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    We ended up having to move to a house outside of New York. We where at least an hour into the sticks. Apparently is was an old house the Oribis family use to occupy years ago, but had sense been abandoned. After a few months we had fixed the place up. But our relationships still weren’t the best. But the vastness of the property and the quite of nature helped ease some of the tension. Summer had gone and it was now mid December. Snow covered the ground and i wore 2 shirts and a hoodie, along with my leggings with the faux fur in side. I switched my converse for the black combat boots Eric had bought me last year for Christmas. At the moment i had just been sitting on the porch watching the snow fall. Eric was at work, and so was Angel. Toby was inside cooking dinner and Adam was getting wood for the fire. I pulled my hood back slightly to feel the cold air against my skin. I didn’t mind the cold. To be honest it felt great, it was one of the only times in the year where i could wear a hoodie comfortably. I laid face down on the porch my head hanging over the edge. I reached down to touch the snow, realizing again how much my skin color resembled the snow. i sighed. With my other hand i reached into my hood to scratch my head and was surprised by my hair as it fell out from under my hood. The clump that fell out was blonde white and now almost reached the snow. It was getting to long and i hadn’t even noticed. “I should cut my hair again.” I whispered to myself. “Yes, it has grown considerably long once again.” Toka said poking out from my hoodie. “Hi Toka.” I said petting her head. “Anaya, maybe Toby can cut your hair, give you a new hairstyle?” Toka suggested i raised my eyebrows at her. "You think Toby even knows how to cut hair?” I asked. Toka gave me a strange look. “Of course he does, he has been attending cosmetology classed you know. Specifically for hair cutting. Toby’s been attending classes sense June.” “Really? I hadn’t noticed.” I said. “Well you are a shut in for the most part. You hardly notice when people are home or not. Toby goes 4 times a week to a small school in New York.” “Huh,i guess i should pay more attention to people huh?” I asked. “Yes. Your people skills are lacking. You have many other skills, Anaya, but communication isn’t one of them.” She said as i push myself into a sitting position. “Hey, thats not fair, i mean i talk to you all the time.” I said feeling offended. “Yes, but i’m part of you, you have to talk to me.” Toka said jumping from my hood to my lap. “True.” I said taking her into my arms and standing up. “I’ll ask him now if he’d cut my hair.” I pushed the door open and immediately smelt spaghetti. “That smells heavenly.” Toka said leaping from my arms and running to the kitchen. I took my boots off and felt under my hoodie for the thickest shirt. I pulled it off with out knocking my hood from my head. I went into the kitchen and saw Toby dancing to some pop song. It had a good vibe to it. “In this very moment i’m king, in this very moment i slay goliath with the sling. In this very moment i bring, put it on everything. That i will retire with the- Ah!” Toby yelped once he finally turned around and noticed me. He wore a kiss the cook apron and i couldn’t help but laugh as his olive cheeks blushed red. I doubled over laughing the look on his face killed me. “Oh! I’m.. I’m so sorry, that was hilarious. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you, Toby.” I said wiping at my eyes. “A-Anaya! Don’t laugh at me it’s not my fault.” Toby pouted stirring his pot of spaghetti. “I’m sorry.” i giggled walking over to the stove. “You sing very well.” I added scratching Toby’s head. He smiled and nudged his head into my hand. Toby’s ability to match the voice of anybody is a weird one. It’s funny, and i’m glad Toby’s to nice to use it against anyone. “How’s dinner coming?” I asked looking into the pot. My nose was filled with the devious smell of spaghetti and garlic. “Great.” He said, sprinkling something into the pot. Over the counter that divided the Kitchen and dinning room, I saw Toka sitting in her high chair with Hachiko next to her. They seemed to be having a discussion. “So, um you know how you’ve been going to cosmetology school?” I began, Toby paused a moment and looked at me his eyes curious. “Yeah, I’ve been going sense June, for hairstyling.” He said smiling. “ Are you good at cutting hair?” I asked. “Well, i guess, yes. My teacher says I'm at the top of the class.” Toby blushed slightly. “Thats great! Well i got an assignment for you.” I said. “wait here.” I ran to my bed room quickly and grabbed a mask, threw my hoodie off and pulled the mask over my face. And ran back to Toby. He had shut off the stove, and started to put the things away. “Woah! Anaya your hair! It’s so long!” Toby said in awe as he wiped his hands. “Yeah, i don’t want it to become a possible problem, so i was wondering if you’d cut it for me?” I said shyly, I’ve never let anyone cut my hair, I always did it myself which alway resulted in very ugly hair cuts or, at least thats what Toka says. In truth my version of a hair cut was sitting on the floor of my bedroom and taking a pair of scissors and cutting my hair randomly. “Sure! It would be great!”

