128 Park Avenue, Berlint, Ostania was a very nice building with very nice apartments, in one of these apartments, there was a very nice family living inside. There was a father, and two daughters. A mother was also on her way there as we speak. The house was bustling with chitter chatter on the inside.
But the house fell deathly silent as the doorbell echoed throughout, a woman in her late twenties stood nervously in front of the door, carrying some of her boxes. The woman was quite beautiful, she had fair, nearly flawless skin, long dark raven hair, and beautiful brown eyes that almost appeared red.
The door swung open, and there stood her new family.
The father, a very attractive man in his twenties, with messy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. Despite only wearing a white t-shirt and some jeans, the man still appeared very professional and well-put together.
The older daughter looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, very elegant and mature, she had her light pink hair down, but obviously styled like her father, she had crystal blue eyes. She wore a white button-up shirt with a sapphire blue pleated skirt, her socks were folded at the ankles and tucked inside black mary-janes.
The younger daughter seemed to be around four or five, but she was starting school soon... So she had to at least be six. She was very cute, she had the same light pink hair as her sister, but she had vivid emerald eyes. She was wearing a slightly worn brown dress with a white bow attached to the chest. She, like her sister, had her socks folded at the ankles, however she was wearing black flats.
Seeing how put together her new family was made the woman feel slightly insecure, having only worn a red sweater dress and black tights, paired not-so-elegantly with a pair of used, and salvaged boots. Not that she couldn't of afforded new clothing, she just never viewed it as too important. She was snapped out of her thoughts when the man opened the door to allow her to enter.
"Thanks, Loid." She muttered, seemingly feeling self conscious.
"You look so comfortable Yor, I wish I decided to wear something like that!" The older daughter commented, causing the woman to blush in surprise.
"O-Oh! T... Thank you, Annie!" Yor responded with appreciation, she then turned to Loid sheepishly. "Uh... Loid... a..about the sleeping arrangements..." She began, nervously stuttering towards the beginning of her sentence.
"Separate, of course. Although, we will have to share one if we ever have company." Loid explained, a soft expression lining his features. It was strange, it was the first time Annie had seen him actually have a soft expression without it obviously being forced.
"Welcome to Anya's house!" Anya exclaimed, running up and waving her tiny hands in the air cheerfully. Annie laughed at Anya's behavior, and then walked forward and smiled at Yor.
"Thank you, it's lovely." Yor stated, as Annie walked forward and smiled brightly.
"I can't tell you how happy I am to have a mother figure again." Annie said, smiling softly as Anya ran around the room shouting about how happy she was to have a Mama.
"A... mama?" Yor stated, her cheeks becoming slightly flushed in embarrassment.
"Oh; I meant to tell you..." Loid interjected, getting Yor's attention. "I pulled a favor from a friend at the courthouse and had our marriage backdated a year." Loid stated, although it was obvious the certificate was actually forged. It doesn't really matter though, this whole family has one thing in common. Plot Armor. "I'll come up with an excuse for why we hadn't been living together so that you can tell your brother." Loid explained, and Yor nodded in acknowledgement.
They began filing all the boxes into Yor's new bedroom, and after they were done Loid walked out, wiping his forehead with his arm.
"Since we got the boxes all figured out, why don't we practice the interview?" Loid asked, and they all agreed. They all shuffled into the living room, and sat on the couch, Annie on the right side, Yor on the left, and Anya in the middle. "I'll ask the questions."
"Anya, what do you do when you're not in school?" Loid looked towards Anya, who looked rather calm and collected. Which was strange. She then looked like she was thinking, and then looked up at Loid with confidence.
"Papa leaves me home alone, and big sister Annie takes care of me!" Anya stated proudly, earning a look of exasperation from Loid. This was pretty reasonable, all things considered. He then turns to Yor and thinks for a moment.
"Mrs. Forger, please describe your parenting style." Loid says, nailing the pompous interviewer voice.
"Um... Uh... W-Well... Strike first... Strike hard... No mercy...?" She said in a questioning tone, like she didn't even know what she was saying. Loid then turned to Annie, his last chance. Annie would probably have to come up with a dumb response to ensure that they still end up going out.
"Annie, what do you hope to achieve at Eden Academy?" Annie blinked, and then stared. It honestly was a hard question, if she says she intends on getting the best grades, she seems overconfident and maybe pigheaded.
