1

Ana Cruz stood in front of her mother's door as it opened to reveal her brother standing inside with an excited expression.

"Oh Ana! You made it home safe!" He exclaimed. Ana smiled up at him.

"How was school? Did you do well on your homework?" She asked in return, smiling slightly. "And I am alright! No new injuries from fighting in the yard today, so no big worry there!"

Her brother laughed, "I guess that is good news. Well, we can talk more later! Come inside! There's someone else I want you to meet."

He led her into his bedroom, where two figures were sitting in the middle of his bed, facing each other. The taller one had brown hair styled into short spikes and wore blue jeans, while the shorter one wore yellow shorts and a dark red tank top. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing them both.

"This is my best friend, Obi Wan Kenobi! And this is Anakin Skywalker! He's like my older half brother and I want you guys to get along. So, here are the rules…"

Ana nodded her head and sat on the edge of his bed beside Obi Wan.

"We have to be friends, okay? We have to help each other out and support each other, because if we aren't, who will? But when it comes to fighting, you two only need to ask me for help. So remember that, alright?" She looked over at the pair, "Is that okay?"

They both nodded their heads slowly in response, though Anakin seemed a bit apprehensive. Ana couldn't blame him. They weren't really close or anything but they'd been together since birth so they did have to stick together.

"Good. Now, who's ready for dinner?"

~

The two children watched as their father set a large dish of mashed potatoes down onto the table, followed by a bowl of what looked like spaghetti sauce, meatballs, a green bean casserole and some sort of vegetable dish called a 'salad'. All in all, it wasn't a very big dinner, which was a good thing considering how little food they actually had.

Their mom joined them soon after, taking off her apron before heading towards her room.

"Mom!" Anakin yelled after her, "Can't we eat dinner together first?"

Her head popped back around the corner just moments later. "You already ate at school." She said simply, heading back into her room.

"But, Mom…" he whined, causing Ana and Obi Wan to giggle slightly. Anakin huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from his mother. Ana glanced down at the plate and picked up a forkful of mashed potato, chewing slowly to avoid any unnecessary noises. She then scooped up another portion and took a bite, letting the flavors wash over her tongue. It tasted exactly like how she thought a potato should taste, nothing too special, but still something nice.

After finishing off the rest of the meal, she stood to put everything in the sink.

Obi Wan also got up, following behind Ana to the sink. He turned on the tap so that the water could run over and rinse the dishes while Ana dried them off.

They continued cleaning together and Anakin eventually wandered over to Ana's side.

She looked over at him and gave him a soft smile, "You know," she began, "if you want to keep eating dinner with us every night, your parents would probably let you." She offered.

Obi Wan paused for a moment and then shook his head vigorously. "No! I don't want to eat with my parents anymore, ever! And I definitely won't eat with yours either! They're mean!" He pouted, sticking his bottom lip out slightly. "You guys never let me have friends over, and when they ask about you, they always call you Ana! That sounds weird and gross, and it means I have to listen to my annoying younger sister talk about things she knows that I don't even know." He complained.

Ana felt bad for him, but still agreed. Their mother had told her that her siblings sometimes didn't think before speaking, but now that Ana knew how to handle that kind of situation, she'd try to keep an eye on them. Plus, her family was pretty awesome anyways...

"Well, why don't you invite some other kids over next time instead? We'll find something fun to do!" Ana offered, trying to cheer him up again.

Obi Wan brightened considerably. "Yeah, maybe! Maybe we could play some video games and then watch movies! Like... a sleepover!"

Ana grinned and nodded her head. "Yes! I'm sure that would be super fun!" They continued washing the dishes for a few more moments before Ana spoke again, this time turning towards her brother. "Hey, Ani?"

He looked at her, tilting his head slightly. "What?"

"Do you think you could come over tomorrow? You can bring Obi Wan with you, if you want." Ana suggested.

He hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Sure, yeah! I mean, Obi Wan can come, but-" He was cut off, however, as Ana interrupted him again.

"Great! I'll see you then!" She smiled brightly, and with that, the boys went on their separate ways, going off to their rooms. Ana smiled softly, shaking her head slightly.

That boy... He really does make me happy sometimes.

~

Two days later, Ana walked into her living room expecting her mother to be reading, or maybe working on the laptop in her office, but instead found her sitting on her couch watching TV.

"Oh," Ana said, startled slightly by her sudden appearance, "Hello, Mother."

She looked up from the television and greeted Ana, "Hi, dear. How was school today?" She questioned.

"It was alright." Ana shrugged, "Did you finish that math problem yet?"

She shook her head lightly. "Not quite. I think I've almost got it done though, although I may need a few more hours of work." She replied.

Ana smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're getting better at solving the problems."

"Oh! Well, thanks, Ana. Oh, did Ani tell you about Obi Wan coming over tomorrow to hang out?"

"Uh, yes. I'l make sure to tell him, he doesn't really spend much time at our house anyway." She replied.

"Alright. Do you want to play some card games?"

Ana considered it for a moment. She wasn't the most skilled card player, and playing games at home was boring. However, she figured if Obi Wan came along, it might be nice to have someone around to help her win against her mother.

"Okay! I'll go grab a deck from my room then." She quickly darted upstairs to collect some cards and returned to the living room.

"Here," Ana handed her mother several deck packs. "You decide which ones you want. I've got a bunch I think you'll enjoy, plus a couple that are new."

She flipped through a pack until her mother chose two, placing them on the coffee table. "Thanks, dear."

She smiled. "Anytime! Hey, I know it's not exactly a great game, but I hope you like these anyway."

Her mother nodded. "Well, I'm sure I will. After all, you're very talented! Thank you, Ana."

~

A few hours had gone by since Ana had left to pick Obi Wan up and brought him over. She was currently standing in her closet with her clothes scattered about around her.

"So... What are you wearing tonight?"

There's no way anyone's gonna recognize me as a girl. I have to look like a guy!

"Um... I don't really know?"

Ana heard her mothers deep sigh and closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down. She opened them and took stock of her outfits. If she were to wear something like a turtleneck sweater, her bra strap wouldn't show and nobody would question what she was wearing under it, right?

Right.

Ana reached into her drawer, searching for something comfortable enough for the occasion, but not too baggy nor tight. When she finally settled on a plain white turtleneck, she pulled it on and then headed downstairs.

"Alright! Let's start the game." She announced, grabbing a deck of cards. Her mom chuckled quietly and placed her own cards down. Ana sat between her mother and her brother and grabbed one of the cards.

"Let's see..."

Chapter 4

~

When the clock struck seven in the evening, Ana's mother ushered her brothers to their bedrooms so they could get ready. Ana slipped on some comfy clothes, made up her face, brushed her teeth, and changed her shoes once again before climbing into bed. Once the alarm sounded, Ana grabbed her phone and hit the button for the lights to dim.