Warning: This chapter will have mentions of abuse (verbal and physical), suicidal thoughts, and eating disorders. If any of these things trigger you, I suggest that you skip over the flashback sequences.

Once they went inside Annie sat down on the couch, eager to begin their interview practice. She was determined to make this right, even if Loid doesn't keep her and Anya after this she knows that peace is bigger than both of them. She looks towards Loid with a determined look on her face.

"Pa! Ask me some questions!" She demanded, and Loid was taken aback by the initiative. But, it was Annie so it wasn't all that surprising. He nodded as he put his fake glasses on, and grabbed his clipboard, walking over and smiling at her.

"Miss Forger, where do you see yourself in the next year?" Loid asked, curious as to what Annie's response will be. She looked up with a determined look that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who saw it. In this case, it was everyone in the house.

"In the next year, I see myself completing my own personal goal of becoming an Imperial Scholar." She said, voice full of confidence and without even a stutter. This answer surprised Loid, especially since he hadn't explained the Imperial Scholars to her yet. Perhaps she did her own research after learning that she'd be attending Eden Academy. He finished up her mock interview, they moved on to Yor.

"Mrs. Forger, how would you describe your parenting style?" Yor thought for a moment, before giving a better answer than she had before.

"I don't have one." Loid was surprised, and somewhat disheartened by this answer, but then Yor continued. "Raising a child is a exciting, but scary endeavor. I find myself constantly having to adapt my approach to parenting in order to maintain my relationship with my daughters, all while being a stern and caring mother." This answer hit Annie like a train of bricks. She honestly didn't expect Yor to consider her much of a daughter due to the fact that she is not as young as Anya. This made her start to tear up, but she shook it off. Loid finished the Yor's mock interview, and they continued onto Anya.

"All right, Anya. What do you do on your days off?" Loid asked, looking over at Anya awaiting her answer.

"On my days off, my family and I take time to be with each other. We attend operas, and go to view art at museums." She stated calmly, this maturity surprised everyone in the room, including Annie as this was very different from how she behaved in the manga. But she was slowly getting used to the changes.

"Okay, next question." Loid continued, smiling down at Anya with commendation in his eyes. He could not deny that that was a good answer, and the execution was just as good. "If you saw a friend doing something bad, how would you react?" Anya thought for a moment, before her eyes widened with recognition and admiration.

"I'd jump him and make him eat pavement." She said without skipping a beat, Loid although disheartened by this answer took a deep breath as he corrected her. Afterwards, he looked towards Yor and Annie who had been chatting quietly while watching the mock interview.

"Alright, I think we're doing good! How about we clean up and then turn in for the night, we have a very big day tomorrow." Loid said, turning to his family. Loid and Yor began cleaning up as Annie took Anya to the bedroom to get ready to go to bed.

Once Annie knew Anya was sleeping, she walked over to her bed and laid down. She stared at the ceiling with sadness in her eyes, she couldn't figure out how she felt. On one hand she was happy that she was getting to have a new chance, a new family, a new life. But did she really deserve it? She kept tossing and turning for awhile before she finally made to sleep.

'"No, mommy... I'm sorry, I won't eat it again." The young girl promised, she couldn't be older than eight. Her brown hair was pulled into two pigtails, one of which had been messed up due to her mother yanking it. The girl had gotten caught taking some leftover chicken breasts from the refrigerator. She was scared, her mother wasn't supposed to come home until later and her dad had said she could have it.

"Hey, asshole!" Her mother cried out, throwing the young girl into the bedroom out of anger. "Did you tell this fat bitch that she could eat some chicken?" her mother asked her father, venom dripping from her voice. The girl had been crying, and her dad as of right now was sober.

"Yeah, I did. She was hungry." He said, glaring at his wife. Who then grabbed the girl by her hair again, and pulled her up by it.

"Look at her, dipshit! If we don't control her eating now, she's going to end up even more of a whale!" Her mother said, shaking her head as she took the girl to her bedroom and began smacking her, hitting her around like she was nothing. "Who do you ask if you can eat, bitch?" She asked her daughter, who was curled on the floor crying softly.

"Y-You... I ask you mommy." She said, trying to ignore the pain of her mother hitting her.

"That's right, don't ask your useless father for anything." She kept crying, she didn't want this. She hated this... Why was she the one stuck in this scenario? She started crying louder, but this made her mother angry, and she opted to use something other than her hand to hit the girl around with. This time it was a huck of ply wood that her father had accidently left in the room while repairing the floors. The neighbors heard the girls screams, and cries, but nobody ever did anything... She knew it.'

