“No, no, no. You simply aren’t what I’m looking for.” The man discarded yet another young woman as she stood before him on that platform and said her line. He had a very specific quota to meet- namely a girl that could fit the description of the lost ’princess’. He’d been at this task for a few days now and it was looking rather bleak. At this rate he would never get his hands on that money. “What’s wrong with me?” “Your eyes are the wrong color, your hair is too shabby, your voice rattles window panes.” He said, perhaps unnecessarily harsh to get rid of her quick so he could move onto the next. “I am looking for a girl with the air of a princess. THAT is not you.” He assured her with a bitter smile and got to his feet. “I’m going to get some air.” Really- he was just growing impatient. How difficult was it to find a suitable fake? Honestly… it wasn’t like the young man was likely to even recognize his sister after all this time- even if she was RIGHT under his nose. Several years was plenty of time to forget a person. If she hadn’t come back yet she was probably dead or had no desire to return. The whole search was foolish, he only wished to use it to his advantage. He needed to clear his head. He stepped away from the rear entrance of the warehouse and started down the crowded streets of a lively city. Digging in his pockets for a light, cigarette pinned between his teeth, when he ran headlong into someone. With a snarl of frustration he staggered back a step, the cig falling from his mouth. He looked to the hazard that was a woman. With her creamy skin and golden hair she looked remarkably like a certain child age progressed several years. His demeanor immediately changed as he saw an opportunity. “My apologies!” He took her by the elbow to help her back to her feet. “Are you alright?” --- Finnegan heaved a pretty heavy sigh, dragging his hands at his face and sinking forward against the desk. Yet another set of falsified ‘princesses’ showed up at the manor that day. It was so frustrating and they had some serious gall to come forward when they doubtlessly KNEW they weren’t Anatasia. What compelled them to be so daft? To think they could fool him. He KNEW his sister. He sighed again. “You keep sighing like that and you will soon deflate like a balloon.” “I tire of this search Malon. Why doesn’t my sister come home?” The maid pursed her lips, knowing there was no good answer for the young man. She could only imagine the worse. “I don’t wish to step out of line Sir Finnegan-” “Please Malon, no titles.” His voice was weary and rightfully so, he had told her this time and again. “Yes, of course. Well you dear boy, perhaps you have not yet found your sister because she CAN’T be found.” He groaned and slumped backwards at her words instead, complaining about riddles. “You are a smart, intuitive, brilliant leader of this company but I fear that you are chasing something that merely can’t be found.” He sat up “I will admit that none of these girls are my sister and maybe she doesn’t wish to return but I will not tolerate talk of Anatasia being dead. She is too good a person to fall to such a fate.” The woman sealed her lips, she would not remind him that could be said about the rest of his family and now they lay cold and dead- food for maggots. He got to his feet. “Either way I’m fed up with these pompous girls, pretending to be someone they are not…” He grumbled as he left the room, leaving the maid to stand their silently. Still thinking of his parents and older sibling. Such a horrible tragedy that she HOPED hadn’t befallen his dear sweet sister.

