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The bright moonlight cast light on the young man as he scurried away quickly like a thief in the night. As it happened, Ana peeked out her living room window in time to lock eyes with him for a brief moment as he dropped a letter in her mailbox.
"Getting the mail!" She announced, grabbing her coat and rushing over to the mailbox.
"Alright, dear," Carla, her new foster mother, replied from the kitchen.
She found his letter at the bottom of the pile, tucked between the ads. Whaddaya You know! The stamped letter was addressed to Madeline Johnson, the foster girl who preceded her. Ana didn't know much about her except that she had moved out after she'd graduated from high school back in June.
This was Ana's fourth day living with Carla and Raymond Livingston; yet, she could already feel this home would be different from the others. Here, she was treated with kindness. As a matter of fact, Carla took her to the mall on her second day to get a brand-new wardrobe. It was a far cry from the smelly hand-me-downs she was accustomed to. Indeed, she couldn't think of a better way to kick off the school year.
Ana dropped the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter and headed for her room, the letter tucked safely in her pocket.
Of course, she knew it was wrong to open the other girl's correspondence. But, what the hell. If she didn't open it, the mystery of what was inside would probably keep her up all night. She tore the handwritten envelope open and started reading.
Dear Madeline,
I'm so glad you're back. I missed seeing you walking to school every morning. You are very friendly and talk to everyone. I love that about you.
Your Neighbor from across the street
Giddy with excitement, Ana peeked out her bedroom window at the Grey House. She caught a glimpse of his copper hair as he peered through the gap in the curtains with a pair of binoculars. So she did what any ordinary girl would do under the circumstances: she stepped away from the window, turning back the curtains, her heart thumping wildly.
The next day she received yet another letter.
Madeline, you're gorgeous. Did anybody ever tell you how beautiful you are? Your eyes are the color of the ocean, in perfect contrast with your hair.
Ana giggled at that. The idea of having a secret admirer made her feel like the star of a romance novel.
Filled with great anticipation, Ana started checking the mailbox three times a day. Going out on walks around the neighborhood, she learned a few things about the Greys, her neighbors directly across the street. Casting a glance toward their house, she fantasized about what would happen if she ran into the copper-haired boy one of these days.
If only her secret admirer called her by her real name, she sighed as she plopped across her bed with a pencil and writing pad. Handwritten letters were so old-fashioned, for sure. She wished she could just send him a message on Snapchat, but she had searched for his name countless times. Unfortunately, the only thing that came up was this bald old man who was definitely born in the 1980s.
Dear, Christian-
No, no, scratch that. Ana knew his full name by now, but she couldn't let him know that little detail just yet.
Dear Neighbor from across the street,
Madeline doesn't live here anymore...
Ana crumbled the paper in her hands. She'd seen pictures of Madeline. The resemblance between herself and the other girl was uncanny. And, apparently, Christian seemed to think this similarity extended to their personality. Most people would have described Ana as friendly and outgoing.
However, Christian couldn't have possibly known Madeline that well; otherwise, how could she explain the mistaken identity?
Let him keep thinking you're Madeline.
She saw no harm in that.
BESTIE ADVICE
Kate and Ana were doing their homework in Ana's bedroom when they saw him stride across the yard illuminated by a nearby lampost. They both rushed to the living room window to watch him drop another letter in the mailbox. Even though he was trying to be inconspicuous and wearing a hoodie, they both got a good look at his face.
"So this is your secret admirer?" Kate nudged her and grinned, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"His name is Christian," Ana sighed. By now, she knew the neighbors across the street had two other children besides Christian: Elliot and Mia.
"Christian?" Kate chuckled. "Are you freaking kidding me?"
Ana stared at Kate blankly, as if to say, what's your problem?
"You're not seriously considering dating someone with such a churchly name like Christian, are you?"
Ana flushed. "I'm not dating him, you dum-dum!" she hit Kate with a pillow. "I'm just... introducing myself."
"Yeah, well, that's how it starts!"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Why are you bothering with him? Doesn't he go to Country?" Kate scoffed.