"Annie..." Someone's voice rang through her ears. "Annie, wake up!" Annie finally woke up, there were tears streaming down her face and when she opened her eyes Yor was right infront of her, concern lacing her face. Behind her was Loid with worry on his face too, he was holding Anya. They were all dressed.

"What... What's going on?" She asked as she sat up, confused.

"We're getting ready for the interview... but you were crying in your sleep." Yor informed her, and used her hand to wipe the tears off her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"Y... Yeah. I just had a dream about my mother..." She admitted, and stood up. Yor moved out of the way. "I'll get dressed now." She said, and then began getting ready. While she was getting ready, Yor stood nearby. Watching with concern lacing her features. The girl had been crying, and also talking in her sleep. She was begging her mother to stop hitting her. This made Yor's stomach turn. Annie's mother had hit her? What kind of woman had Loid married before her? This was the one time Yor was glad this woman was dead. She'd talk to Loid about it later, right now she had been worried about Annie.

Once Annie had finished getting ready, she walked out into the living room where her family was standing. Now that she hadn't been crying, she could see her family members clearly. Loid was dressed as he usually was, a nice business casual suit with black dress-shoes, Yor was dressed in a nice white dress with a light peach cardigan overtop with light peach matching heels, and Anya was wearing a knee-length white dress, a red cardigan with a red and gold bow on the cardigan. Annie had dressed herself in a white dress as well, but with a light blue cardigan with mary-jane shoes with thigh-high socks. She didn't mean to wear a recolored version of her mother and sister's dress but it was cute.

"Alright..." Loid began, getting the attention of his family. "The decisive battle is upon us." He said sternly, looking at his family. As he did, his gaze softened as he checked the list off with Yor. They then walked out and got in a car, headed straight for Eden Academy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Annie noticed now nervous Anya looked. She then placed a hand on her reassuring hand on her shoulder, and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't worry Anya, we will do great." Annie said, and then grabbed her sister's hand, holding it softly. Despite putting a brave face on, she also couldn't help but be somewhat nervous. If she slipped up even once, this entire plan was going to go down badly. They pulled up, and they stepped out of the car. Annie couldn't help but be in awe. The school was absolutely massive. It was massive in the manga, but it was so much bigger in person. She couldn't believe it.

"It's huge!" Anya said in awe, holding onto Annie's hand tightly. They both decided prior to attending that they would do their best to not use their abilities during the interview process, as if they get sick it could damage their already low reputation.

"It is the top school in the nation, after all." Loid pointed out, his own unease seeping through as he spoke.

"I never imagined there would be so many applicants..." Yor stated, surprise written all over her face.

"Each student in here is a threat to Anya and I." Annie said, and then turned to Anya with a stern face. "We have to ace this." Annie stated and then grabbed Yor's hand, surprising the woman but she took it as a compliment. Yor then offered her hand to Loid, who stared back in awe. He didn't expect Yor to be so straightforward, but holding hands would help their appearances. He grabbed her hand, but before they started walking in, Loid turned to Anya.

"Are you feeling alright, Anya? Is the crowd affecting you at all?" He asked, thinking her issues with crowds was simply a fear. She shook her head, and then they went in. As they walked they felt the staring of a million eyes. Everywhere, there was someone watching their every move. The guards, the teachers on the second floor. It was obvious, the selection process had already begun.

"There are people watching us..." Annie stated slowly, and quietly. Surprising Loid who thought he was the only one who felt it. Annie had surprise after surprise hidden behind her, and that was somewhat unsettling for Loid. 'Just what has this girl gone through, what happened to her-...?' He saw it. Annie silently side-eying him as if she could tell something was up. This only made his unease worse, but he shook it off. He'd talk to her about it later.

In the upstairs, an elderly man with a peculiar beard watched over the families. But one particular family caught his eye. A blonde stern-looking man, a graceful and elegant black-haired woman, and a teenage girl walking with poise and elegance, while her younger sister, whose hand she was holding walked in a somewhat uptight and paranoid manner.