"When will you listen girl?!" The older lady, a heavy set woman with graying hair, banged her fist on the kitchen table of the small house they lived in, making Anna flinch slightly, "You are not to leave this house with my permission! If you keep running off like that I'm going to look you up in that room of yours until you've learned to behave! I swear, bastard children like you are always causing trouble! Wouldn't be surprised if one day you wind up arrested! In fact, I'd probably be dancing with joy the day that happens! It'd get you out of my life!" "I just went to the park is all...." Anna began quietly, though of course, barely even got that out before the woman was back yelling at her. "Oh, shut up! Go upstairs! I don't want to see your face for the rest of the night you little brat! If it wasn't for that money the government gives me for letting your pathetic ass stay here you would be out on the streets right now!" "Yes, Mrs. Graven." Anna replied quietly, trudging up the stairs. She was used to this. After so many years, twelve years to be exact, of living with this woman as her foster care taker and living with her verbal abuse, Anna had grown a rather thick skin. Used to be, when she was younger, she would cry her eyes out for hours after being spoken to like that. Now, she just took the emotional pain with a straight face and went on with her life, reminding herself that she would be out of here soon. Once she was out of high school, she could leave this place. She could make something of herself. Making it to her room and shutting the door quietly behind herself, she sighed, sitting on her bed as a small scrappy dog crawled out from under the bed, hopping over to her and sitting in her lap. She smiled and petting the pup, "Hey, Pooka. Hiding from the witch too?" Pooka was a dog she had found digging through the trash and had brought home a year ago. A first, the woman was going to send him to the pound, only to find out that in letting her have a pet, the government would give her an extra two hundred dollars a month. So, the woman tolerated the animal, locking him up in her room constantly. Anna gave him enough attention to make up for it. Looking over to the bedroom door, Anna thought for a moment, "You know...she said she didn't want to see me the rest of the night. So, she probably won't be up to see me until morning. We could go for a walk? Sneak out through the window. What do you say, Pooka?" She looked at the dog that barked and smiled, "Then its settled." Standing up, she grabbed his leash from her desk and stuck it in a small messenger bag she often carried with her, and after that was in there, she walked over to the window, opening it up. They were on the second floor, so it was always tricky getting down to the ground, but Anna had it pretty much perfected. Picking Pooka up, she put him in her bag as well, the dog laying here happily, his head sticking out of the unzipped big pocket watching as Anna stepped out onto the slanted few feet of roof ledge, taking careful steps, and when she got to the edge, looked below to see the trampoline in the backyard. Mrs. Graven had bought it to make it seem like she was a caring caretaker for the government officials that did the yearly review but this was only time Anna ever used it. Grinning to herself, she jumped down from the second story, landing on the trampoline and crawled off, heading as quickly as she could to the front of the house and to the side walk. She laughed to herself, walking backwards down the sidewalk as she looked at her foster home in the distance. he continued to walk like this, taking Pooka out of the bag, when she ran right into someone, making her stumble slightly, falling down on the ground, Pooka still in her arms and the two very disorientated. She looked up at first to see a very angry looking man standing there, and she was ready to pretty much get yelled at and cussed out as was normal for her to hear, when the expression on the man changed and suddenly he was helping her up, apologizing and asking her if she was alright, "Ummm....I'm fine. It was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." Setting the dog on the ground and connecting his leash to his collar the pup was not very fond of the man, even growling a few times in his general direction. The pup never liked strangers anyway, so this was something Anna ignored, "Sorry about that. I'l watch were I'm going next time." With that, she was going to walk around him to continue her walk, ready to put some distance between her and the foster home in case Mrs. Graven came out and happened to see her down the street.

“Hang on miss.” If he was going to let her walk away now than he could kiss his dreams goodbye. Another girl like her probably wasn’t going to come around again any time soon. He didn’t stop her but jogged a few quick steps to fall into pace beside her. “I couldn’t help but notice that you look the part of a princess. Rather like Anastasia actually… I’m sure you’ve heard of her?” He prodded and with the way that boy was pressing his efforts- there probably wasn’t a soul around here that didn’t. “Now I hope you don’t take this the wrong way but how would you feel about putting your current life aside for the potential of living rich?” “No wait.” He ran his hand at his hair “I’m actually getting way ahead of myself. That’s rather unfair of me to press this on you. Tell you what… as sorry for knocking into you, how about I buy you dinner? There’s a couple joints around here that will let you sit outside with your dog. What do you say?” He stepped around, into her path. Holding a hand out to her. “My name is Devon by the way. Let's make this a proper introduction."

