Thread: Coming home to my two brothers... (QC & Anomic_Author)

It was mid morning as Anna Grey walked along the familiar street from her childhood. She wore a pair of form fitting blue jeans, showing off her curves, along with a cropped top that left a sliver of her toned stomach on display. Her brown hair reached just past her shoulders and blew lightly in the wind. She also wore a black leather jacket to ward off the chill autumn breeze. Walking at a leisurely pace, hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket, Anna enjoyed the familiar sights of her childhood. She recognised her best friends house and the house of her first crush, who also happened to be the first boy she ever slept with. It was all so long ago, but it felt good to be back, to be surrounded by nostalgia. Smiling to herself, the twenty four years old made mental note to try and come back more often. The last time Anna visited was for a week at Christmas. The trees along the street had turned vibrant shades of red, gold and orange. The falling leaves heralded the approaching winter. Nearly a year since her last visit. Anna had moved away just over three years ago when she was twenty one. It was a snap decision that saw her move halfway across the country to the big city. At the time she was young and naive, aspiring to be a writer and artist. It had been difficult leaving her family behind, but it was something she needed to do. Once Anna had made her mind up, there was no stopping her. Her parents had accepted that a long time ago. She smiled at that. The first year had been hard though, living alone in a shitty apartment with a shitty job. Granted Anna had expected as much, but that didnt make it any easier. She hadnt even let on to her parents or brothers how bad it was for fear they would think she was a failure. However, not long after she had been living in the city for a year she caught a break. A painting that Anna had submitted into a competition had won. It was inspired by the last evening she had spent with her mother before leaving. It depicted a mother and daughter, at side by side as they watched the sun set. Childhood Gone she had named it. Now, two years after and Anna was what you might describe as successful. Highly successful for someone her age. The award ceremony had allowed her to meet other, more successful artists, while also getting important contacts. She kept in touch with these people, became their friends worked with them until eventually people started to recognise her talent, both as an artist and a writer. Working freelance, she soon found herself swamped with work. She managed a highly popular blog, wrote scripts for tv along with all manner of short stories and non-fiction. And, on top of that she also took artwork commissions. In short, her life had exploded forward. Leaving the shitty job and the shitty apartment, Anna had upgraded to a large, modern apartment in a high rise building. The young woman had decided to travel out to visit her family for two reasons. One, she needed a break and two, it was her two younger brother's birthdays. She hadnt made it to see them for it last year and felt bad. So she decided to kill two birds with one stone. Rather than stay with her parents, sleeping on the sofa, Anna had booked herself a hotel apartment for two weeks. It was a penthouse, extremely luxurious with a small private pool, a nearby spa and massage parlour. What more could a girl ask for? On top of that it wasnt far from her parents house and it was close to some popular bars and clubs. After all, Anna was a young single woman who like to go out, dance with a few guys and maybe, if she was lucky, take one home with her for the night. Two weeks in a luxurious apartment, seeing her family, catching up with friends and enjoying meaningless hookups? Sounded like perfection to Anna. Approaching her parents house she noticed that their cars were missing. That didnt surprise her, they were probably at work. She only hoped that her brothers would be in. Anna smiled, thinking back to what they used to be like. If they were still the same no doubt theyd have taken some self prescribed time off from their final year of high school for some birthday celebrations. Approaching the front door, she found it to be unlocked and stepped inside. She took a moment to breath deep the familiar smell of home, looking around at what had changed, what was still the same. Hello? She called out, a joking grin slowly spreading across her face. Theres a hot young woman at your door, gift wrapped for your birthday!