Chapter 5: Expanding

Child Naomi

The years fly by and it seems as if Naomi has almost skipped her childhood years, although her grades stayed high, which kept her parents very happy.

Naomi Studying

In her teen years Naomi is able to continue with her excellent school performance and begins to be represented on the Honor Roll.

After exploring the catacombs

She is also able to get out and enjoy herself for the first time, although her first trip out, a curious exploration of the catacombs, lands her out after curfew and she is escorted home by the police.

Arrested!

Naomi also finds her first boyfriend in high school and is able to enjoy her first kiss with Rico Cottoneye.

First kiss

Not long after Naomi began dating her first boyfriend, her beloved father died of old age. Naomi’s good friend Ray, Rico’s brother, supports her through this hard time, after Rico declined to come see her after her father’s death.

Naomi crying on Ray Cottoneye’s shoulder

Even through their heartbreak, Naomi and Anna were able to build a wonderful family cemetery to place their father’s remains. On his gravestone, they wrote “Lee Labell-Who will always be missed.”

Labell Family Cemetery

Lee Labell’s gravestone

Anna also had another birthday and was heartbroken at the sight of her new gray hair, so she began dying her hair, to ensure a more youthful look.

Elder Anna

Anna’s dyed hair

Naomi decided it was time to leave Rico behind, especially after he fail to support her in her time of need, so she meet up with him to break off their relationship. Rico was heartbroken, but somehow Anna felt relieved (she had learned that Rico had commitment issues, the hard way).

Breaking up with Rico

With all this newly found drama in their lives, Anna and Naomi are ready to move on, and one of the first things they choose to do is build a new house. Lee’s memory is too strong in the old house and they feel like they could use a lot more space, so they build a five bedroom home with one bathroom, a dining room, a nice roomy kitchen, and a living room with a connecting study, and (most exciting to the girls) a front and back porch!

Outside of house

Inside of house

Anna is ecstatic about the new house and finds herself daydreaming about the future. Maybe her dream of many generations down the road using this same house may come through and she feels calm and happy with her new revelation.