Anna wasn't exactly sure what to make of this young man she had run into. The way he looked at her when they first bumped into one another was strange, especially with the fact of how he had suddenly went from being very angry to suddenly very surprised and apologetic to her. It was something that made her want to keep walking, but soon the man was catching up with her to speak, saying some things that made her confused. Things like that she had the appearance of a princess (Anastasia specifically), and asked her if she would like to forgot about her current life style and trade it for a more rich filled life. When he stepped in front of her, she stopped and took a step back to keep from bumping into him given the sudden stop. This guy really gave off the vibes of being crazy. No, wait, not crazy. She had seen some crazy people in her life time. No, this man was more urgent and desperate than anything. Desperate to talk to her and convince her it seemed. She looked up at him when he offered her dinner and she had a skeptical look on her face. Should she agree to something like that, with someone she didn't even really know? But then again, if it was in a public place then what could it hurt? Besides, Mrs Graven had said she didn't want to see her the rest of the night, so Anna could assume she wasn't going to get any supper at home. That, and this guy surely couldn't be any worse than Mrs. Graven. If she could deal with that grumpy old prune, then Anna was sure she could take care of herself when it came to this. Looking to him as he held out his hand to her, she sighed and took his hand, shaking it, "My name is Anna. And I guess I could use some dinner." She was avoiding all of those earlier questions for now until he was ready to tell her exactly what he was up to or why he had really wanted to have dinner with her.

Of course, for a moment he was worried that she'd turn down his offer and why wouldn't she? He HAD come across a bit strong. She had the eyes of skeptic right then and he was certain... almost certain... (well he was internally cursing himself either way) that she was going to refuse. Seconds passed though and eventually she took his hand. It may have been reluctantly but it was a step in the right direction. "Like I said, I know a great place." The seating was outside on account of her dog but it was a decent setup. Several of the other tables upon the patio were occupied and a few were in favor of eager canines, turning expectant faces towards their owners and their full plates. Their drinks were brought to them right away and the waitress took their orders at that time. Devon knew he had to scrounge up the money for this- it was going to be worth it. "So Anna..." He started, trying to figure the best way around this. "That's a nickname right?" Obviously not short for the princess' name. He wouldn't find her even if he searched forever. He just really needed this girl to play the part. "It short for Annabelle?" He suggested, thinking over his predicament. "Or Mariana? What's the story behind that?" He asked over his drink, shooting for light talk.

Once they were seated outside at one of the restaurant's tables, they had their drinks brought to them ad the waitress was quick to take their orders. Anna herself just ordered something small and simple, which was just a simple plate of chicken and fries. She had never been one to eat a lot and so just eating something like this was enough for her. Once the waitress had taken their order, Anna was silent for a long moment, sipping on the drink that had been brought to her, when Devon looked to her and asked about her name. She had to think about that for a moment. Of course Anna was a nickname for her. Her real name had been, she assumed from her locket that hung about her neck, Ana, a common name in foreign countries really, but to her that hadn't sounded right for some reason. So, she had just called herself Anna instead. But how was she supposed to answer his question when even she herself didn't really know or remember the answer to it? Brushing her hair back from her face, she took another sip of hr drink in thought before she attempted to try and answer it, "Well....its not really short for anything. I'm just Anna. That's it." She stated calmly before she looked to him once more, asking a question of her own, "So, Devon, why did you ask me here? Surely it wasn't just because you wanted to apologize for bumping into me..."

He doubted that she was being entirely truthful with him but then he hadn’t done anything to deserve more than this- He sighed. “I see. You rather I not beat around the bush.” He set his glass down on the table with a small clink. A small smile finding place on his face “I’m actually relieved,” a small chuckle followed this statement. “I couldn’t figure out how to go about this aside from straight on.” Separate conversations fleeted up in the space around them, the clatter of dishes and the swoosh of the door, kept their own discussion under the radar. “As you may have heard, the owner of the biggest company this side of well… anywhere, has been looking for his sister for a very long time. He’s willing to pay for a realistic lead and you… well you look a lot like her…” He paused when the waitress arrived with their food, offering a small nod in thanks if only to send her away quicker. Immediately returning to what he had been saying before. “I want to take you to see the prince. If you can play a convincing part you will be rich. Wealthy and loved. The rest of your life will be set without ever the worry of money.”

