Do You Know Indigo?

Chapter Five

"I don't like tomato sauce actually."

"Of course you don't," Mandy murmured, receiving a silencing kick below the table from Beth.

"So Sophia, how are you finding your first day?" asked Beth, folding her hands neatly on the table. "It must be strange, having to transfer schools at this point in the year."

Sophia nodded, nibbling the naked chip.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Sophia did not elaborate further on the matter of her peculiar circumstances. Instead, she offered an unforeseen insight that we all, for our own reasons, would have liked to have been privy to earlier. "I imagine Kieran will find it far stranger when he arrives, that is if he decided to show up at all."

Between the four of us, only Beth could fashion something of sense to say in response to the revelation.

"And Kieran would be?"

"My twin brother." Sophia inspected each of our reactions in turn before revealing a facetious grin. For me, her grin grew wider still. "Perhaps I should have mentioned that."

I did not like where this was going.

Beth nestled her chin into the crux of her palms and managed to fashion herself an expression that was neither fury nor fascination. Her poker face was a brilliant illusion and nothing more.

"Not at all. We're just surprised." Beth looked at Mandy and Jude; her original informants. "To tell you the truth Sophia, there were rumours about the imminent arrival of a new kid. There were no rumours to suggest there would be more than one." Beth tilted her head and fixed Sophia with an icy, blue stare. "Odd that he should pick post-lunch to present himself."

Sophia did not shrink under Beth's scrutiny but instead helped herself to another chip.

"Kieran has been instrumental in helping our family make the move up here. He takes an active role in our father's work. Once he's satisfied the transition has gone smoothly, he'll no doubt make an appearance." Sophia informed us, twisting another chip between her slender, pale fingers.

"He sounds like he has better things to do than bore himself with high school," I said. Sophia suppressed a laugh and placed the chip she had been teasing back onto her plate.

"On the contrary, my brother hasn't looked forward to anything more in a long, long time." Sophia and I tested one another with unyielding resolve. She caved first, retrieving her discarded chip and swallowing it whole.

"Well I for one can't wait to meet him," said Beth. I rolled my eyes. Sophia raised a brow and smirked.

"Yes, many people would say they are dying to meet him."

The way Sophia regarded me then was so sickening, so obviously challenging and I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly why and there was nothing I could do about it now.

Lunch time became a faced paced, tabletop game of twenty questions. Sophia proved herself a promising politician, answering every one of Beth's inquiries without giving away anything of note about her twin brother.

The main takeaways from the interrogation that Beth proceeded to reiterate more than once on the short journey from the canteen to our fifth period history class were as followed; Kieran Arden identified as a heterosexual male, was single and was taller than 5ft 6". My main takeaway was that I was more than likely about to come face to face with a boy I'd all but decided I had imagined.

Beth and I went our separate ways as we entered Mr. Gregory's classroom. I took my seat and retrieved my notes from the previous lesson. After my one to one with Gregory the fortnight before, I was sincerely trying to be a respectful pupil. It was a good job I hadn't made any unrealistic promises to Mr. Gregory because I was about to be given reason to do anything but behave.