"What's this?" The man said, using his opera binoculars to gaze down at the family. They all felt it, but carried on as if they didn't. "Could there be a scintilla of elegance among them after all?" He asked himself as he watched the family carry on. Then, they did something that baffled him. The entire family, in unison stopped at the statue of the founder, and put their hand on their chest. As if to offer their condolences and respect. 'They're saluting the statue of our founder!' Annie heard the man's thoughts, and giggled softly as she heard Loid's about being a man of a thousand faces, and Yor's about just following Loid's lead. Although she couldn't read Anya's mind due to them both having telepathy, she already knew she was thinking about the fact the statue was bald.

"Identify that family!" The man demanded, turning towards his colleagues.

"The Forger Family, they're enrolling both their daughters. Anya, aged six. Passed the exam with a score of 80. Their older daughter, who they also want to enroll, Annie. Aged fifteen, passed the exam with a perfect score, plus the bonus question. Her total score was 105." His collogue informed him, handing him the two test papers.

"Elegant scores! But enrolling a teenager? This isn't something that happens commonly. Let's hope the reason for the transfer isn't inelegant!" The man declared, glancing through the tests before turning to continue watching the family. 'Forger, your daughters are not this perfect. You will slip up!' He continued going through his paperwork, and noticed something. "It's the father's second marriage?"

"Could it be a sham marriage for the sake of admissions?" One of his colleague's suggested, and he placed his hand on his chin in wonder.

"Perhaps, we shall find out..." The man declared, and then went back to watching the family. "whether or not this family possesses true elegance."

"Applicants K-212 and F-212? This way, please make your way to assembly hall A." They followed the instructions of those who told them what to do, and it wasn't long before they came upon a young boy who had gotten stuck inside the gutter.

"Ahhh! Nooo..." The boy said, very convincedly. "I've fallen into a gutter and I can't get out!" To both Loid and Annie this was obviously a set up, but at the same time, they can't just leave the boy there. "I'm really in trouble now!" Annie noticed the people leaving the child there, and this bothered her.

"That boy is in trouble, let's go help him!" Anya announced, and they walked over. Another family offered to help, but got afraid when they noticed just how filthy the water was. Loid didn't skip a beat though, and grabbed the boy, yanking him out of the gutter and splattering water all over himself.

"Are you okay?" Loid asked, and Annie walked forward, using her handkerchief to begin to wash up the young boy.

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Annie asked, the boy's cheeks turning a bit of a flushed color as he began to apologize. 'Hmph, what a disappointment. They're just dirty peasants after all. I hope they don't expect to enter my school splattered with mud!' After hearing this, Annie stood up and turned to her father. "Lucky you brought that spare clothes, right Pa?" Annie said, smiling softly as Loid nodded. Now, randomly, inexplicitly wearing a gray suit.

"Ahh, yeah. We thought this might happen so we brought spare clothes!" Loid exclaimed, and then walked forward to the boy. "I have to thank you, I would've felt like some sort of peasant interviewing in the other one."

"EVERYBODY WATCH OUT!" Someone suddenly screamed, and Annie instantly picked up Anya in defense, ready to fight whoever was coming. But they saw a stamped of large animals charging towards the group. "THE ANIMALS HAVE ESCAPED THE FARM!" 'This is going too far, Eden Academy!' Loid thought, in shock. And immediately began formulating a plan. He had to think of a way to defend these people.

"F-Father, wait!" Loid didn't have time to think, he dived in the way and grabbed the small child who was crying for his father.

"Are you okay!?" He asked the kid, who nodded tearfully. Their father ran over and grabbed their hand.

"That was incredible, thank you so much!" They then continued running. The child's father muttering something about enrolling the child in a different school. Loid continued thinking, but before he could come up with a plan, Yor called out to him.

"Anya's feeling sick again!" Yor said, holding Anya closely.

"It must be her fear of crowds." Loid insisted, and thought about using his gun. Before he had a chance to do anything, Yor handed Anya to him. And in a swift motion, used pressure points to paralyze the cow that was leading the stamped. Loid, Anya, and Annie stared on in shock as Yor came up with some excuse. Loid checked on Yor, before he noticed Anya approaching the cow.

"Anya, no! That's dangerou-..." Annie stopped him, and watched on. Anya pet the cow's head gently, muttering comforting words to it.

"It's okay... Everything will be alright." Anya said to the cow, and it began to get up, Loid watched on silently, as the cow nuzzled Anya gratefully, and then began walking away.

"They're going home." Anya stated, and Loid watched on in surprise, and then looked over at Annie, who had pride written all over her face. Proud big sister. Suddenly, the loud noise of a door swinging open was heard.

