Michaela captured the glowing crimson color of the cardinal against the bleached white snow of the window sill on her Polaroid. Michaela slowly paced towards the red bird, but it flew. It flew towards the skyline, slowly disappearing. No more red, only gray. Gray sky, gray streets, gray feelings. It was flying towards its freedom. 
            The voices of her family came back. She hesitantly turned from the window sill to face them, the family who never understood her, not even their own daughter. But she was not the only daughter. A younger daughter, who always got what she wanted, was the favorite.
            The half hanging lights sparkled from the tree, which fit in her cozy and small, but perfect- for-her apartment. Michaela tied her brown, long hair into a bun, as she walked over to her family, who were working their way up to the top of the tree with ornaments. She grabbed a cup of hot chocolate and took tiny sips, trying not to burn her tongue.
        “MKay, how is the internship going? How is Richman treating you, there? 
         “I don’t know mom, I can't possibly enjoy something that I certainly did not sign up for.” Michaela angrily got up and slammed her mug down, spilling some coco on her dark chestnut coffee table. “I can finish decorating my tree, by myself. You can all leave.” Michaela was already tired of their questioning about her internship. Her mom muttered something under her breath, something Michaela could not decipher nor care to.
          “Come on, Michaela. Stop. Mom and Dad only want the best for you. They want you to be happy and successful in life,” her younger sister Eleanor replied in her sweetest voice.
            “They want me to be happy? Well, in that case let me be the one to choose what I want to do, not what they want me to do.” Michaela snapped back at El, but stopped when she saw the look on El’s face. El’s eyes changed to scared, innocent, and apologetic all at once. She immediately felt guilty. “I. I’m sorry,” she tried to get the words out of her mouth. El just frowned and looked down. Grabbing her bag and shoes, El slowly followed their parents out the door.
       Michaela sank into the loveseat, admiring the bright colorful lights from the Christmas tree. She thought back to when she was eight years old, remembering how she always predicted that she would be a photographer, traveling the world and capturing breath taking pictures. But again, she was only eight and had not faced the truth about reality. 
      A strong gust of wind picked up and made the windows rattle like snare drums. She secured her feet on the ground, and stepped towards the kitchen where she started to brew a cup of sweet coffee. Michaela settled down on a kitchen chair, and let the sound of brewing coffee take her thoughts away. She carried her warm cup of coffee to her bed and got snuggled in; she picked up her book and began reading. She later started to realize her eyes were slowly shutting, so she placed her book down and drifted off to sleep.
       She abruptly jolted to the sound of her alarm clock, and bolted to her bathroom, already late for work. She had stayed up late finishing the tree, since Christmas was in two days. She grabbed her tiny cross body, and raced to her door. She was happy that the weather was nice and the wind was sluggish. She quickly walked towards her favorite Starbucks, tried to avoid running into the many pedestrians. Michaela yanked opened the door, and the fresh smell of coffee flowed through her nose. She waited in line thinking over her coffee choice. Michaela stepped up to the counter,
       “Peppermint Mocha, please,” she sweetly told ‘Luna’ the cashier. Luna nodded kindly and went about to make Michaela’s order. She looked behind her to see if anyone was waiting, but no one was, therefore; she did not have to step aside.  A few minutes later Luna came back and handed Michaela her drink.
      “Four dollars, is your total,” she told Michaela, and Michaela handed her a five.
     “Keep the change,” Michaela sweetly smiled, and turned around, only to run into someone.
     “I’m so sorry, I did not see you there,” the stranger told Michaela; as she looked down. On her blouse was her fresh-made peppermint mocha all over. She hoisted her head up, only for her ice-blue eyes to meet the stranger’s honey colored, hazel eyes. Her mind was obscure of her surroundings and what was happening.
       “It’s okay. I should have seen who was behind me. I’m actually running late for work,” she told the stranger, who was yet nameless.
       “I’m Ashton. I just moved here,” his accent rang through her ears, sending chills. He handed her a bunch of napkins.
       “I’m Michaela. Are you loving the Empire State so far,” she smiled at him, and clutched the napkins. She dabbed her blouse, trying to absorb most of the spilled mocha. “I better go to an internship that I am dreading to go to once again,” she smiled up at him.
      “Why are you dreading to go?” His eyebrows creased together in confusion.
      “Because...because my parents want me to be a law official, when I really just want to be a photographer.” That was the very first time she told anyone what she actually wanted to be.