Country Inn was a private Stem school emphasizing science and technology.
"Didn't you say he rarely leaves the house? He's a weirdo, a nerd."
"That doesn't mean he's a freak," Ana replied defensively. Her friendship with Kate was relatively new. But she was used to establishing new friendships whenever she was moved to yet another foster home.
"Ana banana, I'm pretty sure any association with him will totally ruin your reputation."
Maybe, thought Ana. But there was something mysterious and magical about this recluse. In her fantasies, she saw herself as a powerful fairy waving her wand and bringing him out of his poor sad shell.
"It will never work, silly Ana; you two are too different. You're as opposites as two people can be," Kate said as they both dashed outside to grab the letter.
Ana had to wrestle the letter out of Kate's hands.
"Read it out loud!" Kate squealed, and Ana rolled her eyes, secretly loving being the center of attention.
Dearest Madeline,
Would you like to go out with me for a walk around the neighborhood? You're the prettiest girl on the block.
Your Neighbor from across the street
"This is so lame. Why don't you write this guy back and tell him you know his name is Christian and that you know everything about him?" Kate pointed out as if suddenly bored.
"What do I do?" Ana wondered aloud. She was worried about a face-to-face meeting.
"Then there's only one thing you can do," Kate said cryptically. "You cannot answer his letters."
MADELINE
"What was she like?" Ana asked her foster mother one Saturday morning after reading the mail. "Madeline?"
"Who?" Carla asked distractedly while going through the mail. Ana had already slipped Christian's newest letter into the back pocket of her jeans. It didn't say much except to ask if she had received his previous letter.
"Do you still keep in touch with her?"
"Not really," Carla sighed, going through a stack of correspondence addressed to Madeline. "I suppose we'll be getting their mail for a while," She grabbed a pen and wrote: "please forward" on each piece of mail.
"She should have left her forwarding address."
Carla looked at Ana curiously. "Ray and I have been foster parents for so many years now. We're used to being a pit stop and nothing else. By the way, we're getting two little boys next week. They're brothers, and I've been told they're well-behaved."
Ana asked a couple of questions about the boys, but soon her thoughts returned to Madeline and Christian.
"I like the name Madeline. I want to know more about her," Ana replied as Carla turned to write something on the magnetic shopping list they kept on their refrigerator door.
Once again, she wondered why Christian went to the trouble of putting a stamp on the letter if he was just going to stick it in the mailbox. What a waste. Why pretend he'd mailed the letter, to begin with?
"Madeline loved talking and socializing. I talked to her again and again about focusing on her school work. But in the end, she failed two classes in her senior year and couldn't graduate with her class," Carla eyed her with a sudden critical eye. "By the way, from the look of things…you will end up exactly in the same boat as Madeline if you don't do something about your grades."
Ana resented Carla assigning her to failure before running the race. And while yes, this was her senior year, the year her entire future would be decided (big sigh). The last time she checked, her fate wasn't written in stone. And yes, Carla, this was still October, not April! So there was still plenty of time for her to make it.
Ana turned around and locked herself in her room. Pulling out her tattered suitcase from underneath her bed, she rummaged through her belongings and took out her mother's picture frame. She stared at it with a mixture of love and hate.
"Why did you have to name me Anastasia?" She asked the woman who had abandoned her when she was ten years old. "Why couldn't you have given me a more distinguished name like Madeline?"
NEIGHBORS
A couple of weeks passed. Ana was bummed out because the letters had stopped coming. Probably due to her lack of response, she supposed. No biggie, she was used to people dropping in and out of her life.
Grabbing her coat, she waved at Carla and the two little boys that had recently joined their household. They were cute, but she knew better than to become too attached.
She had just stepped outside when a blond guy with a small Beagle in tow rapidly approached her.
"Champ," the young man called as the pup trotted ahead, practically dragging him along. "Heel! Heel!" He kept shouting, but Champ was on a mission to chase a squirrel into the bushes. "Hey! He continued to scold him even as he pulled the dog back on the gravel road.
