I am not her - He and the past (3.)

Anna was preparing hot chocolate for a young girl who had apparently come here to do her homework. She had scripts all over her desk and a notebook here and there, but Anna barely noticed this.

"Can I borrow it to take home?" A small voice reached her ears, finally making Anna stop thinking, at least for a moment, about what had been scaring her since she had been admitted here. How had she not figured it out sooner? Braun - Braun. That line was giving her a frightening nightmare. "Anna! Anna!"  Something tugged at her leg. With a twitch, she looked down. Julia stood beside her, holding a blue children's storybook.

"You can, but then return it," Anna uttered in a voice so icy she wondered at it herself.  Then she looked away from her. How could I have missed it? She thought to herself while pulling the mug out of the coffee maker and placing it on a small glass tray. "Go sit at the table, I'll be there later," she replied while placing the tray with the hot drink on the dining cart.

"I can help!" There was fear in the little girl's voice. Anna closed her eyes for a moment.

"Find a story we can read together later," she tried for a soft tone, which seemed to work, as there was a cupping sound. Anna quietly let the breath escape her lungs, opening her eyes as she did so. She adjusted the cane in her hand and made her way to the table with the cart.

"Here, please. Anything else you'd like?" She asked as she placed the hot chocolate on the table. She tried to smile as she did so. The lady, who appeared to barely notice her, just shook her head without taking her eyes off the test. Anna might have laughed at the air since she was no different, but she was not laughing now, not even close.

She was just getting back behind the counter when she heard the loud sound of the bell hanging over the door. Quite unconsciously, Anna began to stack the remaining books on top of each other. I must clean them up, she thought, and with that, she put them on the other side. She knew that what she was doing was quite useless right now, but she had to occupy herself with something to keep her mind off...

"Daddy!" A child's shriek echoed. It was immediately followed by the creak of a chair and the clatter of footsteps. Anna's throat tightened at that moment. She had to swallow the lump in her throat almost forcibly.

"Come here, you little naughty girl!"  Anna's legs and arms shook. The person she thought she would never see again was apparently standing right in front of her.  She felt her hands and feet begin to shake, she just didn't know if it was out of rage or fear that she was facing her ancient past that should have been buried deep within her, and forgotten.

"Aunt Anna said I could borrow it home, but I have to keep an eye on it."    

"Auntie's right, baby," came the voice again. The next second Anna was aware of her heart pounding hard and the world began to spin with her. His last words rang in her ears before their paths parted.