Ah, so that's what this man was up to. He was just a scheming man looking for a quick buck. She should have known. No one was every that nice without a reason to gain something back. The world just didn't work like that. What kind of a girl did he take her for? Anna was a hard working kind of girl. She was very intelligent, the top person in the class in fact, soon to be valedictorian when she graduated in just a month or two. She would go on a free ride scholarship to the local university, living in a dorm all to herself without having to worry about foster homes or uncaring foster parents ever again. She was going to make something of herself and she didn't need to be some fake princess to live a carefree life. If she worked hard enough now, she wouldn't have to worry later on about financial issues. But apparently he thought otherwise. She took a slow sip of her drink, a passive look on her face as she listened to him finish up what he was saying. Then, setting her own glass down, she looked up to meet his eyes and spoke, "I'm not that kind of person. If you say I look like her, that's one thing. But to be a princess? To act like one? That is a completely different story. I can't do that. And I certainly am not about to trick some poor man into thinking I'm his sister. You'd have to be real low to want to do something like that." Standing up she shook her head, ready to walk off, "I won't do it. Find yourself another girl."

He thought for sure that she would take the bait. There was rarely a girl that couldn't be wooed with money- or perhaps that was just the crowd he was use to. If he knew she was going to be so... headstrong he would have tried a different tactic. He stood to his feet as well "hang on, I'm sorry if I offended you but you look a lot like this girl. I just thought you'd be more interested in the money than anything else but then I don't know anything about you." "If you could just listen for a moment. Just a moment longer." Obviously she was already fed up with him. "This guy, Finnegan, head of the company- well he's been looking for his sister for close to ten years. I don't know... maybe it would do some good for him to be lied to." He scribbled down his phone number. "Just... give it some thought. Life is hard. You might find you want to give being a princess a shot. Just give me a call." He said handing her the slip of paper.

Anna looked at him a moment, unsure on whether or not she should take the number. Would that be encouraging him that she would be thinking about it when she really wasn't? Maybe. But it was only polite and what harm would it be? Reaching out,s he took the slip of paper he held out to her and nodded, "Maybe. Have a good day." Was all sh said before simply walking away, Pooka at her side on the leash. It was getting dark by now and she really didn't want to go home yet. She just wanted to stay out for a little bit longer. Besides, she was on the good side of town where the streets stayed populated with shoppers day and night, so danger wasn't much of an issue. She stayed out for a couple more hours, browsing and just taking in the night air before she finally decided it was about time to head home once again. Coming up to the side of the house, she did essentially what she had done when sneaking out, putting Pooka into her bag and climbing up the lattis to the bedroom. Only, when she was there, in came, much to her despise, Mrs. Graven, looking a mix between angry and expectant, like she had been looking out of the house waiting for her to get back just so she could catch her sneaking back in. "Ha! I knew you were going to sneak out you little bitch!" Anna yelped as the woman suddenly grabbed her by the arm, jerking her into the window. Pooka, yelping as well as her bag fell to the floor, scurried from the bag and hid under the bed, "Children like you are the lowest!" Using her arm, she jerked the girl again, this time so she fill to the floor, "Disobedient retches like you will never go anywhere in life! Just for leaving like that, I'm going to teach you a lesson. You are not going to that interview." Sitting up, her eyes wide, Anna shook her head, "You can't do that! That's my interview for the scholarship to Chancery University!" "I can and I will! Maybe that will teach you to obey people who are better than you!" With that the woman left and Anna could feel her frustration and anger boil, "It's not right.....it's just not...." Standing and moving to her bed, she sat down and Pooka came up, crawling into her lap, "I've worked so hard for this. I've been wanting to go to this university for years. I've done everything right....she can't just tell me I can't...." Looking down at the dog in thought, she could almost feel that phone number burning a hole in her pocket it was so tempting. Taking it out, she stared at it for a long time. It would be lying to take on the role of this man's sister. But, maybe it was like that man, Devon, had said. Maybe it would be good for the prince to think he had found his sister. It would put him at peace. Besides, if she did do this, it wouldn't be like she would be stealing his money. No, she could take care of herself once she got into college. She just needed the freedom to go the college she wanted and she sure couldn't do that here without a fight. That and....maybe this wold be good for her too. Anna herself had never known a real family as far as she could remember. And this boy was missing his only living family member. Together they could have the family they wanted. It was a win-win. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the number, waiting until he answered, "Devon? Its Anna. I'm...willing to give this a shot. When and where could we meet?"

