Winter has come and gone, leaving wet pavements, skeletal trees and only a slight chill as the last of the thin layer of snow melted away. A mound of slush or two gathered on the corners of the steel lamp post by the sidewalk right where the small bus stop stood.

The air was crisp and the sun was out and up, appearing rather frozen in the grayish sky but bright enough to make the day less gloomy.

The vicinity looked very familiar. There hasn't been that much change except for her house which she did not recognize at all. Newly painted, short metal fences enclosed the property which stood directly in front of her. It had been an open lawn before. The roof has been painted a dark blue hue as well while the walls remained pristine white. There was an additional wing, too, or so it seems and the entire living room wall that faced the street has been entirely replaced with glass although she couldn’t see through it.

The sliding doors at the third floor which was attached to the balcony, the same chamber which was her bedroom has also been covered with white drapes which replaced the light lavender curtains she got used to seeing back then. Her old outdoor tea table and chairs were nowhere in sight and have been replaced with a new ones with fancy leather cushions.

It has been a year since she has last seen her house and neighborhood, and with her fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of her trolley suitcase among other things, she smiled to herself thinking that it was good to be home at last despite the huge difference.

Anticipation filled her as she pushed the small gate open, stepping into the new cobblestone path that her mother probably had constructed while she was away. Both sides of the lawn has also been tampered with by a landscape artist, with a small fountain now standing at the center of the left side while a gazebo stood on the opposite side.

She nearly did not recognize her old backyard and nearly told the cab driver that her home was missing from where it used to be but because of the house that remained unchanged and standing in front of hers, she knew just where to go.

While she stood there, she felt as if the world has been divided into how it used to be a year ago and what it is presently.

If it weren't for the bold silver letters embedded on the gate post which said 'Yoon,’ her family name, she would have missed her own house.

She finally made it to the huge doors that had glass panels now. What used to be one door is now a pair. She sighed, thinking that her mother has gone overboard with renovating the house.

She heard that her older brother has already graduated from the university and has moved to London to further his studies, but she had the hunch that he was up to something else. In the end, she could not blame their mother for putting all her attention in something else, in this case, the house, since she has been living on her own since she left a little over a year ago.

She rang the doorbell, feeling odd that she had to do so in her own house, but then again, she did not inform her mother that she was coming back along with other things she decided to keep a secret for the mean time.

It took a while for her mother to answer and in that moment, she found herself looking over her shoulder into the property that stood across the street, wondering if the old residents still lived there. Just then, the front door to the other house opened and she hurriedly looked away, seeing a flash of black and red before she faced her own front door.

Just seconds after, the door opened as well, revealing her mother who was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Jaera!" her mother exclaimed, suddenly wrapping her slender arms around her daughter's body, reacting with a start when she noted that slight difference in her stature. "Honey, what are you doing here?"

Jaera smiled. "I'm back for good, mom. It's good to see you."

"Oh dear." The mother lightly placed a hand over her chest. "Why didn't you tell me you'll be back today? I could have picked you up from the airport! This child." She hugged Jaera again. "I haven't prepared anything. You must be jet lagged."

"No worries, mom. I'm okay so just relax. I just need to si