"I... uh... intend on... being... the best?" She asked questioningly, at this point, Loid has given up. He tosses the clip board to the side dramatically, and comments about forgetting about Eden Academy. It was only a few moments before Loid glanced back at his family, all of which were protesting about his words. He wondered if it had been too early for the mock interview. Oh, duh! They've barely done anything as a family, what did he expect?!
"All right." Loid said, getting everyone's attention. "We're going out!" They quickly got dressed, and headed out. As they walked down the street, Annie looked around nervously. Her experience with the girl really set her over the edge, she was nervous because of it.
"Family ooting yay! family ooting yay!" Anya cheered, successfully pulling Annie out of her thoughts. She turned and looked at the young girl and smiled, she couldn't help it.
"The word is outing." Loid stated in a matter-of-factly tone, Anya paid no attention to it and turned to look at Yor, reaching her hand out cutely.
"Mama, will you hold my hand?" Anya asked, smiling brightly up at her new mother.
"Oh... I would like that very much!" Yor responded, quickly snatching Anya's hand into hers. Annie listened to Loid's thoughts about how he was happy they were getting along, and she also heard Yor thinking about Yuri, and how she accidently broke his ribs. This terrified Anya, naturally. But unlike in the manga, she continued on. Annie couldn't help but feel... out of place. Just like how it was in her last life, the perfect family was here. There... was no need for he-
"Annie! You can hold my other hand!" Yor exclaimed, turning around and reaching out to her other daughter. Annie froze, blinked a few times in surprise, before tears began welling up in her eyes. She walked forward and firmly clasped her hand in Yor's.
"Yeah, I can!" She said, smiling through the tears. Yor didn't notice, but Loid did. It made him think, he had no idea what kind of trauma Annie might have, same with Anya for that matter. One thing was clear to him; Annie had family issues before she was orphaned. He couldn't help but smile at his family.
"Where exactly are we going?" Yor asked, getting the attention of Annie and Anya.
"Well... I get all sorts of free tickets thanks to the connections at work." Loid said as he held up some tickets, three to a local Opera, and three to the local art museum. They headed to the Opera first, and quickly took their seats. Annie actually got really into the Opera. It was about a nobleman named Dysander von Strauss, the heir to a prestigious noble family who harbors a emptiness within, who falls in love with a humble opera singer named Ava Muller who yearns for freedom from the shackles of her parents' debt. Dysander, overwhelmed by curiosity while at one of her shows, disguises himself as a commoner to get to know each other. They begin spending tons of time together, but Dysander's fiance, a entitled girl named Estelle puts an end to their affair. During one of Ava's shows, Estelle cuts down a heavy sand bag, causing it to land on Ava's head, killing her instantly.
The ending scene plays out as Estelle and Dysander's wedding, but throughout the whole thing the only one on his mind is Ava, his lost love.
Before Annie even knew what was happening, tears began to stream down her face as she watched the tragic tale unfold on stage. She wiped her tears away, and turned to look at her family. Loid was as stone-faced as ever, Anya was sleeping peacefully, and Yor couldn't look anymore confused. 'Annie's crying, which means she understood the story. Perhaps this mission isn't as hopeless as I thought.' Annie heard Loid's thoughts, although she didn't mean to. Perhaps the emotions she was feeling was causing her to forget to put her mental block on. 'Anyway... to the next one.' They picked up Anya, and headed to the art museum.
When they arrived, Annie couldn't help but notice that there was a large quantity of artwork that looked like off-brand versions of art that had been created back in the previous world. She was staring down a off-brand Mona Lisa. She stared at it for a long while, before being brought back to reality by Anya's voice.
"Papa!" She exclaimed loudly, gaining the attention of some other museum-goers. "Boobies! I can see her boobies!" She announced to the world, Annie couldn't help but feel her face flush. She knew this was coming, but she didn't realize just how much went on in the background. She turned away, and then caught sight of her.
Again, the girl... the girl that seemed to pop up everywhere she went was back. Annie couldn't move, she tried she really did, but it was like a bucket of ice was dumped over her. The chills ran down her spine and she felt her face become cold, and she tried desperately to regulate her breathing, just like her therapist had taught her in my last life I mean, her last life! HER! NOT ME! I... SHE didn't know what was up with her, she couldn't shake this feeling. Suddenly, there was a warmth on her hand, and she turned to look at it. There, was Anya looking at Annie with confusion.
"Big sister Annie...?" She asked, obviously concerned for Annie's wellbeing. "Are you okay?" She asked, and Annie turned back to where the girl had been. She was gone now, she took a deep breath and shook it off.