By the hour she called Devon had already made it back to his apartment and was ready to call it quits. The chance of him finding a girl that could fool the prince was so very slim and this girl’s refusal was down hearting. Who turned down a chance as riches? Was she playing some sort of saint? He stashed the leftovers from the restaurant and rubbed his face. It would be nice to blame his father for being such a good man- his dad’s death had left his mother heartbroken and uprooted them. They never had they money to move away but she had been running from his ghost, so to speak. An eventual poor family was what they became. He didn’t finish school. His life was a wasted one in some ways for it but they had needed an actual income. Now that he moved back to the town it all started- part of him believed he’d find what had been lost all those nights ago. His chance at being more, having more. It was stupid. That girl would not even agree. She had something to aim for and that future she seemed unwilling to surrender for a lie. It sucked for him. That was all. He was just about to shrug off his coat when his phone rang and he reached into the pocket instead. The number wasn’t one that he recognized. This girl had expressed no desire to ever cross paths with him again, why did she call? Eh. Well, one was never suppose to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had to snag this before she changed her mind. “I’ll meet you at Lakeside Park by the west entrance.” With a glance at the clock we continued “six am.” That would give some time for sleep. “Bright and early.” Once he confirmed that she did know the location in mind he ended the call and retired for the remainder of the night. He didn’t want to push her but really- he wondered why she called so late… --- There was a set of benches just outside of the massive steel gates and the decorate archway marking the main entrance to the park. That was where Devon found a seat, sinking against the back boards and started on his cup of coffee. Marginally regretting his decision to pick this time. BUT the morning was starting out nice- a soft glow emerging over the cityscape while the sky took on hues beyond usual expectations. It was shaping up to be a good one. Assuming this girl actually showed up.

Anna was up very early the next morning. If she wanted to sneak out of the house before Mrs Graven woke up and went to go for her again, she had to be up much before Six AM like she and this Devon had planned. So, at five in the morning sh was awake, throwing on a pair of jeans, a nice shirt, and jacket, getting ready to meet with this man she knew close to nothing about. She could only hope all of this turned out okay. Once she was dressed and her long blonde hair was brushed, she did the same maneuver as she had the night before, putting Pooka in her bag and climbing out of the window of the second floor using the lattis. This was normal for her. She did it almost very day when she wanted to get away from that evil woman that was her foster parent. She didn't go straight to the park where she and the man would meet. No, first she walked around with Pooka on his leash and enjoyed the crisp morning air. It was nice to get a fresh start at the day and the quiet really helped her to relax and enjoy the morning better than she would have trapped in that cramped and suffocating home of hers. She took a deep breath, a small smile coming to her lips as she went along, waiting it out until it was time to meet again with Devon. And when that time came, she walked slowly tot he park, taking her time, seeing that when she got there the young man was already waiting for her, sitting there and drinking coffee casually. She made her way over and looked down at where he sat, speaking to him, "So, what exactly is your plan for all this, Devon?" Once again, she was getting right to the point, not exactly the type of person to beat around the bush.

The girl was right on time- startling so. Honestly, he was only a quarter through his coffee and perhaps not yet awake enough to tackle this challenge but at least now she was willing. He set the cup aside. “We just need a convincing story. Some reason you were gone all these years and never tried to contact him.” This he was certain of. It had to be solid and well grounded excuse. “I’ve given it consideration and I’m pretty sure the best way to go about this is to blame a case of amnesia. That night of the riot those two fled their estate into the chaos and were separated.” He had been there so was certain of how easily anything could have happened in that. There was plenty of injuries that night. “We’ll just say you fell and bumped your head. Reasonable?” “And I had met you at a diner. From there I noticed you shared resemblance to Anastasia, insert a tragic back story on your part” he suggested meaningfully “That always is a sure shot for sympathy. And I figured you might really be her so we head to the manner and that’s how that riveting tale ends. Feel free to point out any holes you see in it though. I’m open for criticizing.”

