like this normally. Lifting up her foot and with one final step, the two girls made it to the top floor and fell to the ground on their backs. Huffing and wheezing, a butler nodded in acknowledgement and stood just outside one of two very large wooden doors.
The doors alone were beautiful, Anya thought to herself, even if she was looking at them upside down from on the ground. They were carved with intricate designs of various plants and flowers, and at the top a magnificent swirling sun. Becky's name was engraved at the top in beautiful cursive. The butler opened the door and Anya gaped in astonishment. Just like the rest of the house, Becky's room was equally, if not more impressive. Giant stuffed animals lined the walls, and toys of all shapes and sizes littered the floor. Anya walked up to one corner where a miniature house somehow fit inside the room. Becky has a house…inside of her house…
"It's a walk-in doll-house. I got that for my birthday last year. It's cool I suppose. You can go in and see for yourself if you want, but the life-sized dolls are kind of spooky." Becky said with a laugh.
Anya began to reach for the door when Becky asked when her birthday was. She turned and shrugged, "Iunno. I don't have a birthday."
"What do you mean you don't have a birthday?" Becky's forehead wrinkled. "You're here in front of me, aren't you? Obviously, you were born on some date."
Anya shrugged. She truly didn't know. Even throughout all her time at the research facility, not once had she celebrated a birthday. If she had one, the men in lab coats never mentioned it to her. She didn't even know how old she actually was.
Okay this is weird. How can she not even know when her birthday is? Do her parents not throw her any birthday parties? What kind of parents even do that? How horrible!
Her friend's thoughts hit her with a punch and Anya suddenly felt nervous. She racked her brain, desperate to try and fix this mess. Think, think!
"I ummm…lost my memory. Er—I was traumatized when my first Mama died, and I blacked out for weeks. My birthday was part of the memories I lost and to try and make me feel better Papa said I could choose whatever day I want for a new birthday. I just haven't chosen yet."
She could feel the hotness in her ears as panic set in. Her heart was thumping so strongly in her chest she was sure she was going to explode at any second. That explanation was just as terrible as any of Mama's ridiculous lies. Who would ever believe that? Lost memories? New birthday? Seconds seemed to pass like days, and the anxiety was starting to become unbearable. She shook her head, trying to quiet the beating of her heart when she finally noticed that Becky wasn't even paying any attention to her.
"Becky? Did you hear me?"
The girl spun on her heel. "Hush! I'm trying to think of the perfect new birthday for you."
Anya's mouth fell to the floor. She…actually…believed that?! Still reeling from shock, she felt Becky grab her hands in her own, flashing her the most dazzling smile. Double dimples dipped in both cheeks, and her eyes held nothing but pure joy.
"Tonight, we had ten scoops of ice cream to celebrate our official friendship. And as of right now we are six years old. So. To truly mark this bond forever how about Ten and Six? October Sixth! That way you get your new birthday, and we have our friendship locked in forever! How many best friends get to have that?!"
Anya didn't even know what to say. While the story was completely absurd, what came from it was the most amazing gift she could ever imagine. A real genuine birthday intertwined with the memory of tonight. It was more than she could bear now, and the tears began to flood down her face. Becky's smile vanished and a new wave of worry washed over her.
"Anya, what's wrong? If you hate it we can pick another day…"
She shook her head and sniffled. "I'm happy crying. Becky, it's perfect. All of this, my life right now…it's perfect."
The Blackbell girl offered her a kind smile before wrapping her in a hug. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that this was the direction her life would go. From infiltrating political organizations with her new spy Papa, to feeling safe in the arms of her assassinating Mama…to eating ice cream and having sleepovers with a real best friend. This really was heaven, and everything was perfect.
Suddenly she felt Becky's body jolt from her own. "Anya!" Her eyes were wide and wild with excitement, "October Sixth…your birthday…it's in twelve days!"
"Is that…bad?" Anya questioned.
"Yes! It's terrible! We don't have time to properly plan your birthday! I don't even know if we can get a hot air balloon or blimp in time. And then there's the catering, and parade…" Becky trailed off, deep in thought. She began to pace back and forth, mumbling to herself as she continued to carry the conversation on with just herself. Anya smiled once again, basking in the joy that she had finally made a real friend.
..
..
After about twenty minutes of Becky coming up with a basic outline of what Anya should do for her birthday extravaganza, Anya simply shook her head and politely turned down all of her ideas. "I think for my first birthday party, I want to keep it small. With just the people that truly matter to me."
"So…no to the horse and carriages followed by a dance mob?" The disappointment could be heard in Becky's voice before she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Well, it's your birthday, you can do what-ever you want. I just wanted it to be special for you."
"It will be special! You'll be there, and my family, and that's all that matters. Oh! Well there is one thing…I want to have it at the museum! They're having a special dinosaur exhibit with REAL dino bones!"
Becky's smile quickly turned into a frown. "You…want to have your very first birthday at the…
museum?"
Anya beamed, her eyes glittery as she pretended to make her most dino-looking interpretation, "Dinorawrrrs!"
"I mean, I guess so, it's your party after all. Anyway, Daddy donates a lot to the Berlint Museum, I'm sure they'll even close it down for a private birthday party if I request it. Would you like that? Then we can have the entire place dedicated just for you!"
Anya's eyes widened. "You could do that for me? Really?"
"Of course! Now that we're officially BFF's. I'll have Daddy make the phone call tomorrow!" Becky shrugged, seemingly shaking off the shock of Anya's mundane setting choice. "Oh, Anya! I'm so excited for your first birthday! Now, I know you said you wanted to keep it small but what about inviting Damian? Hmmm?" Anya felt the brunette's elbow digging into her sides, her eyes glittering mischievously.
"Wh-wha-wh-what?!" She stuttered. "Why Damian?!"
Becky waved her hand dismissively. "Oh come on Anya. It's so obvious that you like him."
Anya's eyes widened in panic and disbelief. "No I don't! He's a bully. A menace! And he always teases me." She waved her arms frantically back and forth, shaking her head rapidly.
Becky laughed and threw herself onto a nearby giant beanbag. Arms spread out; it looked as if she were sitting on her very own throne. "Don't you know that boys are mean to girls if they have a crush on them? And Damian is alwaaaaaays mean to you. Which means…"
Anya swallowed a deep gulp. "That he…likes me?"
Becky winked, and made two gun gestures with her hands, clicking her tongue as she pointed her fingers in Anya's direction. "You got it."
Damian actually likes me? That can't be possible. He always calls me stupid in his head, and that I drive him insane. Could he mean…that I drive him insane because of how he feels about me? Anya shook her head and crossed her arms. "No, I don't believe it."
Becky rolled her eyes, "Fine. If you want to be in denial that's up to you, but I'm telling you. He's majorly into you."
Anya thought about it for a long minute. Never in a million years would she have guessed Damian to have a crush on her, but Becky was smart and she knew a lot about worldly things. Perhaps she was right? Maybe she would invite Damian to the party, Papa would most definitely be happy with her as well, since there might be a slight chance that his father would make an appearance. Especially with the museum being closed off to the public, it just seemed like the perfect setup. What could she possibly lose?
"Okay, fine. We can invite Damian, but no mention of his maybe crush anymore! It makes me nervous thinking about it. Also…yuck."
Becky clapped her hands. "Wonderful! I'll begin making the preparations tomorrow and you can start by making birthday invitations to those you want to invite." Anya nodded dutifully as she went to find some crayons and paper. This was going to be the best birthday ever!