"Forgerrr!" The man from before yelled, getting the attention of the whole family, who all looked on in surprise. And yet, still somehow managed to look elegant and mature while doing so. "Y-You saved us, thank you. For today, I admit you bested me." The man walked away, before stating that they could have some time to go clean up.

"Sir..." Loid started, his voice filled with almost... cockiness? "I am grateful for your consideration, but there's no need to worry..." All the sudden, the Forger's who were in tattered clothes before, were suddenly in very elegant, mature looking clothing again. "We thought this might happen, so we brought another change of clothes." 'Is this truly elegance...? Or is this family just terrifying!?' The man nodded on in shock, and lead the family to their office, to finish up the admissions interview.

From inside, the Forger family could hear the previous family's interview. As they came out, the parent snapped at their child. This didn't sit well for any of the Forger's family members, but they took a deep breath and moved on. They were called into the office shortly thereafter. They only had enough room for two parents, and a child, so Annie sat first, and then pulled Anya up into her lap. The interviewers were the man from before, who was obsessed with elegance. Another man, who was quite overweight and ugly. Annie remembered this man was going to cause some issues, and then the last one, who was kind to them when they walked in.

"We meet again, Forgers." The elegance man said, looking towards the family who had just entered.

"Please, take a seat." The nice man invited them who Loid recognized as Walter Evans, smiling softly as they took their seats. The last man, Loid also knew him, Murdoch Swan didn't say anything, just stared them down. "Well, let's start with a few questions for the parents. I understand this is your second wife, how did the two of you meet?"

"My wife and I..." Loid started, he had thought of many lies for this, but for the sake of the operation, he decided to stick with the truth. "We first met by chance at a neighborhood tailor's shop, the one that handles Eden Academy's uniforms, in fact." He continued on, looking towards Yor with admiring eyes. "It was the grace with which she carried herself that first caught my eye. It was like she appeared out of nowhere! ... Having lost my first wife, and being busy caring for my daughters... I was hesitant to pursue a new relationship... but the more we talked, the more I realized I had found a kindred spirit in her." He explained, turning back to the interviewers with slight truth to his words. "I was touched by her kindness and how much she valued family. I knew she would be a wonderful mother to my daughters." Yor had become slightly flushed, embarrassed and flattered by Loid's words.

"I see..." Mr. Evans continued, no turning to Yor who was sat next to Loid. "And same question, Mrs. Forger?" Yor took a deep breath before she answered, as if to get her nerves in check.

"Well... as you know, we met by chance inside the tailors shop. I immediately took to him as he was so good with his children. He also understood how difficult it was for me to be by myself... and he welcomed me into his family." She turned and looked at Loid with appreciation in her eyes, and... something else that neither Annie or Anya could read.

"Good, stable families are important to us." Mr. Evans said, flipping his paper and smiling at the family across from them. Everything seemed to be going smoothly so far.

"You're an attractive woman, Mrs. Forger." Mr. Swan started, his voice disgusted Annie. He sounded the way the color puke green/brown looks. She ignored the shivers of discomfort that rose as he spoke to Yor. "Why would you choose to marry a man with a child?"

"A most uncouth question, Mr. Swan." The eldest in the room, Mr. Henderson stated. Glaring daggers at the man.

"Let's move on-" Mr. Evans started, but Yor cut in.

"No, I can answer his question." She said with a determined look on her face. She stared the man down, sending shivers down his spine. "I chose to be with a man who had a child because as I said, he is a wonderful man. His child made no difference in my feelings for him, if anything him being a father strengthened them. I saw his resolve to do whatever he could for his children, and it made my heart flutter. On top of that, I myself love children. I don't care if they aren't biologically mine, I love them." Yor said, finishing her tiny speech. Annie and Anya were taken off guard, they stared at Yor in surprise, and appreciation.

"Alright then, moving on." Mr. Evans said, marking something down on his paper and then flipping to the next page. "Now, the next question. May we ask why you decided to apply for Eden Academy?" He asked, looking towards Loid, but Annie cut in. Going off their script to the surprise of Loid, Yor and Anya.

"It was actually my idea, sir." She said, looking towards Mr. Evans with a straight, truthful expression on her face. "... I know it might be childish, but it was my late mother's last wish that my sister and I receive the best education." This statement allowed Loid to flawlessly bring up academics into the conversation.