While listening to his plan, Anna sat down on the bench beside him, listening carefully to each word. It all sounded like.....well, like her own back story. How sh had been injured during the night of the riot, ending up in the hospital with amnesia. No one had come forth that they were missing a child and so, her identity continued to go unknown. The only thing she had of that past long forgotten was her necklace she wore at all times around her neck, though safely tucked under her shirt for fear of it breaking or it getting stolen by Mrs. Graven. And of course, insert the tragic back-story as he mentioned. After leaving the hospital she was thrown from foster home to foster home until the time she was eight when Mrs. Graven became her permanent foster parent, and that was only because the woman got payed more for putting up with her than she would other kids, considering her traumatic past. When she was younger she used to have horrible nightmares of the night the riot happened. Needless to say her waking up screaming had annoyed the other foster parents and had her send off to the next home pretty quickly. Mrs. Graven on the other hand would just shake her awake tell her to shut up, and then lock her in her room for the night. Her whole life was probably be a great story for them to tell to this prince, and it technically wouldn't be lying. If the prince wanted to look at her records to prove it than she could easily get those for him. That, if she had been really just a normal person with a normal family, would have ended their plan right there, but because that really was her past, it woudl work out fine. She looked up at him and nodded, "Sounds good. I don't really see any holes in it. A lot of things happened that night and a lot of people got hurt. In those crowds it wouldn't really be a surprise something like that would happen. Who knows how many kids ended up getting hurt, or even with amnesia?" Leaning back she looked out to the orange in the sky and spoke, "So, when does all this go down? When do we go up to the manor?"

Devon had no idea how close his fabrication story was to the truth. She really hadn’t said much about herself aside from a first name and a suggested bright future upon the foundation of hard work. That must have fallen through though for her to be here. He wouldn’t question it- if anything they were just something of business partners and didn’t actually need to know much about each other to work out this transaction. He picked up his coffee “whenever your ready.” He knew that several girls would line up at the gate on a weekly basis. They came from all over- even beyond this city to play the role of hapless princess, long lost sister. Usually it was so obvious that they weren’t such or so Devon had heard. He took another drink from the cup. “It’s not a long walk from here.” In comparison Ana here would seem like Anastisa in the flesh.

Anna looked at him when he said whenever she was ready. So, they were doing this thing today then? He really was rushing to get this done. But then again, why should they wait? There really was no reason too. The sooner they got this whole thing over with the better. She just hoped that in the end all of this worked out for everyone. Nodding and taking a deep breath, she stood up, "Well then, let's get to this. The longer we wait, the worse the anticipation will be." With that, she began walking along side him, toward the manor. Needless to say, she was nervous. She had never don any sort of acting before. What if she did or said something wrong? What if she got in huge trouble for this? There were so many things that could go horribly in a situation like this. But then, who was to say things couldn't go right? Maybe h woudl believe she was his sister. Maybe she was his sister. Ha! She almost laughed at that thought. She was so nervous about all this she was getting ahead of herself. She was no princess. She was just a girl who had some streaks of bad luck in her life. And now she was trying to turn that around. Shaking her head to bring herself back to reality, they slowly made their way to the mansion, when she spoke to him, "Soooo.....what exactly gave you the idea to do all this anyway? And what makes you so sure it will work?"

