Analisja Breyl was a cheerful kid and had no trouble having friends and getting along with other people. When she was six, she met some of her family members on her mother's side. She was so fascinated with her cousins who got expensive toys and video games. The more she saw the difference in their status, the more she admired and looked up to them. Every time a holiday was coming, she would brag to all of her friends about them and would actively volunteer to help with the preparation at her grandma's house where they would all be meeting. Once they arrived, she would attend to all of their needs and that made her so happy even though she was exhausted.
Her parent's relationship started to worsen and she had to stay in her grandmother's house when she turned fourteen. Her grandma found fault with everything she did and actively announced to all of the family members that she was lazy, a liar, and a thief. She often had to stay at school to attend some supplementary classes because she was not that good at math and her grandma never believed her when she told her that that was the reason. Her grandma thinks that she is just flirting with some guys at school. Her grandma also loses things in the house and always blames her for it, but she thinks they were being taken by some of the visitors coming inside the house. Her grandma is overly friendly with others when she doesn't even treat her well.
She graduated from high school and her uncle offered his house for her to stay at until she finishes college. She was so relieved because, finally, she could leave her grandma's house. She also could not rely on her parents since they had already started their own families and rarely talked to her. She was happy because her cousins whom she admired the most were there. Xian is the campus prince because of his handsome looks and confidence. He was also part of a band and so she would see a pile of love letters under his bed when she was cleaning the house. His sister Carla is very pretty, feisty, confident, and a star volleyball player.
Her admiration for them slowly crumbled the longer she stayed with them. She was the housemaid and that was the expectation because of her situation. An abandoned girl loathed by their grandma for having a rotten personality. They criticized her grades when she did not even have time to study because of the amount of housework. Her cousins ignored her whenever they passed by each other at the campus. Her cousins treated her with annoyance and almost didn't want to hear her voice.
She tried hard for them to like her and so she turned out to be a pushover at school and even in the house until her cheerful self was gone and she began to feel empty inside.
She began to wonder who she was, and who she should be, and if people would approve of it. She just did not want to be criticized anymore. She just wants to be treated like normal but the definition of being normal is also a big puzzle to her.
She was glad that after finishing college, she found work right away but then, her mother began to call her asking for help since her new husband lost his job and they needed money for necessities. She could not turn a blind eye to them, especially with her half-siblings. She had two half-siblings on her mother's side and three on her father's side. She sent money every month to her mom and had to live frugally so she could still have savings.
She told her mother first that she resigned and wouldn't be able to send the same amount of money that she asked for every month. Her mother did not reply and she tried to call so many times but she kept ignoring her calls. She just let her be and sent half of the amount she usually asks for. Looking at her phone was so hard for her because she would always see a notification of Aidan trying to reach her. Ever since the day she submitted her resignation letter, she has already stopped looking at his messages and responding to his calls. Jake also kept calling her and she finally decided to block him. She then boarded a late-night bus. Her destination?
Her hometown.
She may not have a lot of good memories of that place because of her grandma, but there are still places that ring deeply in her heart and one of them is a certain studio of a famous diorama artist in that area. She was so fascinated with his pieces before and he also taught her how to make some pieces and other necessary skills to have. Many things have happened and she did not know if she still deserves to show her face in front of his studio ever again but there she was, hoping she could get a glimpse of the source of happiness of her sixteen-year-old self of the past.
The steel door was pulled up and a man with tousled hair and sleepy eyes went out and blinked multiple times to clear his vision.
"An an?"
She chuckled.
"No one calls me that now, Will."
Will just stared at her for a moment with a smile on his face.
"Well, before I let you in, let me just check if your grandma is around." He looked from side to side.
She just laughed but there was sadness in her eyes. She knows that Will is just treating it as a joke to make her feel comfortable.
"All clear! Come in!"
She stood there for a moment and Will opened the door wide.
"I'm sorry for what happened, Will."
"Apology not accepted."
She froze.
"Because the person apologizing has nothing to apologize for. Come on An! Don't punish yourself for those stupid people. Oh, sorry that I called your grandma stupid."
She laughed but there were tears already in her eyes. She quickly wiped them and went inside his studio.
She could not take her eyes off his new collection. He visited a country famous for its old ruins and created models for it.
"I already got a buyer for those. They will take them next week."
"No wonder. They are marvelous!"
"I know. I can teach you if you want."
She finally sat and touched the cup of hot chocolate in front of her. Will still treats her the same as when she was last there. Will was twenty-six when she met him. She often visited his family's food mart to buy a jelly drink for lunch then one day, the food mart was replaced by his studio and that was when she fell completely in love with dioramas when she saw his artwork.
"How are your parents?" She asked to change the topic.
"They moved to my mom's hometown. Did you come to see your grandma?"
There was a pause and they both laughed.
"I will see her tomorrow before I go back to the city."
"Oh, a city girl with a big office career, huh?"
She shook her head and looked down at the contents of her drink.
"I quit just the other day."
"Oh. So, what's your plan?"
She could not find the words to say.
"To tell you honestly, I never imagined you to be stuck in a room with some smug-faced coworkers and bitch-faced boss. I always imagined you having blotches of paint and clay on your face with your eyes focusing on your new creation. I guess what I am saying is, stay. I can provide you with free lodging as long as you help with some of my commissioned projects. Well then, that does not sound free then, but you get what I mean! You will also have unlimited access to all my tools and, above all! You will have actual lessons from the famous Will Scotia! So, what do you say?"