A Tale of Platinum Spells

C H A P T E R 2

"Says the boy who called a nail polish a poster color, yet the pot calls the kettle black." she fired back, treating herself to the sumptuous meal set before her. She held her cutlery in the wrong positions, swapping them and deliberating on which position was right. Pfft. As long as the food gets into the right position—My stomach.

"Well, you can't blame me, I mean, you ladies are complicated." Louis defended himself. Vivian laughed at their bizarre argument and Alexa rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Aside the fact that Alexa and Louis argued a lot and were of almost equal height ( although Louis was taller by almost one feet), one would hardly guess that they were twins. They had different eye colors. While Alexa's was a deep blue, Louis' was a light shade of grey. They were opposites of one another. They even had different hair colours. Alexa was a blonde, while Louise had a dark-brown hair, just like his mother.

"You still haven't told us why you changed our school. I liked Westford High. It was fun." Alexa said to her mother, who was paying little or no attention as she was busy typing on her cellphone.

"True though," Louis agreed. The vegetables he shoved into his mouth fell off from the sides as he spoke.

"Well, basically distance. From now on, you both would take the public bus to school everyday. So no more waking up whenever you like." Mrs Anderson answered their question, after placing her phone on the dining table. A satisfied grin played over her perfectly caked face. She knew she had just broken the heart of her kids by the announcement she made.

"What?! The public bus??! No way mum. Can't I drive us to school?" Louis objected immediately. The public bus was definitely no place for the rich kids—and for those who enjoyed arriving in school at their own convenience. "Trust me. I am up to the task. Just forge a driver's license for me and boost my age to eighteen. I do look eighteen. I can't wake up at seven everyday to get ready for school and stand on the sidewalk waiting for a bus. Please don't do this to us—to me!" he begged.

"You want to win us a free ticket to the other side?" Alexa cut into their discussion. "By the way, mum doesn't do illegal stuffs. Am I right mum?"

"You're a hundred and one percent right honey. No driving till you're 18. You know the rules. Besides, Lanster High is not so bad after all. I heard it's of very good standard and reputation in the city. You both would love it." she concluded. "Westford high was good and all, but you know what they say: Mother knows best; and I choose Lanster. Case closed."
The twins sighed. They dared not utter another contradicting word. They knew better than to oppose their mother when she had said her signature closing phrase: Case Closed. Alexa cleared the table, while Louise migrated to the sofa next to the television set. "I'm going to miss all my friends!" she groaned, pushing her lips into a pout. "Anna, Martha, Santos, Joan and especially Greta. She is my best friend you know. We've been friends since like...forever." She counted with her fingers as she listed the names.

"Good thing Max gets to transfer to our new school too. Best. Buddies. Forever. Life can't get any better. Now don't look at me. We already established the fact that you get all the bad luck while I am the favoured one of the gods." Louis said, smiling in satisfaction. He didn't even flinch an inch or show the littlest remorse for her supposed loss.

How interesting...not. "Okay, that's supposed to be comforting? How come you get all the good luck?" Alexa frowned.

"Quit whining like a baby seal, you can always make new friends. It's a big school after all, well unless you plan on being a... sociopath? That's the right word for an antisocial nerd right? "

"Pfft. I'll make new friends quite all right. I just hope I don't bump into one of those high school witches, that always want to stick their claws down people's throats." she said. They both laughed out loud at her sarcasm. "You know every high school has one of those Miss-no-good witches roaming the hall ways like a misplaced janitor."

"Mum!?" Louis called from downstairs. "Can we go to the beach on Monday. Our break is almost over, pleaseeee?" he made a sympathetic face as though his mum could actually see it from where she was—a face that only surfaced when he had to beg for a favour.

Vivian walked downstairs in cautious steps. Her perfectly powdered face, coupled with a nice velvet chiffon dress and black heels gave her a different look. Her brunette hair was laced into a tight French braid. "You can, at least have some fun before school resumes and its all work, work and work."

"Thanks mum." Sparkles glistened in Louis' grey eyes like a child given a candy bar. He loved the beach. He'd always claim to hear the water roar his name through the waves while he surfed; to be the god of the waves. He had even given himself a name.

"I'm leaving for work now, you both be good, or do you need a nanny?" Mrs. Anderson said. It was quite obvious from the smug look on her face that her latter statement was one of mockery. Laughing out loud, the twins gave a simultaneous "No", as she strode out through the front door.

"So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day? " Louis asked Alexa. He already felt the boredom seeping deeper into his veins by every passing second and consuming his entire being.

"I'll probably just sleep, eat, read E-books, sleep, eat again and then arrange my closet. Then, eat again." Alexa replied dryly. "Nothing beats my perfect schedule. Don't you think so Louis?" She grinned at him, happy that she had managed to drastically increase his boredom level by her boring schedule.

"Tsk. All hail the goddess of boredom." He shook his head. "You should have been named after the Sahara desert. You're as dry as they come."

"Shake your head till it rolls off okay." Alexa replied him, before heading out through the back door. "I'm going for a swim in the pool. Are you coming or what? " She stopped to ask.

"Right behind you missie," Louise hopped to his feet, ready to have a mini experience of the beach in the soothing, warm pool water.
He would take any chance to have ample contact with water, even if it was one spent splashing around like a duck with Alexa.

"Don't call me missie." Alexa warned.

"Whatever man. Suck it up."