The Wallflower Game

Chapter One

Emily was a wallflower. She liked it that way.

For one, she didn’t like talking too much because she felt that it was pointless. Besides, talking too much sometimes placed one at the centre of attention and that was the place for girls who craved popularity and boys and those girls were just trouble magnets. She didn’t want trouble. Hell, it was too risky for a girl like her.

However, it was her twin sister’s birthday party so she felt obliged to attend. The actual birthday itself was yesterday, and both of them celebrated it together by having a movie marathon because Emily refused to waste the day on a party. Eventually they ended up quarrelling over which movie to watch but the cake after dinner made her day anyway. 

Now she stood leaning against a corner with her arms crossed, watching others play those games they always played at parties - the sort that were invented by kids who had nothing better to do and probably had no creativity either. She nearly rolled her eyes. A blond boy walked towards her.

“Hello there,” he said with a smile, leaning against the wall.

“Hello,” she replied politely, remembering who he was. She was good with names now. When she started observing people, she realised how different everyone really was. She would consider what their background was, what made them who they were that day and who they might be in the future. After acquiring the habit of observation, she realised she could link people to each other in ways she was not able to do before. Everyone affected each other in a unique manner. Everyone was connected to everyone else. 

“You’re the sister, right?” Tarrin asked, making her turn to face him again.

“Yes,” Emily answered. She couldn’t figure out what else there possibly was to say to that. 

There was a short pause.

“Aren’t you gonna participate?” Tarrin asked again.

“No.” Emily shook her head and smiled nicely. She wondered why the conversation was even taking place. 

There was another pause. Tarrin’s olive green eyes began darting, searching for an exit from the awkward conversation. This didn’t escape Emily’s notice.

“You should, Riley,” Tarrin said. Then he turned and walked away.

Emily looked at his retreating back. She guessed that he wouldn’t have remembered her name, she didn’t blame him for it, but then she didn’t think it was very wise to just guess a name. It might have offended someone else who had a bad temper. She shrugged it off and turned her attention back to the crowd. 

After finishing her cup of punch, she grew tired and decided that it wouldn’t hurt to just disappear for awhile. She pushed herself off the wall and went upstairs to her room, played some soft music and closed her eyes to rest.

Keith didn’t feel comfortable sneaking around in someone else’s room, but then Katy, the birthday girl, had asked him to help her fetch a present for someone. 

He didn’t like being asked to do these sorts of things – fetching things for others when they can do it themselves – but he didn’t feel like bursting Katy’s bubble. She was drunk with the atmosphere of her birthday party and was silly with laughter. Besides, he hardly knew anyone at the party – he came only because his friends had asked him to. 

Keith padded down the hallway, thankful that the carpet muffled the sounds of his footsteps. He counted the rooms and stopped right outside the third room. 

This was Katy’s sister’s room. 

He frowned, wondering why he felt like a thief when it was Katy herself who gave him permission to enter the room. If it was him, he’d never let anyone he didn’t know too well to go upstairs – it felt like an invasion of privacy. 

The door was firmly shut and so, very carefully, he turned the doorknob and eased the door open. Slowly, he crept in and looked around the room for a huge pink paper bag. Katy said he couldn’t miss it.

However, what he really couldn’t miss was that Katy’s sister was in the room, sleeping. Her dark hair was a mess and her breathing was slow and steady. She wore a black shirt which had a print of a monkey wearing a business suit on it. 

Now he really felt like an intruder. His eyes flew to the pink paper bag right next to the sleeping girl. 

Crap. 

Slowly, he inched his way towards it, then, changing his mind as he considered how peaceful she looked, he decided to slip back out. Before he could do it, the sister – he couldn’t seem to remember her name – opened her eyes and spoke.

“Hey,” she said neutrally. Keith wasn’t sure if she was being friendly or warning him to stay out of her room.

“Hey,” he replied cautiously, staring at her pixie-like face.

“Need anything?” she asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

“Uh, yes, a pink paper bag.” Keith frowned, narrowing his eyes.

The sister looked to her side. She picked it up and handed it to him, her sharp eyes unsmiling.

“Thank you,” Keith said with a brief, uncertain smile, his eyes lingering on her face.

The girl blinked, then said, “Enjoy the party, Keith.” Then she lay back down on her bed and closed her eyes. 

Keith felt it would be highly awkward to linger in the room. Mumbling a thanks, he left, half-dazed, half-embarrassed for being caught.

Emily shifted on her bed and looked at the ceiling. The pink paper bag was for Katy’s classmate; her birthday was a week ago and Katy meant to pass it to her today. 

She had guessed that it was Katy who asked Keith to come upstairs and take it. 

She smirked. So much for his pretty face; the dirty blond hair, the bright, blue eyes and pearly-white teeth. 

Keith was that kind of guy; the kind that was easily used.

Keith made his way downstairs feeling lightheaded. He shook his head. No way. It couldn’t have been her. Not Emily. Not that Emily. Besides, that Emily didn’t have a sister...did she?

He took a deep breath. But…those eyes.

Those black eyes that once sparkled dangerously. Those laughing eyes that were a trouble magnet. They were bloody familiar to the ones he just stared at a few minutes ago.

If it really was Emily de Leon…

Suddenly, that thought appealed to him. A lot. Keith smiled.