Hidden Blood

...Alin...

. . Alin . .

“I hate balls”

“Oh sis, lighten up a bit,” said Alin reclining in his chair, spreading his arms behind his head, so as to enclose his little sister in a  hug. “Hate is a strong word.”

“Fine then,” she thought, “I detest them, yes, I detest balls. Is that better?”

“Much” he said, smiling his lopsided grin “You should be enjoying yourself you know, meeting people, talking, having fun. You never get out and socialise, it does have its benefits, if I may say so myself.”

“Yes” she jibed “you would know.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Alin retorted, “Shutting myself away and depriving the outside world of my awe-inspiring presence is a crime I am not guilty of.”

“In my defence, no one out there…” she said waving her hand in the general ‘outside’ direction “…can keep up with me.”

“Keep up with you?”

“Well, apart from Sam, but then again, I’m not really supposed to see her am I?”

“I guess…,” he said, not really wanting to let her win.

 “See! Does that make you feel better? Is your heart now bursting with happiness?”

“Yes, I do feel a little sunshine leaking through my seams”

“You disgust me”

Laughing, Alin watched as Callasita detached herself from his grip and sauntered away, probably to find a nice little nook to relax in and read a book. Sighing he stood up and walked over to the nearest group of young people. The ball was in fact in honour of her. It was being held on account of her turning sixteen and coming out into society. No doubt, father would already have a list of carefully chosen husbands for the poor girl. They had better be quick on their feet and mind, for their sake. Alin was so glad he was a boy. He did not think he would be able to go through everything a woman had to go through. Being locked away, “out of sight, out of mind” his father always said, until her coming out ball, frisked away to a squint eyed husband to have squint eyed children.

She was supposed to be enjoying herself though; not hiding away, missing all the fun. Now she was ‘out’, Cali would be expected to keep up with appearances and be a proper, eligible lady. He would certainly miss playing and talking nonsense with her in the upcoming months though, some of his female acquaintances, no, nearly most of his acquaintances, male and female alike were so slow and boring that he would dearly miss her quick and witty remarks.

Shuddering, Alin turned to the plump, blond, cake-faced girl beside him that looked like she had been trying to get his attention for a while now. Peering closer at her face, he realised that she was in fact a woman. Probably a mother trying to get him to marry one of her daughters; was that all mother’s thought about? Was that their only goal in life? Marriage? Plastering a fake smile on his face, he surrendered himself to her willing arm and was led away, almost certainly to her “beautiful” “accomplished” daughter. Oh well he thought. I am only eighteen once, why not live a little.