"I'm okay!" She said cheerfully, turning back towards Anya and then grabbing her hand. Moving forward to catch up with Yor and Loid, who had begun leaving the building, thinking their children were right behind them. They rushed to catch up, but were able to eventually.
Their next stop was a press conference with the East Nationalist Party, one where the leader was explaining how they believe there is a path to peace with Westalis. Loid was holding Anya at this point, and Annie could see it written all over her face; the thoughts of all the people was bothering her. This was even more evident with the words she said next.
"I don't like this place!" Anya exclaimed, the stress of the situation and the area obvious in her facial expressions.
"Sorry. That got a little scary, didn't it?" Loid asked Anya, who nodded in response. Annie turned back towards the mob of people, and then back to her family.
"Pretty uncivilized." Annie said, voicing her opinion without really thinking.
"I agree." Yor stated, this made Annie feel a little better. Admittedly, she had begun feeling like a fourth wheel, or even unwanted. Or even worse, a human camera. "Let's find some place she can rest." Yor said, and they all agreed, heading away from the angry mob.
They eventually got Anya to settle down, and made their way into a nice restaurant. They all sat down, and Annie began looking through the menu. She didn't know what any of these dishes were, but lucky for her they all listed their ingredients below. She ordered a flank steak with a side of mashed potatoes and beef gravy. Yor and Loid ordered their food too, it seemed like Loid got a some kind of steak with a side salad, the steak was topped with beef gravy. Yor got a pasta salad, and Anya got steamed salmon topped with cashew nuts.
"No, Anya. Eat the whole thing, not just the nuts." Loid scolded Anya, who was indeed picking the nuts off her salmon and eating them. She couldn't help but wonder if the nuts were the only thing that caused her to order the dish.
"Yor... You're coming off a little..." Loid started, Yor staring at her knife in almost a daze. "Never mind." Loid was stressing, and it was obvious. It was written all over his face. Annie began to eat, while also encouraging Anya to finish her food. Once they had all finished eating, Yor spoke up.
"Um... Loid, maybe we should get some air?" Yor suggested, and after everyone had agreed they stood up and walked out, after paying for their bill, of course. They walked for a few minutes before they entered a lovely park. They eventually decided to take a look at the city from their view. It was beautiful, it really was.
"Wow." Loid commented, looking at the city before them.
"The people look like trash from up here." Anya said, which surprised Annie. She remembered Anya stating that the people looked like ants, not trash.
"Where did you learn that?!" Loid asked, somewhat horrified at his daughter's rudeness.
"Cartoons." Anya responded truthfully. Annie looked forward and took in the view, the city looked wonderful. There were children playing in the streets, people chatting. Loid and Yor chatted about the park, with Yor showing remorse for not being them somewhere more exciting.
"I like it!" Anya exclaimed, waving herh ands up happily. "No crowds!"
"It is rather peaceful, isn't it?" Annie couldn't help but butt in, she had to say something. She somewhat felt as if she was becoming invisible again. Suddenly, a man snatches an elderly woman's purse, running away from the scene as fast as he could. Annie kept her eyes on him though, but lost sight of him when he ducked into a alley.
"You'll pay for that, thief!" Yor suddenly cried out, jumping over the alley and running after the man. She lost his pretty quickly though, and went to tend to the elderly woman. Then, right at the perfect moment, Annie saw the man come out again. He changed his clothes, but he still carried himself the same way.
"Huh...? Isn't that the same man?" Annie asked aloud, getting Loid's attention.
"Huh? Where?" He asked, and Annie pointed in the direction of a shop that was simply labeled "cake". But it was right then he noticed the man too. He quickly handed Anya to Annie just as Yor was running back to them.
"Keep an eye on them, Yor!" Loid asked, finally going after the man and knocking him out cold. He quickly announced them man as a purse snatcher, and then met back up with his family. Then they walked to the elderly woman, they chatted for awhile while the woman profusely thanked them.
"Thank you, Yor." Loid suddenly said, walking towards Yor with a smile on his face. "Today really put the winds back in my sails." He admitted, still smiling while Yor looked towards him surprised. "Now I know what you mean by that 'let's get back to work' feeling." They paused, and stared on at each other for awhile, before Anya inevitably interrupted the moment.
"Mama and Papa are flirting!" Anya cheered excitedly, causing Yor and Loid to blush in embarrassment.