    We grabbed a folding chair from the hall closet and a towel, and set them up in the living room. I adjusted the mask so it didn’t get in the way of Toby’s scissors. He draped the towel around my shoulders and started spraying my hair with water. He combed it several times making sure to get all the knots out. My hair was all the way past my butt, so Toby tied it in two places. He said it might be healthy enough to donate, which is something i didn’t know people did with their hair. I told him to do whatever style he thought suited me. Considering this was the first time he saw me in something other than a hoodie, i didn’t know what to expect. “Alright are you ready?” Toby asked, i could feel he had a hold on my hair. My heart started to beat a little faster. “Yeah…” I said a little nervous. Toby gripped my hair a little tighter and raised the scissors. Just then the door opened “Woah! Hey! What are you doing?” Adam yelled just before Toby began. Toby and i Turned to look at him. “I’m cutting Anaya’s hair.” Toby said confused. “Why?” Adam asked. “It’s getting to long, it’ll be a problem.” I said, getting irritated. “But it’s beautiful. It’s like a waterfall of silk, why cut it?” Adam insisted coming over to stand in front of me. “It’s a problem.” I said. “Toby cut it now.” I said staring Adam in the eyes. Toby cut the first section. “Fine do what you want.” Adam said sitting with his back to the fire place watching us bored and disappointed. Snip, snip,snip. I felt my head become lighter with every cut. After what seemed like eternity Toby cheerfully announced “I’m done.” Toby wiped the towel off my shoulders and fluffed my hair with a hair dryer. It felt it and saw it still rested a bit past my shoulders. “How’s it look?” I asked. Toby smiled big and wide, “Well i think it looks fantastic.” He giggled. “You did a great job Toby.” Adam said from the fire place, he stared at me with a face i’d never seen before. He was smiling, but it didn’t seem like a normal smile. It looked like the one Angel gives Toby when they’re flirting. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. “We’re home!” Angel announced as he and Eric came in. They saw me and just stared. “Uh… wow, girl you actually have a body!” Angel gushed. He ran over to me and took my hand spinning me. “Look how cute you’re body is. Did you cut your hair it looks good.” Angel said. I stopped myself and laughed. “Toby cut it for me.” I said. “No wonder it looks good! My love is amazing.” I looked over at Toby who was putting my hair in a bag. Toby looked up and blushed slightly. “How long was it before?” Adam asked smiling. “Past her butt.” Toby and Adam said together. “Damn, did you want to be Repunzel, Anaya?” Angel joked. i smiled, but then realized no one can see my smile. I lifted the mask enough to smile at Angel. “Woah! Anaya!” Angel said i quickly pulled my mask back down, and pulled away. “Why are you cutting hair in the living room?” Eric asked anger edging his words. I looked over my shoulder at him he stood near the door wearing a long sleeve and a bad look on his face. “It was… Convenient.” I said shyly. I still felt his anger. I didn’t understand why he was still so angry with me. I apologized so many times. I don’t understand. “Right.” He said kicking his shoes off his silver eyes hidden by his mass of hair. “Toby is dinner ready?” Eric said coldly. “Yea.” Toby said looking at his shoes. “Alright.” He said walking away. I sighed heavily. “He’ll come around, trust me.” Angel said patting my back and walking away with Toby just behind him.