"Now you are asking personal things and you haven't even shared a smidgen with me about yourself." That was putting aside the brief outburst in which she insisted that she did not need fame or wealth because she HAD a plan for the future. That was really the only glimpse she had given of who 'Ana' was. The guarded girl with a mutt as a pet. Possible hard worker. Potential goldmine if they could keep things together. "I don't think I've yet had enough coffee for this story." Now he was wishing hadn't tossed the cup in the trash bin. "So I'll make it real quick. I, who was the son of a worker at their estate had known the siblings." He wouldn't call any of them friends but rather people he had known from a distance and only spoke to on occasion. That was besides the point though. "And I had recently moved back into the area and heard about this search. I thought finding a suitable fake would be easy- knowing the qualifications. Not to mention I'm hurting for money." The most shallow of reasons he supposed but she already agreed to this. It was NOT a matter of being wasteful that got him into debt in the first place, though he doubted that justified it because like almost everyone else he dreamed of having money to burn. One day. Soon maybe. "Now I'm not certain it will work but you won't get anywhere in life without taking chances." He assured her. The massive gates were spread open and a few guards were posted near the entrance. Casually engaged in a conversation that fell off as the two of them approached. One guard signaled for them to halt and with a quick one over smiled wistfully and mumbled: "Ah, another Anastisa. Well go on ahead then. We've been expecting you just as we have the hundreds of others by the same name." Devon didn't bother with arguing with them and instead accepted the invitation to continue up the long path to the front steps and knock on the massive doors without first asking if Ana was ready. There would be no chickening out. A woman greeted them there, her smile warm for only a moment before she really seemed to see them. "Welcome to-" The corner of her lip quirked and she looked ready to shout but then she REALLY started to take in the sight. Paling and clutching her hands near her chest. "Oh my god..." She muttered under her breath. "Anatasia?"

Anna walked along side side him, listening to his story about why exactly he was doing this. It was a simple explanation. He was the son of one of the estate's workers who had at least known the children. That was why h was so sure that she looked like this Anastaisa. But, even if he thought it, surely people like the trusted workers and the heir would know she wasn't this Finnegan's sister, right? But...what if....what if she was? It kind of made sense. She couldn't remember anything, she had been found the day of the riot, and no family had come forth to claim her. And more so, from what this man was saying she looked like this Anastasia. She continued to think about this as they made their way toward the mansion. Well, if she was this Anastaisa, the brother would know, right? And is she wasn't then he would probably know as well. After all, even if it had been years, she doubted one could forget things about a sister he had supposedly been so close to. That, and weren't there things such as DNA tests to prove this? Right now, this was changing in her mind a little. If she wasn't his sister, then fine, she would deal with it. She would go back to Mrs. Graven's house and try to figure her own way to get to that university. But...if this really was her brother, then she would finally have a family. A place were she was cared about for the first time in her life that she could remember. This was suddenly in her ind, becoming more of wanting to find out who she really was, rather than about that University. Walking up to the manor, she hesitated a little at the guard's smart remarks and that made her frown deeply, but she followed Devon all the same up the steps to the door of the large manor, feeling her heart pound in her chest as they waited for someone to answer. An older woman was who answered the door and at first, Anna thought maybe the woman might start yelling at them, but then something changed and she looked at her. The woman seemed shocked and about rady to faint at the sight of her, calling her Anastaisa. Anna looked shyly at the woman and nodded nervously, "I-I think so."

