House No. 13

Bonds Formed

"Why has our life become so messed up?" Anna pondered, glancing around.

She sat on a rock beside the road leading to their house, attempting to calm her stressed mind, but intrusive thoughts continued to disturb her.

"We shouldn't have moved to Windham," Anna thought bitterly.

"We were settled in Fresno, and there we were happy," Anna thought, watching Hugo dart around.

"I don't even have a friend in Windham. In Fresno, I had so many friends, and we used to do so many fun things," Anna reminisced sadly.

Lately, she found herself constantly comparing her past life in Fresno with her current one in Windham.

The tranquility of the surrounding hills and the greenery of scattered trees and patches of grass failed to uplift Anna's mood.

"Hugo, don't go too far, come back!" Anna suddenly called out as she noticed Hugo running away from her.

But Hugo ignored her commands and continued bounding away. Anna rose from her seat on the rock and began to walk briskly after him, determined to ensure he didn't get lost.

"Hello... Anna." As Anna walked towards Hugo, a voice called out behind her. Startled, she stopped and turned around.

"Oh, hi Bella," Anna greeted the girl warmly.

Remembering Bella from a few days ago, while she was out for a stroll with her twin brother. Today, seeing Bella alone, Anna felt relieved, hoping to avoid Bella's arrogant brother once again.

"I'm good, thanks," Bella said with a smile as she approached Anna.

She stood beside her bicycle, dressed in a purple tracksuit. Anna noticed Bella's rosy cheeks, adorned with a dimple, and her light golden hair tied up in a high ponytail. Bella's appearance matched her name's beauty.

"I'm good," Anna replied.

"Today, I was thinking about you, and here you are," Bella said with a smile, radiating liveliness. Anna had never seen her without that lovely smile on her face.

"I've been busy, that's why I haven't been able to come for walks in the past few days," Anna explained.

"Hmm... you know, I told my mom about you and said that I've finally found a friend in this neighborhood," Bella replied, moving closer to the rock where Anna had been sitting a few minutes earlier.

"Friend?" Anna asked in an exclamatory tone.

"Aren't we friends?" Bella asked, genuinely surprised.

"I considered you my friend from the moment we met," Bella declared warmly.

Her sudden and lively smile brought a smile to Anna's face, and she joined Bella on the rock.

"Yes, we can be good friends," Anna agreed, glancing over at Hugo who was busy playing with stones.

"Hmm... so you're the type of person who makes friends after thorough investigation?" Bella asked teasingly.

"No, I'm not like that," Anna replied. "You know, I'm new to Windham. I don't know much about this town or its people. I need time to settle in and get used to this place," Anna explained in a rational tone.

"Hmm... you're right. It's not easy to move to a new place and start a new life there," Bella nodded thoughtfully, speaking in a straightforward tone.

"Yeah... you know, I had so many friends in Fresno, where we lived before moving to Windham. We used to do a lot of things together... my life had so much excitement back in Fresno," Anna reminisced.