    We ate in moderate silence that night. Like most nights recently, that was just how things where at the time. Toby and Angel talked about guys and funny things, while i argued with Adam about wither Attack on Titan was better than Death Note, Eric didn’t join us that particular night he. We finished eating and all helped clean the table and wash dishes. After words i went off to my bed room to finish some editing on a graphic on the massive super computer i had bought. Adam came in a few minutes later and plopped dow on the over sized bean bag chair in the corner. “What’s up?” I asked not really caring for what he had to say. “Nothing, just wanted to keep reading your “ Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe.” He said, i heard him shift around and grab the book off my shelf. “How far are you in it?” I asked making conversation. “Ummm,” I head the soft turning of pages. “Eureka, page 791.” Adam said, i heard him turn on the lamp. “Nice, hey mind real quick, reading my favorite poem?” I asked turning from my work to face him. “Sure, it’s Annabel Lee right?” I nodded. I listened as he read the first stanza, realizing again how the speaker tragic the love was between he and Annabel lee. by the 5th i wished again that i had someone to love me like that, despite the family, despite their places in life, and other forces outside of their control; he loved Annabel Lee. Adam finished and looked up at me, i stared blankly at him. “Better?” He asked. I nodded and pulled down my hood further down my face. “Anaya, you know i’ve seen your face. I know what you look like.” Adam said startling me. “I know.” I said pushing myself from my chair and walking over to the window to watch the snow fall. “Then why wear the hood around me?” Adam asked, i heard him shifting in the bean bag chair. “Because i’m not free.” I said simply. “What?” Adam asked, i began to open my heart but then a phone started to ring. By body froze. Even the snow outside seem to stop falling. It rang and rang with an empty cold feeling. Then some one picked up. I waited in frozen silence. I heard my old clock tick the seconds by. Tick, tok, tick, tok, tick tok. Then after what seemed like an eternity the knob on my door turned. “Anaya.” my name was whispered so sadly and exhaustedly. I turned to face Eric, his tall frame standing in the door way, with Toby right behind him. Their faces suddenly looked, very very tired and very old. I sighed and walked over to my closet. I pulled out a black fleece hoodie and small black sling book bag. “What’s going on?” Adam said, slowly getting to his feet.
    I packed my bag with snacks in the Kitchen and checked the ammo in my gun as Eric explained the mission. “Alright, here’s the mission.” He began, taking out a small leather notebook from his back pocket. Toby sat on the floor his sling bag was already packed. A small knife in his hands. Angel and Adam stood in the doorway to the kitchen confused and frightened. “It’s seems as those guy’s, who’ve been targeting Anaya, have been able to capture someone from our family.” I stopped in my packing, “Who’s they capture?” I asked. I swear if it was one of those a** holes i hate ******** it i’m not- “Mochi. Otherwise known as cousin Monkey.” I swallowed hard, Toka poked her head out the top of my shirt. “Why’d he get captured?” I asked. “We don’t know.” He said. “How did he get captured.” “We don’t know.” “Is it because of me?” “We don’t know.” I slammed the gun against the kitchen counter. “What do you know!” I growled, whirling around to face him. “That we have to go to area 51 here in America. They think he’s an alien.” Eric said turing the page of his little book. I finished with my bag and put it on. “We’re being sent on strict recon, nothing else.” Eric said coldly. “Recon! Recon! You can’t be serious, Eric it’s Mochi! We gotta save him, we gotta get him outta there!” i yelled getting in his face. “Orders are orders, i wanna save him to but we can’t.” Eric shouted. I jammed my finger against Eric’s chest. “Can’t? Why can’t we? Because you actually wanna do what the house tells you? Well guess what i don’t give a damn! You can’t get there and back without me, so we do what I say!” I pushed past him. Adam and Angel parted like the red sea with scared looks. I stormed out of the house and launched myself off the porch into the soft snow.