Anima: The Bird House

Chapter 11

Three weeks have passed since Jeremy and I found Damien.

Three weeks since Benji had his incident.

The first snow of the year fell last night. The ground seemed cold enough to keep it from melting on impact. The snow wasn't heavy, leaving only about a half inch on the ground. Temperatures seemed to hover right around twenty eight degrees Fahrenheit, just below freezing.

Growing up in the Midwest, the mild cold and snow never bothered me. You get used to heavier jackets and thicker pants to stay warm. But recently, it hasn't been so easy to keep warm. My legs are weird, and I can't wear jeans for the cold, but they also have not changed enough to insulate themselves. I've been trying to spend as little time outside as possible, but eventually, I have to go out.

The noon sun is reflected heavily by the thin coat of white snow. Longer nights with shorter but brighter days to make up for it. The occasional car drove past, leaving a light trail of smoke behind it. I haven't been outside these doors in three days, and although winter is cold, I can't keep myself secluded.

Almost everyone at the house seems to be handling the cold fine. The only exception is Benji, though. His body isn't built for the winter weather of Ohio. He's been spending quite a bit more time in his bedroom, where his space heater keeps it a warm eighty degrees. Matthew has been trying to keep it reasonable, with the rest of the house sitting at sixty eight degrees.

I have moved into the AA house, at least partially. For several reasons, I think it may help myself and the others. Relive some stress for me and maybe prolong the cabin fever for everyone else. Jeremy and Rylie packed up the things left in Damiens's room. Things that were more personal belongings were packed into large tubs and stored in the basement.

While moving the two tubs of personal belongings, I saw a few more tubs in the basement. Various names are written on the sides of the large plastic containers, and each is filled with random objects of what I assume are other members' belongings. Although it seems dark, they act as a sort of time capsule.

I've been trying to stay optimistic about everything happening, which is much easier said than done. I've brought myself to the conclusion that there is nothing I can do to stop the changes, which is probably not the best outlook, but I haven't had a change in weeks. I started to feel more in control of it, every day becoming more "normal."

Sitting on the couch with Jeremy, the TV quietly played the news. Nothing is too attractive, mostly just little stories from around the state, giving something to fill in the time between ads. Jeremy reached for the remote while looking at me for approval, and I shrugged back to him. He wasted no time when it came to looking for something else to watch.

I felt a vibration from my chest pocket. I reached in and pulled my phone from the pocket. I've begun to wear shirts with pockets or hoodies to get around the no-pants pockets issue. At first, it felt wrong having so much weight tugging on the breast pocket, but with time it became pretty standard. I was looking at the phone and saw a text from Kole in his usual style of speech dictation.

"You see the snow," he said.

"Yeah, how you holding up with it?" I said back.

"Made adjustments much warmer," he said back.

"New clothes?" I asked, wondering if he had somehow gotten custom clothes. Over the past few years, a few companies have begun to make custom-fit shirts and pants to help with either hiding changes or dealing with the weather. Only really being an option for those with slow changes or who have the money for custom-fit clothing, to begin with.