"Hey, it looks like you got your hands full," Ana grinned, focused on the dog.
"Tell me about it," Elliot huffed, rolling his eyes as Champ pulled ahead.
"One of my good friends is a puppy trainer; she trains them in less than a week. She's a lot better than Petsmart's dog training lessons," Ana offered. "I can give you her number if you want."
Champ came over to Ana and sniffed her hand. "Hi there, cutie!" she crouched down low to the ground and gushed over him.
The blond owner flashed his pearly whites.
"I'm Elliot."
Ana rose to her feet and shook his hand. Wow, he was tall!
"Madeline," she answered smoothly. The name rolled off her tongue with only the slightest hesitation.
Elliot cocked his head curiously. He'd talked to Madeline a couple of times before, and even though this girl resembled her quite a bit, there was no way this girl could be her.
Still, he said nothing.
As Elliot and Ana walked along the neighborhood, they shared personal information readily. The Greys had been living in the area for about five years. Elliot had graduated this past summer and was in the process of 'exploring his options.' He shared that his younger brother was a senior. His sister Mia was living in Mexico as an international exchange student.
Ana was surprised to hear Christian was in the same grade as she. All of a sudden, her mind went blank, and she couldn't think of anything else to say. There was so much she wanted to ask about Christian, but she didn't want it to be too obvious.
Fortunately, her brain started working again, reminding her to focus on others.
"Wow! Your sister is brave! I can't imagine spending half the school year in another country. Does she speak Spanish?"
"Barely, but the important thing is that she has fun trying!" Elliot laughed.
"I don't believe that for a second! I'm sure she's having a lot of fun and understands more than she lets on."
"That's my little sister to you. She's a solid B. Bubbly, badass and baffling," Elliot laughed again.
"You're funny! I wonder, is your brother as funny as you?"
Oh crap! Did I just say that out loud?
What on earth was wrong with her? Ana mentally slapped herself. Why was she constantly thinking about this boy she'd never even met?
"Nope, I'm one-of-a-kind." Elliot raised both brows. "My little brother, I'm afraid, likes to keep to himself."
"Yes, I've noticed he's hardly ever seen during the day. The girls and I are making bets. One of our more popular theories is that he's leading a secret life as a vampire."
Elliot threw his head back and laughed. Ana laughed too. For a moment there, she wondered if she was chasing after the wrong brother. After all, she and Elliot seemed to have a lot in common.
BROTHERLY LOVE
"What's wrong with you, little bro? This chick really likes you... She's obviously into dark and mysterious types like you. So why don't you just go knock on her door?"
Christian hesitated. After all, she hadn't bothered to answer his letters. Even though he hadn't signed his name, she knew where he lived.
"I guess I could do that," he answered vaguely.
Elliot rolled his eyes. He knew his brother didn't really mean that. Whenever Christian used that particular combination of words, it usually meant he had no intention of following through.
"Well, if you don't hurry up and ask her, I will."
Christian frowned. "W-what do you mean?" He said slowly. The last thing he needed was his own brother as competition.
"Well, she's pretty hot, and she's easy to talk to."
"No! She's mine," Christian said decisively, catching Elliot off guard.
"Oh, yeah? What you gonna do about it?" Elliot challenged him offhandedly while grabbing a slice of pizza out of the fridge.
Christian scoffed. "You're such a dumbass! She'll never go for a playboy like you," he called out from his position on the couch. He then snatched his book titled Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries.
THE MEETING
Ana saw Christian's Mustang swerve to avoid hitting a trashcan as he parked it up the steep driveway. She crossed the street just as he scurried inside. Stepping up the Grey's front porch with a decisive step, she took a deep breath and knocked.
Elliot greeted her with a smile, and Champ jumped up, ecstatically happy to see her.
"So... Let me guess, you're here to sell girl scout cookies."
Ana giggled, amused by both Elliot and the beagle. "Nah, not today. I just came by to talk to your brother."
"Aw, so you finally mustered up the courage to come by, nice!"