For someone that had no prior experience in acting and had been lacking confidence in her role, Ana proved to be extremely convincing. Almost as if she believed it herself. The emotion was there and the woman obviously felt as she lurched back a step. No doubt feeling faint. Devon worried at her age she might have a heart attack with the way she was eating this up but she recovered- flustered as she took a purposeful step back. “Anastia.” She repeated and then sternly “stay right here. Don- don’t go anywhere.” She took a few more steps backwards never taking her eyes off her. “I’m going to go get your brother.” Then she was off- leaving the door wide open with her departure and an awkward silence in her wake. “Well…, that went surprisingly well.” Devon felt he was a bit shocked. He imagined that he sounded such. Finnegan had always possessed a fair deal of patience for the workers in both the family business and within the home so when the woman came bursting in when he was in the middle of an important phone call he merely blocked the receiver for a moment and mouthed to her ‘one minute’. Words were racing out of her mouth with such haste he couldn’t make since of them- he focused instead on the speaker on the other line as she finally got a hold of herself with a small gasp. Straightening her skirt while he finished up. “What is it Elizabeth?” He put the phone down on the desk and came over to her with a humored smile, taking her by the arms to steady her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His amusement became suddenly dashed as she seemed to come as close as she could to such a statement. Upsetting his good mood with mention of his missing sister. Another girl looking for gold no doubt. “It’s A-A-Anataisa! She’s back.” Elizabeth had gasped out and he withdrew from her company. “Honestly Elizabeth… This isn’t the first time anyone has come by claiming they are her.” “Yes… I understand that.” The woman became subdued by his unhappiness. “But this time I am certain. It looks just like her Finnegan. Please, at least come down and see her.” Devon was debating in going inside without any further invitation when the woman returned. Finally with a hold on what was a fluctuating attitude. It would make sense to him if she had forgotten to take a prescription that morning. Surely Ana wasn‘t that convincing. “Please come in.” She lead them to the sitting room with its richly fashioned couches and lovely rug- all well tended to, Not a stain any where of notice, if at all. The fire place was cold but the weather outside was warm, making for a comfortable atmosphere. One that would be more so without the woman standing there if uncertain to what to do with herself. “Can I get you some tea?” She asked after a moment. There wasn’t really time to answer though as Finnegan came down the main staircase, joining them in this vast area, One for get-togethers and perhaps reunions… even if this one was a fabricated one. Somehow the young man did not seem encouraged to see Ana however. This illusion could not be that thin though, for him to see through it with a mere glance. It was something else. Pure refusal? “Finnegan.” Devon straightened from the couch, holding out his hand to the prince. “We’ve met before. Obviously I don’t expect you to remember-” “Devon.” Finn cut across his introduction. “I stayed with your family for awhile there. You never did allow me to-” This time it was Devon to cut across. “I’m convinced this is your sister. Just look at her. She looks JUST like Anastisa.” He urged, giving that push he was certain he needed. “Look, I will real surprised but she says she lost her memory on the night of that riot and no one came to claim her from the hospital. She had no idea who she was all this time.” Finnegan sighed with all intentions to kick this girl out. He couldn’t even look at her. Not with a face so much like his sister’s. No way. If anyone else brought her in here- “I’m done looking for my sister.” He’d only come down here to convince himself it was another fake. How could she look so much like her? He just needed to prove it to himself that she wasn’t and then he could let this thing rest. Just one more time he’d put up with this. Right? This would be the last and then he would give up for real. Devon worried over Finnegan's silence and whispered to Ana: "say something."

Anna looked over at Devon when he said that had gone surprising well and nodded, "I thought she was about to kick us out for a moment there. I suppose that's a good sign that she didn't?" She shifted nervously as the woman came back, leading them into a sitting room within the manor. She sat down beside Devon, looking around the room in curiosity. Despite its large size and expensive taste, it was kind of homey to her. She turned her gaze back to the skittish woman in front of them when she offered to get them some tea. Sh smiled at her, as if attempting to calm her, and was about to say no thank you, that she didn't drink tea, when the young man who was obviously Finnegan came down. The next few words between the two young men were cut short by both and neither seemed to budge the other. And more so, the prince wouldn't even really look at her and said h had stopped searching for his sister. That made her frown. Had that many people been trying to get to him that he was so downhearted now? And was she one of those people? No, she had to remind herself that on of her motives here was to see if she was his sister. So, obviously she wasn't trying to trick him. She just had to tell him the truth of her past and maybe he would consider it? Biting her lip, she looked over to Devon when he urged her to say something and her mind raced before she just started to speak quietly, "I found in the streets the night of the riot." She began, hoping that would get his attention as she moved forward slightly, attempting to make eye contact in seeing his gaze was turned, "They took me to Henton Hospital. Kept me there for weeks trying to get my memory back or see if someone would come claim me. But...none of that happened...." She straightened up a little bit, "After that I was put into foster care and I've been living with a foster parent named Mrs. Graven for the past ten years." She scratched the back of her neck, "Not exactly..the best place to live or the person to live with, I guess. But, in foster care there's not really much someone like me can do. We can't choose who takes us in." She shook her head, trying to get back on track, and this time it was her turn to avert her gaze, looking down, "Anyway. I'm not here to try and hurt you Finnegan. I think we're kind of looking for the same thing. You're looking for your sister and I'm just trying to find out who my real family is. I don't know how we can figure this out, but I'm up for anything you an throw out."