Once Bitten, Twice Shy

6

A/N - I'm supposed to be in maths right now but really cba with iterative processes so here have two chapters
___________________________

Cathy woke up on her third morning, with a stiff neck. She hadn't gone to bed until well into the early hours of the morning, when the sun was just starting to rise and the birds were waking from their slumber. She checked her phone: ten o'clock, and, deciding five hours sleep was more than enough, got up to start the day. She rifled through her new wardrobe, full of jackets, and dresses, and glamourous clothing, settling instead on the blue jumper she'd worn for the past three days, and a pair of black ripped jeans. Cathy never was one to dress up, preferring a comfortable outfit and a good book, to the bustling party life of a queen. This was one of the many reasons she found comfort in the secluded nature of their home. She had come to love this new life, she'd talk with Aragon in the mornings, and read with jane in the evenings, and spend hours amusing Kat with her tales, attempting to keep Anna out of trouble for more than five minutes. It was a simple routine that brought a warm smile to her face. There was just one person she hadn't yet clicked with.

"Cathy?" There was a soft knock on the door, followed by a head peaking through. "Jane sent me up to check if you'll be joining us for breakfast." Anne spoke softly, a sweet and melodic tone peeking through, but hidden by a shy exterior. It was the kind of voice that Cathy always wanted to hear again, just to remember the fuzzy feeling it left in her head.

"yeah." Cathy snapped out of her daze. "sorry, only just woke up."

Anne nodded and gently closed the door, leaving the quite sound of soft footsteps in her wake.

Entering the kitchen once more, she returned to her place beside Kat. "Well?" Jane pressed, after not getting a response from her original question. "Yeah, she'll be down in a minute." Anne hadn't realised how distracted she'd been until she caught the suspicious glance Jane sent her. She ignored it and went back to her breakfast, listening to the footfall of the stairs as Cathy descended.

Breakfast went by as usual; Kat asked a ridiculous question, provoking a ridiculous answer from Anna, causing an exasperated lecture from Jane. Anne watched on in amusement, these were always her favourite parts of the day, when they were all sat together as a family, discussing anything and everything about the new world. She returned to reality when Kat recited a meme she'd seen earlier that day, earning a facepalm from Aragon, and a concerned look from Jane. Anne let out a small laugh, as she too had seen it, causing both women to stare at her in awe.

"what?" They both shook their heads and went back to their food, though the grins that lit up their faces were unmistakable. the thing is, Anne wasn't one to make a sound during family meals, she spoke when she was asked a question, and listened to the buzz of conversation around her, quite content with being the silent observer. The only time the others had heard her laugh, was from behind the door to either hers, or Kat's's bedroom, when they were exchanging funny videos, or making each other giggle with their stupid antics. Apart from that, Anne didn't contribute much to group conversations, and she was perfectly happy that way, and so the others accepted it. They thought it best not to draw attention to this new behaviour, deciding instead to enjoy the new change in Anne's personality, without causing any embarrassment to the girl, so when breakfast ended, they cleared everything away and let Anne escape up to her room as usual without a word about it.

Boleyn often spent her days drawing. She'd lose track of the time until Jane or Kat called her down for dinner, then return to her room straight after to resume her work. Other times, she'd find herself forgetting to ever leave her bed, and getting lost in the world of colours and pictures inside her head. On these days the others had learned it was easiest to just post a plate through the door rather than try to get her down.

7 o'clock rolled around and they'd finished dinner, the usual fight about what film they should watch had commenced and Anne had disappeared after throwing her plate in the sink.

"Kitty, you know the drill" Jane sighed as she flopped onto the sofa with a glass of wine. The girl scampered upstairs eagerly and Jane prepared herself for the normal outcome, pointing the remote to the TV just as Kat re-emerged bursting with pride. Beside her stood a semi-awkward looking Anne. She had never joined in on a movie night, and yet here she was for the first time, not really knowing what to do with herself as Kat ushered her onto one of the large sofas, wrapping them both in a fluffy blanket. Jane nearly choked on her drink and Aragon grabbed her hand in shock. They shared a look before the opening tune of the movie carried through the speakers as they got lost in the world of The Lion King. Throughout the movie, Cathy's eyes kept wandering over to Anne, she couldn't help it, and scolded herself every time it happened, not sure what it was about the girl. She looked so engrossed in the movie, a sleeping Kat sprawled over her shoulder as she absentmindedly stroked the girls hair, lips ever so slightly moving along with the words of the songs. She looked so peaceful, and Cathy couldn't manage to take her eyes off her. She eventually got a nudge in the ribs from Anna who was sat beside her, a smirk on her face, and had seemingly witnessed the whole thing. Cathy violently blushed and cleared her throat slightly, turning back to the movie and forcing herself to focus on the words of Hakuna Matata, rather than the girl just metres away from her who was mouthing them.