Without waiting for a response, Elliot charged toward the hallway shouting Christian's name.
While Ana waited, Champ made himself comfortable on her lap. She petted him, wondering if Christian was ever going to come out of his room. Elliot caught her eying the door to his brother's room.
"The girls and I made a bet," Ana lied, "who would be the one to meet Christian face to face," she said.
Elliot threw his head back and laughed. The laughter froze inside his throat the minute his brother finally stalked out of his room.
"Madeline?" Christian mumbled.
"Hey, Christian," Ana said coolly.
"Hey, wait, how do you know my name?"
"I'm an imposter," Ana blurted out.
"Huh?"
"I'm not Madeline. She moved out over the summer. I'm the new foster kid," she said the last sentence with a casual eye roll.
"Wait... so it's been you this whole time?"
"I'm Anastasia...I go by Ana."
Christian eyed the imposter thoughtfully. While Madeline lived across the street, he never gathered the courage to send a letter, much less speak to her. And then, when he finally did, it wasn't even the same girl. He'd realized his mistake a while back, but by then, it didn't really matter. The girl in front of him was the one he was crazy about.
"Y-you never answered my letters," Christian stammered, sitting beside her on the opposite end of the couch. Champ chose that moment to climb off Ana's lap.
"I'd rather talk in person, so here I am," she replied confidently.
Christian smiled a goofy smile. He really loved her go-getter attitude.
Just as he was starting to relax, the unthinkable happened. The sky outside darkened as if preparing for a storm as his despicable brother opened his big mouth. He'd been so focused on Ana, he'd forgotten he was even in the room.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to stick around," Elliot smirked as he made himself comfy right between them on the couch.
Ana just stared at Elliot wide-eyed. Christian looked utterly disgusted as his brother stretched lazily, putting his arms around them as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Get lost!" Christian whispered urgently between clenched teeth.
"Fifty bucks," Elliot muttered back, grinning from ear to ear.
"Twenty-five."
Elliot shook his head no and clucked his tongue. "My little brother is a cheapo. Add that to the list of reasons he has trouble getting dates."
Christian shot him a murderous look, and Elliot sprung from the couch just in time to avoid a punch to the arm. Glowering at him as he scurried away, Christian hoped his embarrassment didn't show. Just in case, he avoided direct eye contact with the girl of his dreams.
"Brothers....can't live with them for sure. As soon as I graduate, I'm out of here."
Ana nodded. "I grew up without real siblings, so this is all new to me."
"Siblings are overrated," Christian replied flippantly.
"Are they? I've been in more homes than I can count off the top of my head. And I tell you, what I wouldn't give to have a brother or sister I can count on no matter what."
Christian's face dropped as he realized his comments sounded insensitive, even to his own ears. Well, this certainly didn't seem to be his day.
"Can we start over?"
Ana looked into his magnetic grey eyes... something about them...
"I'd like to get to know you. Would you like to go out for a walk with me before it gets dark?"
"I'd thought you'd never ask. This is my favorite time of day to go for walks," Ana beamed. "Can we take Champ too?"
"Of course."
With a spring in his step, Christian retrieved Champ's leash. Champ was so excited, he dragged Christian out the front door. Ana giggled, shutting the door behind them.
As they walked, Ana greeted and conversed with people around the neighborhood. Christian enjoyed the experience more than he could have imagined, especially how she seamlessly included him in the conversations.
"I had a great time," Ana said sincerely as they walked the path that led to her front porch.
"We got to do it again sometime," Christian replied a bit nervously. He couldn't help but think that a girl like Ana had more in common with Elliot than with him.
"Sure. How about tomorrow around the same time?"
Christian didn't even hesitate. This was definitely a good sign. "Sounds good," He said as he walked her up to the door.
For a brief moment, they stood gazing at each other. Champ sat between them, wagging his tail.
Their gaze lingered. Then, she boldly took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"See you tomorrow," Christian said, her touch giving him the confidence he needed.
Suddenly, Champ barked meaningfully to say he was on board with the plan. Christian and Ana looked at each other and laughed.
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