"The quality of the teaching staff at Eden Academy is second to none." He explained, smiling softly as he spoke. "The instructors are cultured, knowledgeable and talented. But more importantly... I believe only faculty of Eden Academy can instill in our children the nobility and patriotism necessary to stand among our country's elite."

"We would like to hear about the children from the perspective of their parents. Let's start with the youngest, Anya. What do you consider to be her strengths and weaknesses?" Mr. Swan asked, glancing towards the young girl whom was sitting in Annie's lap.

"Anya possesses a deep and passionate curiosity." Loid started, nodding knowingly. This was true, she asked questions about everything and anything. Sometimes it was rather uncomfortable. "She is willing and eager to poke her nose into everything. To the extent that it might be a weakness just as much as it's a strength." He looked towards Anya with a proud smile on his face. "This might just be a father's bias, but I find her to be wise beyond her years." 'It'd make sense, she was one of the highest scorers among the student body... her sister however, is remarkably intelligent.' Mr. Henderson thought as he looked over at the young girls, recognizing the fact that they were both rather intelligent. "She's so intuitive, sometimes it's like she's reading my mind!" Loid exclaimed, making Anya panic for a moment before she was calmed by Annie stroking her hair softly. "As for weaknesses... I do really wish she wasn't so picky." Loid admitted laughing nervously.

"What do you see in her Mrs. Forger? What is your parenting style towards her?" Mr. Evans asked, turning to Yor now.

"As you know, I'm not their birth mother..." She began, her voice slightly trailing off. "So... I must admit that I might have spoiled them a bit in attempts to win them over. I've had to learn to be strict sometimes, for the sake of their futures. I work hard to remember that." Yor said, a gentle expression lacing her face.

"Mr. Forger mentioned Anya could be picky... What kind of meals do you cook at home?" Mr. Evans asked, smiling kindly at Yor who had been taken off guard by the question.

"M-Meals?" She asked flustered, but was relieved when Loid intersected.

"Actually, sir. I do most of the cooking." Loid explained, smiling softly at Yor as to distract her from the initial question.

"You've got to be kidding me." Everyone turned their attentions to Mr. Swan, who had begun speaking. "A wife who doesn't even cook? You need to work harder to set an example for your daughters, ma'am." Annie tried her best to ignore the growing pit of anger in her stomach. She knew how things went, but hearing the words didn't make her any less angry. Especially after spending time with Yor.

"We've all got our strengths and weaknesses..." Loid began, his annoyance obvious through his voice. "My wife is incredibly neat, she keeps our house spotless. And she does a wonderful job with our children."

"Yes, but those are all things that any woman should be expected to do."

"Who are you to-"

"L-Loid, it's okay! It's true!" Yor interjected, trying to end the disagreement. 'Just a pair of beautiful lovebirds, huh? I could puke. Well... Let's just keep picking away at those cracks and see what comes out. If these smug losers don't get rejected, there is no justice in this world.'

"Oh." A voice rang through everyone's ears, as Annie began speaking without realizing it. "This must be why your wife left you." She spat out, angrily. The room fell silent. And then her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said, everyone was staring at her.

"Excuse me?! What did you say!?" Mr. Swan began yelling, causing Anya to flinch and hug Annie's body.

"You're right, I was too callous. I apologize for bringing your unfavorable familial situation into the conversation." Annie said, attempting to make the man calm down. But he didn't, he was just angry. They decided to move on in the hopes of avoiding more issues.

"All right... Let's hear from your youngest daughter." Mr. Evans said, and Anya slowly turned around, somewhat skittish due to the man yelling. "Can you tell us your name and address?"

"My name is Anya Forger, and I live in West Berlint, 128 Park Avenue." Anya said, proving to everyone that she had actually memorized her address. Which was surprising to Annie, as Anya was actually only four. This made sense though, Anya proved over and over again since she met her that she had some kind advanced intelligence. Annie probably did too... She knew most of the answers without doing much studying, she was focused on tutoring Anya to ensure that she would get in. She knew that she wasn't like this in her past life, so this must be a side effect of being in the body she is in. She was worried, was she a mary-sue? No. Despite being beautiful, and smart. Annie did have downsides. She was antisocial, and despite herself, she was utterly insecure. She could feel it, but at the same time she could recognize how beautiful she was. This was very conflicting.

"What do you like to do when you're not in school?" Mr. Evans asked Anya, who was feeling more calm and chipper now and was fully paying attention to the interview.

"I like to go to the opera, and eat at restaurants with my family!" Anya said, happily. Much to the distain of Mr. Swan.