       “You do know you have a say in what you want to be. Right?” Michaela nodded at his response. “But anyway, maybe we can run into each other some other time, when I don’t spill coffee on you.” Michaela gave him a friendly, sweet smile and walked passed him and to the door. She was not even worried about being late. “Oh and Michaela, I just started to love the Empire State.” Michaela did not turn around; she just smiled and walked through the door.
      Michaela released her cross body onto her couch ready to relax after a dreadful day of work. She wandered into the kitchen to find some food to eat and pulled open the fridge and took out the ingredients to make a nice healthy salad. After making her salad, she sat down on the couch to take a few minutes to relax. Setting her dish in the sink, she washed up, and grabbed her white Polaroid, and headed downstairs to head over to Central Park, which happened to be across the street. The force of the wind, forced her hair to move back and cover her face. She hugged her coat a little lighter, hoping the tightness of the coat would make her warmer. She walked between the two golden gates which welcomed people to the park. She took out her camera and gazed her surroundings looking for a perfect chance to snap a picture. Michaela spied a lovely branch with snow rested on it and a little red bird just like the one she saw yesterday. She stepped towards it, and captured the vibrant color with her camera. The snap of the camera made the bird fly are once again.
      “Wow! That’s so astonishing,” Michaela snapped her head back to see Ashton standing there looking at her camera which held the impressive photograph.
      “Um thanks! What are you doing here?” Michaela asked, while she headed over to a nearby bench.
      “Well I was taking a walk, admiring the neighborhood. You know, you take really good photographs?” Ashton said while he positioned himself next to Michaela.
    “Thanks. I always wanted to be a photographer, like I told you earlier,” Michaela let a small smile creep onto her face.
     “I remember. Michaela, you shouldn’t give up on your dreams. They’re your dreams and if you really want to achieve them and make them come true, go for it. Forget what other’s think, because this is your one and only life and you need to live it like you want to. Not how your parents, friends or anyone else wants you to. My parents don’t support me of becoming a drummer. They think it’s a waste of time, and I could do something better with my life. But I don’t because I’ve dreamt of being a drummer my whole life and no one can stop that. That’s what you need, if you really want to be a photographer, go quit that internship, get money and travel the world taking breath-taking photos, like you dreamt to do. Show the world the real you, not some lawyer lady who doesn’t like their job. Don’t you want to wake up every morning feeling happy that you are doing what you love? If so go be a photographer prove the world that anyone can be who they want without the pressure,” Ashton spoke the truth that  he was holding on to ever since that morning. Michaela thought for a minute, she finally started to believe, that this was her own life and no one can plan it for her. 
     “You know Ashton you’re right! This is my life and no one controls it besides me I’m old enough to make my own decides, and don’t need my parents planning my life. I’m glad you are following your dreams because you are making me follow my own dreams. Thank you for your advice,” Michaela’s smile reached ear to ear. She leaned over and gave Ashton a peck on the cheek.
       “Want to go take more pictures?” He got up, and extended his hand, for Michaela to take. She nodded slightly, and grabbed his hand, using her and his strength to get up.
            They walked hand-in-hand, on the path stopping every once in a while, for Michaela to catch a photograph on her camera. They walked for hours before splitting their ways and heading home to get ready for Christmas tomorrow morning.
            Her petite family chattered on Christmas morning about how it was beautiful that they were able to have a white Christmas. They were getting ready to open presents, while sitting around Michaela’s tree, and burning fireplace.
          “Mom and Dad, open mine first.” Michaela spoke to her parents, handing them a rectangular-wrapped box.  They grabbed the box from her hand, and slowly unwrapped the present. Their eyes widened as they looked upon the magnificent collage of the beautiful couple.
      “Wow. You have a real gift MKay. You are a wonderful photographer. You truly proved to us, that you can make a living out of being a photographer. We are so proud of you and terribly sorry that we didn’t see it before you applied for the internship.” Her mother spoke truthfully, reaching over to give Michaela a hug.
            The small happy family opened the rest of the presents before Michaela’s mother started to cook breakfast. Eleanor and her father were converse in a conversation about something Michaela dozed off. She was ecstatic that her parents had understood her and she was very ecstatic that she had met Ashton and listened to him. She turned her heads towards the window watching the snowflakes slowly fall, but something caught her eye.   
            Michaela captured the glowing crimson color of the cardinal against the bleached white snow of the window sill on her Polaroid. Michaela slowly paced towards the red bird, but it flew. It flew towards the skyline, slowly disappearing. No more red, only gray. Gray sky, gray streets, gray feelings. It was flying towards its freedom like Michaela had flown toward her freedom.