I finally found an 'appropriate' shirt for a dinner. It was a white, long sleeveless with black angelic runes all over it. With it I wore black leggings. I thought I looked fine. My hair naturally curls at the ends, so I let it down.

I walked out of the bathroom after checking myself one last time. I saw Alec going through my music playlist. He straightened himself as he heard me come out.

"Roses? You dance to Roses? How do you even...", he asked without looking up. I shrugged, then realised he was not looking.

"I don't dance to all those songs, silly. Is it a crime to listen to other songs? No!", I told him. Then he looked up.

"Right... TMI fan is an understatement. Where do you get ask these shirts from? I want them too!", he pouted. I laughed.

"So you are well educated about the Shadow World, I presume?", I asked him.

"Oh, you have no idea", he said, shaking his head.

"I think I do, actually", with that he burst out laughing, "A friend of mine, David Harris, works at a store where they print stuff on T-shirts"

I get all my TMI reference tees from him.
And I have a huge crush on him.
Though he's, like, twenty, I guess.
Sad life. I know.

"Cool. And they look good on you so, no one is complaining", he shrugged.

"Oh, yes. No one. Except Mom, apparently", I groaned.

"Right. Anyways, shall we get going?", he asked.

"Sure", and we went to his house.

The front of his house brought back so many nostalgic memories that I got teary eyed. It took me sometime to pluck up the courage to step in the house. But the inside was so different!

They changed the colour of the walls and the interior was completely redone. I walked into the dining hall, after Alec. Mom, Dad, the other girl from the backyard and two other people, whom I assumed to be Mr. and Mrs. Haynes, were already seated at a huge table.

Alec lead me to the empty seat next to the girl. I smiled at the girl before I sat. She smiled back.

"Isabelle. You're Eva right?", she asked with such innocence I felt scared to talk to her.

"Yes. I am Eva", stopped there, unsure how to take forward the conversation. Thankfully I was saved by Mrs. Haynes. But in a very embarrassing way.

"Eva! How nice of you to finally join us. I hope Alec gave you no trouble on the way", she said looking at Alec. He just rolled his eyes. Mrs. Haynes smiled.

"Oh, no. Not at all Mrs. Haynes! He was an angel", I said with my fingers lingering on my shirt, my index finger pointing to a rune on my shoulder.

He looked at where my finger was pointing and burst out laughing.

He got your joke Eva! Celebrate-
Shut up. Just shut up.
You are unnecessarily getting excited.

Ugh Eva...

"Alec? Are you ok?", Mrs. Haynes asked with a very concerned look.

"Yes I am, Mom", he said, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Sure... Anyways Eva, please call me Marcia. Ooh, I see, you're an Aries as well! So is Alec!", she exclaimed.

Huh?
Why would she think I was an Aries?
Do I have horns?
Not that I'd be surprised, but, huh?

Alec waved, as if to get my attention. Then he pointed at my shirt. My shirt? Oh...

Eva!
Of course.
She thought the angelic rune was an Aries symbol.
...

"Mom, I don't think those are Aries symbols", Alec told his Mom.

"Really? Alec, look at it. It is an Aries symbol. Isn't it Eva?", she asked, her eyes full of anticipation. How was I going to do this?

"Uh, Marcia, actually those aren't Aries symbols", I told Marcia, feeling slightly guilty. Alec looked pleased.

How insensitive of him!

Marcia looked embarrassed.

"Oh. Well it is my mistake, I jump to conclusions too soon", Marcia looked so embarrassed that I felt bad.

"Marcia, its a very common mistake. Anyways I'm a Pisces–11th March", I told her. I don't know why I thought that would make her feel better, but she did smile.

"11th March? Mine's 10th April. Close enough, huh?", it was Alec who spoke this time. He looked amused. And Marcia had a smug look on her face.

I really don't want to know what she must be thinking
Mothers these days...

"Mom, can we please eat now!", Alec asked with a pleading face. Isabelle looked like she was going to throw up.

"No food! I don't like food! Alec!", she looked so upset.

"What? I wanted to eat", Alec said in his defence.

"Izzy. Alec. Behave", Marcia looked at both of them sternly, "I'll get the food right now", she gave Mom a smile and walked into the kitchen.

"Eva, do you like food?", she looked at me as if she had asked me if I liked poo.

"Yes?... It does keep me alive...", I'm pretty sure I looked sheepish.

"Yuck! But, you do have a point...", she looked at her empty plate with an unhappy look.

"Food!!", cried out Marcia as she walked into the dining hall. As she placed it on the table, the aroma hit me.

Lasagna.
Maddy's favourite food.

This family was sent for me from hell...

I looked at Mom and Dad. Dad looked so ready to take me back home, I could swear I heard the noise of his chair moving. I don't blame him.

After Maddy, I'm sure I made their life worse than hell. I closed my eyes and nodded reassuringly. He nodded once and pulled his chair forward.

I served myself as little of the Lasagna as I could. I made do with the breads. I toyed around with my food for a while when I realised Isabelle was trying hard to reach for the bread. I smiled.

I reached over her hand and picked two slices of bread.

"Thank you Eva", she gushed.

"Anytime, Isabelle", I told her. Ugh! I felt like Maddy.

God, put me out of this misery.

"Don't call me Is-a-belle!", she said, straining each vowel, "It sounds so... Formal! Eek...", she shuddered, with a disgusted look on her face. I felt a smug smile growing.

"But am I not supposed to be formal? I am a stranger after all...", I told her, matter-of-factly.

"Meh. Not really... Still, you are going to call me Izzy, because I like you", she ended with a shy smile.

"Izzy", I tried the roll of the name on my tongue. She smiled a radiant smile, like she was glad to have me beside her. I took in a deep, ragged breath as I faced the truth.

I wasn't like Maddy.
I could never be so.

The truth was Izzy.
She reminded me too much of myself.

The one I ran away from.
_______
A/N: And that's Roses.
It's really nice.
The ending-ish is kinda inspired by the song
Thanks vreetie

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