"What sort of things do you want to do when you get to Eden Academy?" Mr. Evans continued, smiling as he listened intently to Anya's words. Mr. Henderson was also interested in this answer.

"I want to read all of the books in the library!" Anya announced, proud that she remembered it. This was mostly because it was true, Anya had a passion for reading that she didn't know she had when she was in the lab. This was most likely because they never let her do anything. Loid and Yor also noticed she had an affinity for the arts, as she loved to draw and had been getting better at it over the duration of the weeks of waiting for the interview process to begin.

"Alright then, what does your father do for a living?" Mr. Evans asked, and Anya smiled at Loid.

"Papa is a psychiatrist, that means he's a feelings doctor." Anya informed them, not that they didn't already know that.

"What about your new mother, what is she like?" Mr. Evans asked, smiling.

"She's really nice, but she can be scary sometimes." Anya stated, looking at everyone but Mr. Swan, who had taken notice of her seemingly distaste for him. This annoyed him further, as he wanted to rip this family apart from the inside.

"Alright then, let's move onto your older sister. Can you state your name and address?" Mr. Swan asked, moving his attention to the older girl, who had been stroking Anya's hair softly.

"My name is Annie Forger, and my address is 128 Park Avenue, West Berlint." She said plainly, as if she was bored. Most likely because they already knew her address, Anya had said it.

"How do you envision yourself contributing to our academic community?" Mr. Evans asked, this question piqued everyone's curiosity. They all sat patiently as they awaited her answer.

"I'm naturally a hard worker, so I will continuously work to ensure that my grades are as high as they possibly can be." Annie said, and then turned her attention to the three teachers sat in front of her. "This will undoubtedly bring the school's average up."

"Our school's average is high enough." Mr. Swan scoffed, rolling his eyes at her claim.

"As that may be, it being higher wouldn't hurt. It would bring potential for more grants and funding, not to mention it could bring some good publicity to the school." Annie stated, matter-of-factly. Proving her advanced intelligence, Loid glanced over at her in surprise. He didn't think Annie was this intelligent, did he find a child prodigy by chance?

"What kind of things do you like to do when you aren't in class?" Mr. Evans asked, interjecting in hopes of avoiding another tense conversation.

"As my sister said, we spend a lot of time as a family. I love doing things with them, but when we aren't, I enjoy doing other things like playing instruments, and writing music. I'm not very good at sports, I must admit." She said, sheepishly putting her entire personality on display. She knew this was the best way to ensure the interview ends on a good note.

"What about your parents?" Mr. Evans asked, glancing towards Loid and Yor before turning back to the girls. "What do you think of them?"

"My parents are wonderful, they work hard to ensure a comfortable lifestyle for my sister and I." Annie said, smiling softly as she thinks of all the things Loid and Yor have done for her. This only makes her appear truthful.

"Okay, well this is a question for the both of you. If you had to score your family, what would you give them?" Mr. Evans asked, and Annie opened her mouth to say something, but Anya said it first.

"A perfect 100 points!" Anya announced, her face reading nothing but the truth. "They love me, and I love them. I want to be with them forever!" Anya announced, turning around to look at Annie.

"I'd have to agree. The highest percentage, although admittedly it took a bit to get used to Yor as my mother. I wouldn't have it any other way." Annie agreed, smiling down at Anya and then at her parents, who had surprise written all over their faces. 'Crap like this is the last thing we need at Eden Academy.'

"Then who do you like more, your old mommy or your new mommy?" Mr. Swan asked, disgust written all over his face.

"Mr. Swan, that question is not-" Mr. Evans tried to interject, but Mr. Swan cut him off.

"So what? We interviewers are allowed to improvise a little, right?" Mr. Swan insisted.

"May we respectfully ask for a different question?" Loid asked, looking towards the three teachers, hoping to stop this before it happens.

"No, answer the question or I'll score you accordingly." Mr. Swan spoke out, looking towards the family with a stern look. 'I don't know how they ended up in that orphanage, but there's a good chance that they're parents are either-' Loid's thoughts were cut off by someone crying.

"Mom...my..." Anya muttered out, barely above a whisper. She begins crying softly, suddenly remembering how she and her mother were separated. Above her, Annie was fighting tears, too. Even though her mother was an awful, awful person... A part of her missed her, and her father.

"Anya... Annie..." Loid said, reaching out softly, but Yor rushed over and began comforting them.

