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It all started the one day when the Gregorys arrived in town; the lovely town of Oakheart. The town that is famous for its perfectly clipped hedges, perfectly placed restaurants on every corner. The perfect utopia. Except one little thing, Oakheart's mayor. Kayden Kingsley is a lying manipulator and everyone knows it. He's just too protected for anyone to say anything. In turn, the people of Oakheart live in the bliss of ignorance, dads humming the town's song while they mow bright green lawns and little girls play hopscotch on the sidewalk.

Back to the Gregorys; they arrived two months ago, on the second of June, the day after the school year ended.

Skip to two months later and Alyssa Gregory is wrecking havoc all over the perfectly trimmed utopia that is Oakheart. Alyssa Gregory was quite the interesting girl. Well, all the Gregorys were especially odd in the eyes of Oakheart's citizens. Their arrival came with murmurs and whispers, some blatantly calling out the new family with dirty insults. Each child was different, one with black hair and small black eyes, one blonde and round green eyes, one — Alyssa Gregory herself — had vibrant butterscotch auburn hair that stopped at her shoulders. In a town like Oakheart, adoption was unheard of. It was looked down upon. For the first few weeks, the uproar and gossip ignited a small fire in each of the Gregory children. One's grades dropped, one's mental health took a dark turn, and the last became a detective fueled by curiosity and hate.

Currently, the wanna-be 'Sherlock Holmes' was sitting at her desk, reading. No, not investigating fingerprints, nor inspecting blood marks with a magnifying glass. Merely reading. Nonetheless, Alyssa couldn't focus on her book. She was fuming on the inside. However, if you were to look at her now, you would only see a teenage girl lying on her bed reading a book calmly, as one should. It's only been a week since the Gregorys arrived and they receive hate mail daily. 'So much for the perfect town of Oakheart.' Her brother had remarked grimly on their first night. Her parents were optimistic, saying it would blow over soon. Yet, the Gregory childrens' doubt sprouted quickly. Their parents were still afraid to venture out to the convenience store just one block away. There were too many things unsaid in the house, it was uncomfortable to even eat dinner as a family.

Alyssa's eyes glazed over; the words on the page blurring as she glanced down at the sidewalk from her window.

A little thing you should know about Alyssa Gregory: she is incredibly intelligent. Past teachers have given her endless praise and marked her tests with 'A's without even looking at the whole paper. She never missed. She never failed, and she knew it. As she looked down and out her window, ideas that weren't recognisable yet started to form in her mind. They bounced around, the cogs spinning too quickly for her to comprehend.

She put her book down and focused her attention to the street outside of their quaint house. It was a two story, painted beige on the outside, just like every other house in view. She scoffed to herself at how idiotically flawless it all was. Suddenly, her eyes spotted a small figure walking down the street. They walked slowly, almost uncertainly. They wore a faded blue t-shirt and simple jeans. 'Odd to wear jeans in summer' she noticed, storing the thought away. A boy; Alyssa realised it was. Just a boy, walking. Any other person would turn away, with no interest, but Alyssa was intrigued. Curious to know just about everything, she continues to watch the boy. He had a parcel in hand as he walked towards the Gregory's own front door.

Eyes sharp and eyebrows furrowed, Alyssa tossed her book on her bed, no longer interested in reading. She sprints down the stairs to the front door. She opens it before the boy could even touch the door knob; his hand hovering over the polished brass.

"More hate mail? Thanks, but you can keep it, you jerk." Alyssa said without hesitation, slamming the door in his face. The boy, however, would not give up. With a stern expression, he knocked on the door, holding the parcel under his armpit.

"Uh, actually this is a gift, not hate mail? And name's Caleb, thank you very much." He said, his voice traveling through the door and nestling itself right into Alyssa's ears although she was already halfway up the stairs. She turned, the heel of her foot almost slipping due to the fact she had socks on. 'A gift? Is this some sort of prank?' she questioned in her head.

Alyssa creaked the door open with an eyebrow raised, trying to hide her incredulous expression and the many thoughts racing in her head.

"Well then, thanks, Caleb." She snatched the parcel out of his hands and closed the door again; not really interested in the boy and more the supposed 'gift'. She opened it, leaning against the door. The silver wrapping paper fell gracefully to the hardwood floors. Once finished ripping the life out of the parcel, Alyssa held a rich, golden, pound cake, topped with a glossy white icing. The icing dripped down the sides of the pound cake, not entirely proportional; one could tell it was homemade. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she marvelled at the treat.

Meanwhile, Caleb sat on the doorstep, refusing to leave without properly talking to Alyssa. He wasn't used to such a rude person. Born and raised in Oakheart, everyone he'd met had the personality equal to a school counsellor or a 911 dispatcher; always polite and refined. Of course, Alyssa's curiosity got the best of her. She could've, no, 'should've' left him alone and shared the cake with the rest of her family without explanation. Instead, she opens the door wider than the first time.

"Why'd you give me this?" She asked, holding the pound cake with two hands, shifting her weight ever so slightly to her left hip. Her face was now stone cold, her awe temporarily hidden.

"Dunno, my mom told me to take it here." He shrugged and scratched his eyebrow briefly, not meeting the girl's eyes.

"Well, why'd your mom make it?" She continued to press, leaning against the door frame.

"Dunno, she just did." He repeated.

She clicked her tongue impatiently, "C'mon, do you even know who we are?"

He grinned mindlessly, glad that he, in fact, did know the answer to this question, "Yeah, the adoption family, Gregson or somthin'?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes, "Actually, it's Gregory but whatever. Bye, Caleb." She said curtly, remembering his name, although saying it with distaste. She closed the door and turned away, smiling wide. To be frank, the past weeks at the new town had been glum and miserable, so to have someone give you a cake for no apparent reason felt lovely. Quite lovely.