"No we are not!" They yelled in unison, causing Annie to begin giggling softly.
"What a wonderful family, you are." The woman said, getting the attention of the family who had begun bickering softly. They all looked at her in surprise, and then smiled at each other.
They soon bid farewell to the elderly woman and began making their way back to their home.
"Mama, I want hot cocoa!" Anya demanded as they walked into the apartment, Yor being herself indulged her by immediately making her some.
"First, let's take another pass at these questions." Loid said, thank god too. If it was only Yor, Anya would for sure grow up to be entitled.
"Ma, you need to work on not letting Anya walk all over you." Annie stated, causing Yor to become embarrassed.
"Oh... yes... You are right." Yor responded, but continued making the cocoa. Anya then ran over to the couch and crawled onto the middle.
"Alright, Anya. What do you do on your days off?" Loid asked, looking towards Anya who was now sitting very comfortably.
"I go to the opera, the art museum, and eat at restaurants!" Anya stated, causing Loid to nod and and point towards her.
"Good, that! Whatever they ask, you just think of today!" Loid exclaimed, and then turned to Annie before blinking a few times.
"... What are your goals at Eden Academy, Annie?" Loid asked, getting Annie's attention.
"... My goals are to get great grades, and make lots of friends." Annie stated, before looking towards Loid with determination, startling him slightly. "Although, my most ambitious goal is... to become the first student in Eden Academy history to become a Imperial Scholar their first year." This surprised Loid, as it seemed almost as if Annie had been downplaying her intelligence. Honestly, it made sense. She was oddly quiet, and almost always in deep thought, almost like she was... scheming something. Annie's intelligence would definitely come in handy though.
"Okay, Annie. Next question: If you saw your friend do something bad, what would you do?" Loid asked, looking towards Annie.
"I would anonymously report them, therefore I would not put our friendship at risk but the proper authorities would also be notified." This surprised Loid further, most children her age don't even think about the concept of doing something 'anonymously'. 'Is Annie actually a genius?' he thought to himself, although Annie knew this wasn't the case. She was just an adult in a child's body.
"Alright, and you Anya?" Anya stopped, and thought for a moment.
"... I'd jump him and make him eat pavement." Anya stated, this was something Annie expected. As it happened in the manga, she just didn't expect Loid to ask her the question first. Anya must think that how Loid dealt with that purse snatcher was actually the proper way, otherwise she wouldn't of said it. She is an impressionable child, after all.
"Yeah... let's forget that part of today." Loid stated, sighing as he put his clipboard over his head, sinking into the depths of despair again. For a calm and collected spy, he sure was dramatic.
"But, you were so cool papa!" Anya declared, Annie nodding in agreement.
"He was rather inspiring." Annie commented, while Yor walked into the kitchen with two cups of hot cocoa, a tea, and a coffee.
"He is pretty cool, isn't he?" Yor smiled as she placed the snack tray down onto the coffee table. They stopped and began chatting, until it was time to go to bed.
Annie quickly pulled her hair down, and then stared in the mirror. It was nice to see herself for once, and not the girl that has been haunting her as of late. She grabbed her hair and looked into the mirror. She wanted to do something with it other than just... have it. She sighed softly, before letting her hair fall back down her back, and began brushing it. As she did, Anya ran into the room, all ready to go to bed.
"Mama helped me take a bath!" Anya announced as she ran in, hair freshly dried and in her pajamas. Now, it was Annie's turn to shower. She gathered her clothing, and headed into the bathroom. Thank god the mirror was fogged up, she really didn't feel like having a panic attack tonight. She turned the hot water on, and got undressed before hopping into the shower, letting the hot water wash all her stress and worries away. She did all the usual stuff, shampooed and conditioned her hair, made sure to use the hair products that keep her dye intact. It was amazing they even had this, luckily they did. She wasn't sure if that was historically accurate, but she didn't care. Once she was done, she stepped out and went to bed. Ignoring any mirrors on the way.
Falling asleep was easy, for once. It was usually really difficult for her, but she fell asleep quickly tonight, maybe she was just tired, or another reason, but she fell asleep. She couldn't wait until the morning, because things were going great today and she hoped it be the same tomorrow.
Author's Note: Sorry about how long it took to get this chapter out, admittedly I've been suffering from writers block among many other things. But, that's not important, I finally got it out! I also wanted to ask everyone's opinion, if anyone has a specific hairstyle they'd like to be Annie's main, comment it! If I like it, I might decide to use it!