"Well, there you go... Looks like your real mommy best." Swan said, his face now twisted into a cocky grin.

"Enough of this!" Yor cried out, angrily. Desperately trying to comfort her daughters, who were both crying at this point.

"Calm down, Yor." Loid said, trying to calm himself and Yor at the same time, but he had to admit it was becoming difficult. What kind of monster asks a child that?

"But this..." Yor insisted, glaring towards the man who had said such a horrible thing.

"Our dorms are full of students who live away from their parents. This is no place for children who cry over every little thing." Loid's annoyance had met it's match, next to the two crying girls, Yor looked ready to kill.

"Every... little... thing?" Yor asked aloud, glaring intensely at Swan. "You consider THAT a little thing?" Yor asked, cracking her knuckles, getting prepared to fight.

"Calm down there, second wife. It's not my fault they love you less." 'Ah, now I feel better!' Before anything else could happen, there was a loud smash, as Loid directed all his anger at a mosquito that had been chilling on the table.

"My apologizes, there was a mosquito on the table." Loid stated, before standing up, adjusting his suit and turning to the door. "Thank you for your time."

"Where are you going?! We aren't done here!" Swan yelled out, once again scaring Anya.

"If belittling children's feelings is part of Eden Academy's educational philosophy... then I have chosen the wrong school." Loid stated, opening the door for his wife and daughters. "Come on ladies."

The last thing they heard was Swan screaming about disgracing Eden Academy, but they didn't stick around to find out what happened next. The drive home was quiet, awkward and uncomfortable. Annie had taken a deep breath and calmed herself, and as now trying to calm Anya. They walked into the house, and sat in silence.

"Uhm... I'll put on some tea!" Yor announced, trying to bring some happiness to the room.

"I'm sorry papa..." Anya said her expression mirroring her sadness, she felt bad for ruining the interview even though everyone in the room knew it wasn't her fault in the slightest. "I did bad at the interview, I'm really sorry."

"You don't need to apologize to me, Anya." Loid began, sighing and putting his hand over his face in regret. "I'm sure you didn't want to go to that school anyways." Anya walked over, squeezing his pantsleg while staring down at the floor.

"But I do..." Anya began, tears forming in her eyes again. She was just a child, she didn't know how to regulate these strange feelings. "I want to go to school. I have to, I have to go there!" Anya exclaimed. Annie sat on the far couch with her knees pulled up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs, nuzzling her face into her knees.

"I... I'm sorry too, Pa." Annie whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. But barely. "I'm the big sister... I should've been more mature." Annie felt conflicted. On one hand she was happy she got another chance at a family, even if... it was just a fake one... On the other hand she felt as if there was a chance she was causing rifts in the story. Her presence in the family alone might mess up their chances at entering Eden Academy. She... kind of wished she had never been sent into this world.

"Anya... Annie..." Loid began, he had to get his ducks in a row. He knew there was a possibility of things going badly, so he didn't want the girls to get their hopes up. "I have to be honest with you, it's not looking good." He said as Yor walked over with the tea pot and cups.

"I... I think it'll turn out okay!" Yor suddenly said with motivation sparkling in her eyes. "We've still got a chance!"

"Yeah! Glasses-man and half-glasses man liked us!" Anya said, Yor's motivation rubbing off on her.

"That's right! They'll put a good word in for us! We have to believe that!" Yor continued saying, hoping to make everyone feel better.

"Perhaps..." Loid began, and looked at his family. Yor and Anya seemed utterly determined, but Annie sat in the back, looking absolutely defeated. "It's out of our hands now... All we can do is celebrate our hard work." Loid said, looking straight at Annie. Who felt his gaze and looked up.

"You're right... We did our best!" Annie perked up, standing up and becoming determined.

"To our family's bright future!" They all said, in unison. But just then something crashed on the floor, starting all of them.

"What the-" Yor started, and Loid interrupted.

"Something fell!" He exclaimed, and they all rushed over and stared at the object that fell on the floor.

"It's our family photo..." Yor said, sheepishly.

"It just... fell." Loid pointed out. Annie brushed it off and picked it up, putting it back on the wall.

"But it didn't break!"

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to write this chapter! As you can probably tell, it is significantly longer than the others; but I also fell ill while writing it. I spent a lot of time sleeping, so sorry for how long it took! If you like my story, leave a comment. They really do motivate me, it'd be nice to know that someone is enjoying my story. Anyway, thanks for reading!